August 22, 2020
Book Review: Silent Spring
Rachel Carson’s Groundbreaking Book Still Speaks to Us Today By Tamanna Mohapatra “In nature nothing exists alone.” This quote of Rachel Carson’s perfectly sums up the lessons from her groundbreaking book Silent Spring. First published in three serialized excerpts in the New Yorker in June of 1962, the book was published in September of that year. The primary message, which science has since proven over and over, is that all living beings affect each other, and when you start harming one (even an insect) you end up harming the very beings (including humans) you were trying to help.
With this book, and the resulting new public awareness that nature was vulnerable to human intervention, especially uncurtailed, unverified technological changes, the public debate changed from whether pesticides were dangerous to which ones were dangerous, and the burden of proof shifted to the manufacturers. Responsibility was assumed by the government, who had previously not only failed to regulate but encouraged the use of pesticides.
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August 7, 2020
Do the Math: Green Careers in Finance
Speaker Profile of EnterSolar’s Zaira Akhmedova
By Pamela Berns
Seven seems to be an auspicious number for Zaira Akhmedova. Her professional journey spanned seven years as she made her way from a degree in finance and accounting to her current position as Financial Strategy Manager at EnterSolar, one of the largest commercial solar developers in the U.S. And it was her trip around the world—a seven-month sabbatical from work—that solidified her commitment to a career in renewable energy. (more…)
August 3, 2020
{Green Careers} August – Green Finance
Join us for our August 2020 Green Careers webinar for a panel discussion + Q&A with people working in green financing
As the famous saying goes, “Follow the money”. Energy efficiency and renewable energy projects require financing, and there are many different ways to create a loan. This is an often overlooked puzzle piece for people interested in sustainability, but a huge one that touches just about every project. Come listen (and ask questions!) to how these professionals have developed their skills to accelerate green projects in NY.
This is your opportunity to ask the professionals about their career history and how you too could possibly transition your career into green-related topic work.
Acquiring finance is essential for developing sustainability projects across private and non-private sectors in areas like renewable energy and real estate. Come listen to how these finance professionals have developed their skills to now focus on accelerating green projects in NY.
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Community Solar Generates Economic and Social Power
By Ansh Sandhu
Conventional power plants produce energy by burning fossil fuel to run turbines that produce electricity, which is then distributed via an extensive transmission system into our homes and businesses. Such systems are expensive to lay out, so utilities worldwide prefer to set these up in urban areas where the population density is higher.
For cities already struggling to reduce emissions from buildings and transportation, conventional power systems have exacerbated the problem. In more remote areas, the fossil fuel model has led to a power disparity, particularly in disadvantaged communities (DACs).
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Monthly Forum: Community Solar, Energy Storage, and Beyond
In New York, solar energy still accounts for less than 2% of the state’s electricity generation. With the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act setting up the state to aim for highly ambitious clean energy targets in the coming years, there is a lot of work to be done in renewables generally, and solar energy specifically.
One area of solar that has gotten a lot of attention recently is community solar. Community solar allows residents, small businesses, organizations, municipalities and others to receive equal access to the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy generation, without having to install solar directly on their property or even own it. And, as renewable power sources like community solar provide a larger portion of New York’s electricity, concerns rise about having that power be available when and where it is most needed. This is where energy storage technologies start to come in and play a larger role, not only helping to smooth out the intermittent generation of renewables, but also making the electric grid more stable as well as cleaner.
At GreenHomeNYC’s Monthly Forum in August, we’re bringing in several renewable energy professionals to discuss what is happening in community solar and energy storage in New York, with a focus on actual projects being done, and how they are helping move the needle on renewables and clean energy in the state.
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Place: Online
REGISTER HERE!
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August 1, 2020
Sustainability Goals Call For Ambitious Action
By Alexa Roccanova Though the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted business as usual, it has also heightened awareness of the fragile balance between nature and humanity. To some, the magnitude of the virus’s impact represents a culmination of enduring environmental, economic, and social issues. Sustainability presents a globally beneficial path forward; however, not unlike the pandemic, its extensive scope demands responses that both tackle and develop complex and interconnected systems. Public and private sectors are now seeing the COVID-19 economic recovery as an opportunity for an operational reset.
Ambitious Actions Needed: Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations Sustainability Goals (SDGs) are helping both sectors to pursue environmental and humanitarian targets by providing a universal framework of seventeen integrated objectives needed to facilitate global environmental, social, and economic well-being by 2030.
July 20, 2020
Interconnected Struggles: Sustainability and Racial Justice
By Melanie Mason and Kaitlyn Pohly
The same structures that have landed us in the middle of our country’s current social unrest have disproportionately put people of color at risk for environmental hazards and health issues, including Covid-19. Social and environmental concerns are deeply interconnected, and those connections should inform the way that each is addressed.
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July 14, 2020
Monthly Forum: Urban Heat Island and COVID-19 – A Perfect Storm?
Summer in the City: Urban Heat Island, Environmental Justice and Covid 19– a Perfect Storm?
Temperatures this summer are rising to uncomfortable levels. But what policies are in place to assist people who are confined to small, crowded apartments, with inadequate ventilation and no air conditioning —or unaffordable air conditioning—in the case of a heat wave? What are the environmental justice issues that should be considered, since traditional practices like opening community centers and shelters may be contraindicated in the era of Covid? What populations are being disproportionately affected by urban heat and climate change? Please join Adriana Espinoza, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate Policy and Programs, who will speak about environmental justice from a macro level, and how systemic inequality and environmental racism has created the disparities that exists in the City today. She will also discuss how the City plans to better incorporate equity and EJ into the city climate decision-making. To dive deeper into the conversation, Mike Harrington, Assistant Director of the Tishman Environment and Design Center, will speak about the historical inequalities of urban heat island impacts on communities and some possible solutions from a policy and design perspective. He will also share some of the lessons learned from personal experience and the recently released “Turning the Heat” report that he co-authored as part of the Urban Design Forum’s Forefront Fellowship. Sonal Jessel, Policy & Advocacy Coordinator at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, will discuss what makes extreme heat a public health issue, why there are inequities in impact, and how communities cope. She will also highlight particular challenges that exist for vulnerable populations this summer due to COVID-19.Here is the Link to register:
Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2020 Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Place: Online REGISTER HERE! (more…)June 30, 2020
The Intersection of COVID and Climate: What Have We Learned?
By Kaitlyn Pohly In a post-quarantine, shelter-in-place, mask-wearing world, what does the fate of our climate look like? Amidst all of this upheaval, it’s hard to remember that just half a year ago sustainability was a rising priority on the public’s agenda; the debate about the climate and its subsequent socioeconomic implications was gaining momentum. Although the world’s shared media has been widely focused on the pandemic, it’s crucial that the pressure remain on the topic of climate change. And not only for the future of the planet—investments in sustainable, climate-resilient infrastructure and the transition to a lower-carbon society can significantly increase near-term job creation, a crucial factor in rebuilding our societies following the pandemic. Creating both economic and environmental resilience in a post COVID-19 world is now more essential than ever. (more…)June 28, 2020
{Green Careers} July – Vocational Green Careers
Join us for our July 2020 Green Careers webinar for a panel discussion + Q&A with tradespeople working in green careers
Most of New York City was built before “sustainability” was even a word, and yet we’ve got plans to transform it into the most environmentally friendly city in America. Retrofitting buildings, greening the grid, installing solar, and more will require a lot of people in boots making it a reality. Join us to talk about the trades, crafts, and the education needed to be part of what promises to be a huge workforce of green collar jobs.
Come learn from experts on sustainability careers in trades!
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