Monthly Forum: The Heart of the NYC Green New Deal – LL97

September 30, 2019

New York City recently enacted one of the most revolutionary initiatives in its history, aimed at reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Mobilization Act (nicknamed by some as “a Green New Deal for New York City”) significantly limits carbon emissions for most buildings larger than 25,000 square feet. The centerpiece, known as Local Law 97, compels medium-to-large building owners to reduce emissions by, typically, around 40% by 2030. With nearly 60% of these buildings being residential, many of our homes are about to undergo significant transformation.     This month’s Forum will focus on LL97 and its impact on NYC’s residential buildings. How will it affect where YOU live? * How will management comply with LL97 in your building? * How will it affect your wallet, your building’s amenities and your quality of life at home? * How will it affect affordable and rent-regulated buildings?   Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2019 Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Place: Knoll Showroom, 1330 Ave of the Americas, 2nd floor, New York, NY, 10019   REGISTER HERE!     We highly encourage attendees to register in advance, as fees increase at the door. If registering at the door, credit/debit card is strongly preferred.   If you’re interested in joining GreenHomeNYC as a volunteer, please sign up at https://greenhomenyc.org/get-involved/   Speakers for the event will include:   Cristina Garcia, Policy Advisor, NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability Anna Weingord, Research Coordinator, Urban Green Council Paul Reale, Director of Building Operations Research and Training, CUNY Building Performance Lab   About our speakers: Cristina Garcia Cristina Garcia is a Policy Advisor in New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, working on an energy efficiency technical assistance program, the NYC Retrofit Accelerator which has helped building owners in NYC complete energy efficiency, clean energy, and water efficiency projects in close to 3,000 buildings.  She also serves and the NYC lead on building electrification initiatives, which includes research and collaboration with the utilities and the State to scale up air source heat pumps and other clean heating and cooling technologies. Cristina holds a Masters and Bachelors in Environmental Engineering from The City College of New York.   Anna Weingord Anna supports Urban Green’s research and policy projects, including recent work related to Urban Green’s 80×50 Buildings Partnership and producing informational resources for NYC’s LL97. She is responsible for identifying and executing studies that reveal industry trends and influence building design. She has research experience with innovative building technologies, occupant health impacts and carbon and energy tracking and predictions. Prior to joining Urban Green, she worked on the Brooklyn Navy Yard development project, and conducted research at Building Energy Exchange and Greenpeace Australia Pacific. Anna holds a B.A. in Economics and Environmental Analysis & Policy from Boston University.   Paul Reale Paul Reale is Director of Building Operations Research and Training at the CUNY Building Performance Lab where they develop techniques to help building operators improve operational energy efficiency. Paul started his career as an engineer at Bell Labs. He has 25 years of experience blending engineering work with instructing and training management, he founded an energy efficiency startup in 2008, and he started his work with the Building Performance Lab in 2014. Paul also teaches energy code to architects and engineers, mentors college student interns, and supervises graduate students in sustainability at City College of New York. He holds two degrees in mechanical engineering, is a LEED AP and serves on the board of the non-profit GreenHomeNYC.