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Environment

While serving as Chief of Staff to Assembly Member Jonathan L. Bing our office received an honor from the New York League of Conservation Voters for introducing environmentally friendly legislation that helped enable the MTA's Select Bus Program.

As someone who grew up in New York City and State the environment including our City and State parks, greenways such as running and bike paths, and waterways are of integral importance. As a child I grew up playing in Carl Schurz and John Jay parks, and as an adult I've hiked in our State parks with Surprise Lake Camp, biked over 75+ miles of our greenways with Transportation Alternatives, swam across the East River with NYC Swim and in the Hudson River with the New York City Triathlon, and trained everywhere with the Asphalt Green Triathlon team.

As an avid user of our City and States natural resources, you won't find a better advocate for our environment. After all what other candidate would fight to keep the City's rivers clean enough to swim in?

Solution for Environment: Support building more green roofs to capture rain runoff instead of more wastewater treatment plants in our neighborhoods.

Submitted by kallos on Sun, 02/05/2012 - 1:01pm
Issue: 
Environment
Solution: 
Support building more green roofs to capture rain runoff instead of more wastewater treatment plants in our neighborhoods.
Explanation: 

One-third of New York’s landmass is covered by roofs which, if redesigned, can help to clean our environment. Green roofs hold rainwater which would help prevent subway delays associated with flooding and help stem the 27 billion gallons of untreated wastewater that overflows into nearby waters when our sewer system becomes overburdened. Green roofs cool the air, as water in the plants evaporate when sunlight hits, rather than creating an urban heat island effect from higher temperatures in urban areas. If one half of New York City’s flat roofs were green, City temperatures would fall by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, saving $70 million in energy costs and strengthening our energy infrastructure. Green roofs also create open spaces where people can congregate and grow food, cut down on CO2, and generally last about twice as long as normal roofs. Some experts believe that by investing $250 million in green roofs, we can avoid having to spend money on expanding our wastewater treatment capacity to handle overflow due to rainwater, while also receiving the other benefits green roofs bring.

Source: 
Former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green, "Change for New York: 100 Ideas for a Better City," 2009.
http://markgreen.com/100#24
Organization: 
Mark Green for New York Public Advocate

Solution for Environment: Reduce frequency of power outages and lower electricity costs by investing in a Smart Grid.

Submitted by kallos on Sun, 02/05/2012 - 1:01pm
Issue: 
Environment
Solution: 
Reduce frequency of power outages and lower electricity costs by investing in a Smart Grid.
Explanation: 

A smart grid provides for a more efficient, cost-saving method of moving electricity along major long-distances to the disparate end-users, using computers and sensors to better manage the flow of electricity. While New Yorkers may currently use energy generated on Long Island, a smart grid would allow our energy to come from much farther away, mitigating price hikes. A valuable side effect would be that instead of relying on customers to report power outages, outages would be discovered automatically by a smart grid. We can begin making our grid "smart" by investing funds, requiring ConEd to invest in upgrades and acquiring federal funding allocated towards smart grids. Savings would be found in cheaper electricity and in not having to pay damages to consumers who lose power. In addition, a smart grid would spur development of clean electricity projects for businesses and individuals, who would be able to sell excess power back into the system.

Source: 
Former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green, "Change for New York: 100 Ideas for a Better City," 2009.
http://markgreen.com/100#25
Organization: 
Mark Green for New York Public Advocate

Solution for Environment: Cover the up-front costs of clean energy projects in return for payments over 20 years.

Submitted by kallos on Sun, 02/05/2012 - 1:01pm
Issue: 
Environment
Solution: 
Cover the up-front costs of clean energy projects in return for payments over 20 years.
Explanation: 

New York State’s tax incentives for installing solar and wind power lag behind other states and municipalities. One obstacle to the development of this industry is the high upfront costs. While solar and wind energy pay the owner back with energy savings after only a few years, they can cost upwards of $15,000 to install. In some California municipalities, local government pays the upfront costs of the installation of solar panels, and taxes the owner’s use for 20 years. This program would mean home and business owners would see lower energy bills right away, and our government would recoup its investment over time.

Source: 
Former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green, "Change for New York: 100 Ideas for a Better City," 2009.
http://markgreen.com/100#26
Organization: 
Mark Green for New York Public Advocate