September 12, 2019

Talking Trash

Forums Recap: Recycling Today, How It Works and What You Can Do To Improve It   By Pamela Berns   If you’re a New Yorker who actively recycles, you probably know that when it comes to recycling in New York City, tissues count as garbage, not paper, ice cream containers can’t be recycled, and film plastics, such as grocery and freezer bags, shouldn’t share a bin with rigid plastics. You’re no doubt aware that you should donate hard cover books and old vinyl records not only so others can enjoy them as much as you did, but because they’re not recyclable in NYC’s recycling program. And you certainly know that New Yorkers recycle not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s the law.   How’d you do?  If you missed our August Monthly Forum, read on to learn what you need to know to fulfill your Zero Waste pledge in New York City. (more…)

September 4, 2019

Recap: Tour of the East River Compost Yard

  By Jonathan Oriondo   On August 15th, GreenHomeNYC hosted a tour of the East River Compost Yard in Manhattan, where participants learned what it takes to compost on a community-wide scale. Lia Lucero, the outreach coordinator for NYC Compost Project, personally guided us throughout the site.    At first glance it was not obvious that this facility’s main goal was community education. Right on the river, in the middle of a park, this place was huge! There were piles of compost at various stages of the digestion process. Most of the facility was outdoors with a small administrative building towards the road, and it was all surrounded by a formidable fence. It was very impressive—even the smell.  (more…)

December 27, 2016

Energy Efficiency: It’s All About the People

By Pamela Berns

 
BENYC Conference

BENYC Conference

After attending four panel discussions and taking several turns around vendor exhibit floor of the 2016 BuildingEnergyNYC conference, one thing became perfectly clear. When it comes to sustainability and energy efficiency, there is no shortage of tools: codes, incentives, certifications, technology, data collection, and some incredibly innovative products and services. But the biggest takeaway was the the need to clearly decipher this complex landscape in order to achieve meaningful behavior change among all the stakeholders involved. Said Saheel Chandrani, Senior Account Executive at Johnson Controls, “The big thing we miss out on is the people.”   The Challenge According to Richard Yancey, Executive Director of the Building Energy Exchange, “The educational issue is a big component” in achieving sustainability compliance among building owners. “People are scared of doing things differently.” Mike Davis, Senior Program Officer at the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), feels it’s especially important to provide a clear understanding of available resources in order to help owners “navigate the space.” Chandrani described things from the tenant’s viewpoint: “How do you use energy data to get people to care? That’s the hardest part.”   Showcasing the success of New York City’s increasingly stringent energy codes is an effective way to reinforce positive behaviors already taking form. Sean Brennan, Research Manager at the Urban Green Council said, “The key is making sure the message gets out to the public, so they know it’s working.” But Roya Kazemi, Director of the GreeNYC program at Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, sees “voluntary behavior change as the missing part as the code gets developed.” Danielle Spiegel-Feld, Executive Director at the Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law, NYC School of Law, is concerned that there’s “very little knowledge in consumer markets that the data even exists.” One reason she says is that “it’s buried” on the “not user-friendly, not heavily trafficked New York City Department of Finance website.”

Photo from DCAS

  Messaging Do’s and Don’ts In addition to creating platforms for more for accessible information, framing the story in a context that stakeholders can relate to is key. Kazemi said that the environmental message isn’t always effective and that “being heavy handed with guilt and fear and shame doesn’t work.” Yancey warned against a “saving the polar bears” message for tenants, and suggested a focus on benefits such as comfort and well-being. Phil Madnick, Program Manager at Con Edison’s Multifamily Energy Efficiency program, cautioned against “go[ing] in there and talk[ing] about climate change” with building managers, who are more interested in the bottom lin. Loic Chappoz, Project Manager at NYSERDA, believes that property owner-managers will “respond to a good business case.” And Kazemi stressed the importance of making “wonky academic speak accessible” to all stakeholders. (more…)

June 30, 2016

June Forum Recap: Community Solar Comes to New York State

by Pamela Berns   community solarAccording to Dennis Phayre of EnterSolar, even if we utilized all currently available sources, we’d only have about 100 years of energy left on the planet. But New York State isn’t waiting one more second to embark on innovative partnerships that will not only extend that timeframe but also significantly reduce the State’s carbon footprint.   On June 15, at the host offices of the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), GreenHomeNYC introduced three key players in these new collaborations for an instructive and exciting program about community solar. Community solar brings together customers, utilities, solar companies, and the state government to develop an interconnected approach to electrical power that will not only impact the way in which we create and move energy, but also the way in which consumers participate in the energy marketplace.   (more…)

April 8, 2015

Patty Noonan Memorial Forum on Policy: Leap-frogging toward the low carbon city of 2050

April’s Forum will be the annual Patty Noonan Memorial Forum on Policy.   Click Here to Register!   In September of 2014, Mayor DiBlasio released the “One City, Built to Last” Plan, which unveiled a historic goal for NYC- to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, and to chart a long-term course for a total transition away from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. At this forum, Bomee Jung, co-founder of GreenHomeNYC will moderate a panel of policy experts in conversation about the policies needed for neighborhoods to get beyond incremental energy reductions and put us on the path to achieve the 80×50 plan goals.

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September 4, 2014

Multifamily Building Analyst Training – Fall 2014

Get the BPI Certification you need – Evening Classes! Our schedule allows you to finish the class in two months. e9370eed6038fa300d239b54bcac9ed3_330If you are an energy professional working in multifamily buildings or just want to learn about multifamily building energy analysis and efficiency, 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 (MFBA).   Our classes are condensed, 3 hour sessions 6 – 9pm, once a week, to complete the course in a little more than two months.   Our class includes over 175 Pages of digital handouts, some out of print, and some of the best new and classic information available about the subject matter.   

$850 Fee* Includes 10 Evening Training Classes,

175 Pages of e-publications, and all powerpoints!

* discounts available for GreenHomeNYC Volunteers & NESEA Members

  REGISTER HERE!  

 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, Program Associate, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.   “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, Association for Energy Affordability. (more…)

June 25, 2012

Join us for a Brooklyn Home Energy Audit Demonstration!

Got burning questions about how to make your home energy efficient? Interested in becoming a green building professional? Come join our energy audit demo! We’ll be analyzing and discussing the building science of a 2-family house in Kensington, Brooklyn.   This demo is currently tentatively scheduled for this Wednesday, June 27, starting at 6:30 pm. If you are interested in attending, please sign up using this form. We will confirm with those who register on the date and time, which may change depending on building access arrangements. Hope to see you there!

June 21, 2012

Understanding Energy Efficient Building Standards: A Look at Passive House

Energy efficient building standards are practices that guide us towards creating structures that are indeed sustainable. Currently, different rating systems – such as LEED, Green Globes, and Society of Environmentally Responsible Facilities (SERF), to name a few – exist to hold us accountable for the ways we design, build, retrofit and operate our structures.

Another such building standard that focuses on the creation of energy efficient, comfortable, and affordable buildings is Passive House.

Volunteer Katie Schwamb recently sat down with Ken Levenson, AIA, CPHD and founding board member of NY Passive House to discuss his work and to gain a better understanding of Passive House.

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June 19, 2012

Watch: Top Ten Green Building Tips

GreenHomeNYC put together a few videos to give a little more background on our top ten tips for home owners, tenants, and small building owners. These first three installments are for energy efficiency, green materials, and waste prevention. Check them out, and please be sure to give us your feedback in the survey on each page after the jump! Energy Efficiency: The GreenHomeNYC Top Ten Tips Video Green Materials: The GreenHomeNYC Top Ten Tips Video Waste Prevention: The GreenHomeNYC Top Ten Tips Video

June 4, 2012

Incentivizing Commercial Energy Efficiency

Power companies have been taking steps to support energy efficiency with programs and incentives, and volunteer Tad Kroll decided to take some time to look into recent efforts in the commercial sector.  Below is some information on what Con Edison is doing, in part based on attending Con Ed’s May summit and while there, speaking with David Pospisil, Program Manager, Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs at Con Ed. The summit was organized to discuss increasing demand on the power grid which requires expanded infrastructure and thus increased construction and maintenance costs, and Con Ed’s commercial and industrial incentives programs. Below, Tad reviews these programs with David, with a view towards what they mean for New Yorkers looking to go green in their buildings:

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