The one-day event will take guests behind the scenes to see sustainable sites throughout the city. Tours will highlight cutting edge innovations in building energy, water management, waste management, urban agriculture, and more.

Date:  Saturday, May 18^th 2013

Time: Between 10AM and 3PM

Cost:  Varies by Tour

Choose from a number of exciting tours!

424 Melrose Street – A Passive Multifamily in Brooklyn

Having designed energy efficient projects since 1996, Architect Chris Benedict brings the concept of passive building design to Bushwick with her latest project at 424 Melrose Street.  The 24-unit apartment house is designed to comply with the stringent passive house standard while being completed at the same price as typical construction by thoughtfully rethinking the infrastructure of the building.  The building also features a solar heated domestic hot water system. The building is currently under construction, so guests will be able to tour the site and get a first hand-look at the guts of the building.

Lower East Side Ecology Center – Urban Compost Tour

This tour will take guests behind the scenes of the newly renovated Environmental Learning Center.  Guests will learn about the sustainable features of the building including it’s green roof system and oyster gardens, and will discuss the future green improvements in ventilation and solar power.  We will also tour the compost site to see how food waste collected at the Union Square Greenmarket and at the Ecology Center’s community garden are turned into composting using an in-vessle system and windrows.

Arbor House – Affordable Housing Meets Hydroponic Agriculture

This state of the art affordable housing development features a 10,000 sqft fully integrated hydroponic greenhouse on the roof! The farm will use harvested rainwater and will be used to provide fresh, healthy vegetables to the building’s tenants and surrounding community, making a significant contribution to food access and public health in the neighborhood.

The Visionaire – Low Footprint Luxury

Natural passive lighting, integrated air and water filtration systems, micro-turbines, an integrated photovoltaic curtain wall, rooftop gardens, and an in-house wastewater treatment system help make this LEED Platinum condominium a prime example of innovative design and systems integration.  Nice views of the harbor too!

Brooklyn Botanical Garden Visitor’s Center – Water, Water Everywhere!

Just like a good garden, the new visitor’s center at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is not only attractive, it’s also ecologically sustainable.  Among the features that makes this a LEED Gold candidate are geothermal wells, on-site harvested wood walls, passive lighting, and a living roof that will capture 200,000 gallons of rainwater annually!

MiMA Tower and Clinton Community Garden – Two for One Tour

MiMA Tower

Designed by one of the world’s leading architecture and design firms, Arquitectonica, MiMA is a 63-story glass wall tower featuring 50 floors of luxury rentals, 151 premium tower residences and a new 669-room Yotel. Also onsite, the all-new Pershing Square Signature Center provides three separate theatre and performance spaces designed by Frank Gehry.

The MiMA residential property’s LEED Gold certification reflects Related’s industry-leading commitment to sustainability.

Clinton Community Garden 

In 1984, the Clinton Community Garden became the first community garden in New York City to be granted permanent parkland status.

The city-owned property was leased through Operation GreenThumb in 1979 and organized into two sections, a public front garden with a lawn and flower beds and a back area for individual plots. Over the next several years, the back garden was expanded from the west to the east, so that 108 garden plots were eventually created. Paths were built from salvaged brick, and fences and gates were put in to protect the garden and separate the public area from the plots in the back. Stone benches were made from recycled slabs of slate and concrete blocks.

Today this little spot of heaven is one of the most organized community gardens in the world.  It receives regular press from around the country, and when members are present, particularly on weekends, the garden is open to visitors.  Our tour guide will be Andy Padian, who has been a member of the garden for 23 years.

After the MiMA Tower and Clinton Community Garden tour, guests are encouraged to expolre the 40th Annual Ninth Avenue International Food Festival which runs from 42nd to 57th Streets in Hell’s Kitchen.

Signup today!  Space is limited

Date: Wednesday March 15, 2013
Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Place:   Nixon Peabody, 437 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022

Click here to register!

Our speakers will include:

John Lee, Depuity Director, Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability
John Lee is the Deputy Director for Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability. In this capacity, he is leading the city’s policy and legislative efforts driving the built environment to unprecedented energy efficiency standards. John’s previous public sector service was with the NYC Department of Buildings as Senior Architect in the codes development division, and with the Department of City Planning where he served as an Urban Designer. During his early career, John was Art Director for a web development firm consulting to a suite of corporate clients in the energy sector and consumer product goods, and was also a design architect in private sector architecture and engineering firms working on institutional buildings, transit facilities, and master plans for universities. John currently holds the Mayor’s voting seat on the New York State Uniform Code Council. He is a licensed architect and a graduate of Rice University and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Michele Soderstrom, Senior Account Manager, Bright Power, Inc.
Michele is a Senior Account Manager with Bright Power, and a member of the EnergyScoreCards™ team within Bright Power. She performs data analysis, manages client accounts, and supports a number of projects associated with the development and deployment of this growing software. She is the primary liaison with Enterprise and LISC for Bright Power’s analysis of the CWP-WAP study. Notably, she also leads the NYC Benchmarking program, through with Bright Power helps over 700 buildings achieve compliance with Local Law 84 of New York City energy regulation.

Michele is a BPI Multifamily Building Analyst and has a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. She is a self-described life-long environmentalist with a passion for renewable energy and other energy issues. Previous experience includes working as solar and wind energy Market Analyst at the non-profit NextEnergy, volunteering with the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance in South Africa, and interning with Cleantech Group LLC.

Date: Saturday, May 18, 2013 

Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm

Place: Lower East Side Ecology Center, East River Promenade, New York, NY 10002

Cost:$8 before May 12th, $12 after

Click here to RSVP

Join us as we tour the LESEC offices and newly renovated Environmental Learning Center.

Since 1987 the Lower East Side Ecology Center (LESEC) has offered community-based recycling and composting programs in New York City.  Today, the Ecology Center offers free public compost collection and education, electronic waste recycling, stewardship of public open space, and environmental education.

We will start at the East River Park Fireboat House where the Lower East Side Ecology Center has its office and will reopen its Environmental Learning Center this year.  We will highlight the green features of the building including the green roof system and the oyster gardens, and will discuss the future green improvements in ventilation and solar power.

Then we will move on to the compost site.  At the compost site, participants will see how the food waste we collect at the Union Square Greenmarket and at our community garden are turned into composting using an in-vessle system and windrows.  We will discuss the future artificial fresh water wetland system that we hope to build to treat the high nutrient leachate from the operation.

Finally, we will tour the recently opened Pier 42 site at the southern end of East River Park, where the Lower East Side Ecology Center and the Lower East Side Waterfront Alliance are working with selected artists,designers, and the community  to provide temporary programing and amenities to a former working pier while the Parks Department and the local Community Board work on a permanent design.

After the tour, guests are invited to join the LESEC for their Compost Workshop taking place at Battary Park near State St. and Pearl St.

Click here to RSVP

 Get the BPI Certification you need, and still get to work!

If you have an interest in multifamily buildings, you’ll definitely be interested in signing up for  GreenHomeNYC’s Multifamily Building Analyst Training Course, starting this Thursday in Manhattan. 

This course offering is intended to give you a thorough training experience and still keep your day job.

Quick Facts

What: Multifamily Building Analyst Course

Where: Upper West Side of Manhattan (precise location disclosed to paid registrants)
When: Thursday evenings, April 25 – June 20, from 6pm to 9pm
Cost: $850; includes 175 pages of electronic material and all course powerpoints.  Discounts available for GreenHomeNYC and NESEA members

Accreditation: AIA pending; optional BPI Certification Exam available for an additional $350 

Course schedule overview:

The course instructors are crazy – crazy about multifamily buildings and energy. Led by F.L. Andrew Padian and several other worthy instructors, you’ll get access to their extensive experience. Whether your background is in energy auditing, real estate development or building management, you will benefit greatly from both the course content and networking opportunities.

The course begins this Thursday night. Are you in?

On February 20th, GreenHomeNYC held its Green Building Monthly forum on “Building in Flood Zones” at The Trespa Design Center.  Presentations were given by: Albert Wei of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Professor Lance Jay Brown, and Julia Ragragio Ruiz of Columbia University’s Sustainability Management Program.

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 Mr. Wei’s presentation, “Design for Coastal Resistance: What is urban resilient design?” discussed master plans for improving flood defenses for Asbury Park, NJ.  Mr. Wei emphasized the importance of strategies for disaster and flood resilience, such as restoring the functionality of flood control estuaries.  Other solutions he described were utility vaults and flood barriers.  He also presented a building design checklist for sustaining Category 3 storms (111-130 mph winds).

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Mr. Wei commented on the approach of lifting buildings above the storm flood level, noting,  “it’s not always practical to raise everything up off the ground plane and the amount of protection provided is questionable.”  Elevation can also interfere with the aesthetic vision for an area.  “In New York City we want to preserve the lovely modernism of downtown buildings, or in the case of Asbury Park, we want buildings to align with the boardwalk.”  In terms of urban design and architecture we get into the territory of which features are practical for certain environments. “Can you have a row of shops or a glass facade by a waterfront zone?”  In considering the types of urban spaces for New York City, Wei suggests engineering that considers a broad landscape of strategies for more resilient urbanism while protecting the way of designing and building a city.

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 Professor Lance Jay Brown of Lance Jay Brown Architecture + Urban Design, and the City College of New York presented “Recovery from Sandy.”  “Exercises of New York City’s disaster housing plan bring together hundreds to examine how to provide safe housing for those living in flood zones.  After seeing the effects of Sandy they were frustrated that they didn’t start two years earlier.”  But Mr. Brown reminds us that we are just learning what it means to be confronted with a storm like Sandy.  It is said that Sandy caused the most damage to a global city since World War II.  “We have to stay ahead of the game and develop our plans now.  Innovative solutions will pose legal issues but we can’t wait for the legislation.”

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 Mr. Brown commends The NYC Office of Emergency Management’s (OEM) “What if New York City…Design Competition for Post-Disaster Provisional Housing”, for inspiring the kind of thinking we need to get the ball rolling.  In 2008 OEM along with the NYC Department of Design and Construction, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Architecture for Humanity, challenged participants to propose innovative designs for temporary urban housing for use after a disaster. 

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Julia Ragragio Ruiz of Columbia University concluded with “Insurance, Climate Change and Flood Resilience in NYC.”  Ms. Ruiz shared the findings of her team’s capstone project about incorporating disaster insurance into a regional disaster management program.  The Mayor’s office decided to use Ms. Ruiz and her team as a resource in pursuing policies of resilience that engage with insurance companies.  Ms. Ruiz and her team determined that over 26,000 properties in New York City are potentially at risk of loss during a flood disaster, and that the majority are uninsured or underinsured.  In the residential market, about 60% of properties are uninsured despite the National Flood Insurance Program’s requirement that property owners within flood zones purchase flood insurance.  She also asserted that the lack of communication during and after disasters has resulted in insurance companies not paying claims quickly enough to insured property owners.

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 Ms. Ruiz proposed three ways to develop resilience in NYC: improve public education about flood risk, improve communication among the relevant New York City agencies, and conduct a more comprehensive insurance market analysis.  FEMA extends aid to all who were affected by Sandy to rebuild homes as they were, but not better, leaving a gap in funding to influence disaster sustainability. 

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 As we continue to “move equipment up from the basement” and recover from Sandy damage, we should go beyond a return to normalcy.  As well as lifting the buildings themselves, let’s elevate our concern and cut ribbons for a modern, resilient New York City.  Thank you to Albert Wei, Lance Jay Brown, and Julia Ragragio Ruiz!

Register Now!

If you are an energy professional working in multifamily buildings or just want to learn about multifamily building energy audits, this is the class for you.  GreenHomeNYC’s experienced network of building scientists will conduct classes to prepare you to become a certified BPI Multifamily Building Analyst.

$850 Fee Includes 10 Evening Training Classes. 175 Pages of e-publications, and all powerpoints!

(discounts available for NESEA members & GHNYC Volunteers)

The class will be held on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Thursday nights from 6-9pm starting on April 25;   Paid registrants will be given the exact location.  The class will also include an optional Saturday field class.  AIA Credits pending.

Schedule:

4/25 – Intro to Multifamily Building Efficiency; Fuel Analysis

5/2 – Building Science, Combustion Science, Combustion Chemistry

5/9 – Central Heating Plants: Steam and Hydronic Boilers

5/16 – Central vs. Non-Central Heating of MF Buildings; Building Envelope

5/23 – Health and Safety

5/30 – Water and Domestic Hot Water

6/6 – Lighting, Appliances, other Electric

6/13 – Psychology: Owner-Tenant-Cooperator-Maintenance Issues

6/20 – The Walkthrough: What Do We Need to Record and Look At

BPI Certification Exam costs additional $350 should you choose to become certified (optional): Location and date TBD

Register Now!

About our lead instructor: 

F.L. Andrew Padian has 30 years of experience in the unique building science of multifamily buildings, with an emphasis on the affordable housing sector. He has performed detailed energy analysis on thousands of buildings across the country, providing recommendations for energy and water efficiency, comfort, durability, and health & safety for both new and existing buildings.

TESTIMONIALS FOR GreenHomeNYC’s MFBA Class:

“Whether your focus is energy auditing, real estate development or building management, this is a valuable certification that will change the way you look at buildings, and poignantly delivered with the Padian flare!”

- Christopher Mahase, Director of Sustainability, NYC Housing Preservation & Development

“GreenHomeNYC’s MFBA class prepared me for the BPI Multifamily Buildings Auditor certification and allowed me to meet some amazing people currently working in New York’s green industry. The instructor brought with him a wealth of real-world experience that really drove home the concepts of multifamily building science and helped me to obtain my certification, which was key to me getting hired in the industry.”

- Mary Tchamkina, energy auditor, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration – Weatherization Assistance Program

“The MFBA class is taught by Andy Padian who is truly passionate about the material. You cannot help but feel excited about the lecture topic as his energy transfers to the class even after a long day at work. This class has real value to anyone who takes it. It is full of interesting learning and networking.”

- Ruth D. Ayalon, BPI-MFBA, Mechanical Engineer Steven Winter Associates, Inc.

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This forum is free and open to the public!

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Date:  Wednesday April 17, 2013
Time:  6:30pm – 8:00pm

Place:  GE Monogram Design Center, 150 E 58th St., New York, NY 10155

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NOTE:  Though our event will not begin until 6:30, our very gracious host has asked us to invite our attendees to arrive as early as 6:00pm to enjoy the food and drink they provide!

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Click here to register!

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Our speakers will include:

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Noah Budnick, Deputy Director, Transportation Alternatives

Noah Budnick is the Deputy Director of Transportation Alternatives. He oversees T.A.’s political strategies to improve and increase walking, biking and public transit in New York City. He’s played a key role in bringing public input to the City of New York’s long-term sustainability plan, PlaNYC, and has built lasting relationships with the public health community, engaging them in work to prevent injuries and promote physical activity through better design of New York City’s streets and other public spaces. Noah is T.A.’s senior staff and is also the chair of the board of directors of the Alliance for Biking & Walking, the North American coalition of state and local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy groups, and a board member of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative. He was recently honored with a Revson Foundation Fellowship at Columbia University.

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Joseph Cutrufo, Communications Associate, Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Joseph joined the Campaign in 2012 and handles Mobilizing the Region, TSTC.org, online advocacy campaigns and social media while keeping tabs on the latest transportation news in the Tri-State area and beyond. Prior to joining TSTC, he was program coordinator with WalkBoston in his native Massachusetts. A passionate advocate for sustainable transportation with a background in communications and the arts, Joseph holds an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University.

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Emmanuelle Humblet, Sustainability and Adaptation Planner, VHB

The Sun Works Center for Environmental Studies at the Manhattan School for Children [PS333] is the flagship Greenhouse Project Science Laboratory and serves over 700 Kindergarten through 8th grade students, in addition to training educators from around the city, the region, and the world. The greenhouse laboratory operates as an integrated part of the school’s curricula and prepares children to exceed New York City’s science standards.

The lab accommodates up to 35 kids and is available every day of the school year. Students experience science through interactive technologies such as hydroponic vegetable farming, solar panels, a rainwater catchment system, a weather station, worm composting, and a kitchen corner.

The tour will be Wednesday, April 24th at 3:45pm. Guests will be shown the rooftop greenhouse comprised of solar panels, a hydroponics growing system, a composting station, a rainwater catchment system, a weather station and an aquaponics system.

Where: Sun Works Center for Environmental Studies at the Manhattan School for Children, 154 W 93rd Street, New York, NY 10025

When: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 from 3:45 PM to 5:00 PM (EDT)

Register HERE

At GreenHomeNYC buildings are our passion, but we also recognize that the ways to incorporate sustainably aren’t limited to the buildings you occupy. Our March forum, Green Lifestyles, will focus on simple ways you can incorporate sustainability into other aspects of your life. Our panel of speakers will be focusing on everything from transportation to green cleaning products so there’s sure to be something for everyone! We hope to see you there!

This forum is free and open to the public!

Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Place: Hafele Showroom, 25 E 26th St., Manhattan, NY 10010

Click here to RSVP!

Our speakers will include:

Bios posted as they become available.

Chrys Napolitano, Locust Point Civic Association

Chrys is a local food activist, writer, community organizer and Master Composter Candidate with the NY Compost Project. For the last 12 years, as a board member of the Locust Point Civic Association in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx, she has worked to raise awareness about the environment, sustainability, energy efficiency and the effects of climate change on waterfront communities. In 2012, she co-hosted “Earth Day Our Way” which included speakers from GreenHomeNYC, the Department of Sanitation and a New York State CSA farmer. She was part of the core group that began a successful CSA, started a community composting effort and also supervised the construction of a new playground at the civic house property. In her bi-monthly column in the Bronx Times Reporter, “Food for Thought”, she discusses issues dearest to her heart: cooking with local, seasonal ingredients, organic gardening and composting. By “bringing everyone to the table” to talk about food and share meals that are delicious and nutritious, she believes that the ripple effect can be far reaching. She will discuss the changes that she and her family have made to eat better, more seasonally and sustainably while still enjoying delicious food.

Erica Brabon, BPI MFBA, LEED AP O+M, Senior Consultant

Erica has specific expertise in energy efficiency in multifamily and commercial buildings. Her work at SWA focuses on energy benchmarking and auditing, health and safety in buildings, training building operators and maintenance staff in sustainable operations and energy efficiency, curriculum development, LEED certification and development and implementation of sustainable business practices. Ms. Brabon is currently working with multifamily buildings across NYC to cut energy consumption and increase building performance under NYSERDA’s Multifamily Performance Program.

Glen Nison, NYC Department of Sanitation

Glen Nison is an Outreach Specialist for the Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling in New York City’s Department of Sanitation. He has been working for the Department since recycling became mandatory in 1989. Prior to working for Sanitation, Glen was an Urban Park Ranger working mostly in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Glen works with schools, City agencies, institutions and residential buildings (from single-family homes to large complexes ) providing them with guidance on how to recycle effectively. Glen is also an avid outdoorsman, cyclist and photographer. He lives in Brooklyn Heights.

Jessica Schreiber, re-fashioNYC

Jessica Schreiber is a Program Manager for the Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse, and Recycling in New York City’s Department of Sanitation. She is currently working on a study of NYC’s commercial waste management system and an update to the 2005 characterization study of NYC’s residential waste stream. Jessica manages the City’s textile recycling program, re-fashioNYC, and is additionally responsible for the Bureau’s social media channels, NYC Recycles. She has a Masters Degree in Climate and Society from Columbia University, which integrates climate/environmental science and communication to foster sustainable development. She co-authors a food blog and is an avid tree hugger.

Kady Ferguson, Green City Challenge

In Brooklyn, Kady is actively engaged in various environmental initiatives and serves as the Director of Zero Waste with Sustainable Flatbush. From DIY to ReIY(reuse it yourself), Kady brings together and supports community activists to address the challenges of zero waste change. A certified Master Composter, she oversees a community compost project, and is helping to build the capacity of local sustainability practitioners to advance and accelerate community-scale environmental practices and programs in Flatbush Brooklyn.  As a Board Member of Green City Challenge, Kady has facilitated workshops, played a key role in organization event planning and execution, and volunteer engagement. She currently Chairs the Board of Directors, and participates in Governance, establishing policies and procedures that will enable the organization to effectively achieve it’s mission to educate New Yorkers on how to live, work and eat green.

Rebecca Krauss,  Lower East Side Ecology Center