Green Building Resources
June 14, 2010
For more information on greening your building you can visit these sites:
NYC Resources
Mayor de Blasio’s ten-year plan for the city for carbon mitigation, affordability, economic development, and public health. The plan aims to set the city on a path to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. This plan contains a great deal of data on the city’s current energy usage, transportation plans, and environmental policies, as well as future predictions.
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
Because the NYC DEP is responsible for water and sewer usage in New York City this site has a large number of water-related resources, including information on ways to reduce your water bills, water conservation seminars, and free residential water surveys.
Department of Transportation
Clean Air NY is an organization sponsored by the Department of Transportation that promotes policies that will improve air quality in the New York City metropolitan area. That includes tips on how changes in your behavior as an employer or individual can help reduce air pollution.
Sustainable South Bronx
SSBx is a non-profit in the South Bronx that addresses current environmental issues. Most of their projects and environmental tours are geared towards, but not limited to, the Hunts Point area. Some examples include educational programs and green roof installation assistance.
Storm Water Infrastructure Matter
S.W.I.M is a coalition of groups focused on sustainable storm water management practices in NYC, meaning methods of capturing rainwater on rooftops and sidewalks that could be reused within the building for watering green roofs, flushing toilets, cleaning, etc.
Green Building NYC
Independently run blog that covers the green real estate industry in New York City and surrounding communities, which covers topics about retrofitting projects and green building development and policy.
Urban Green Council
A chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, Urban Green Council has a similar mission to advocate sustainability in cities so that they coexist with the natural environment in a mutual relationship.
New York State Resources
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
This is a NYSERDA run website that is focused on programs that are designed to help residential buildings in New York become more energy efficient.
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
NESEA is a professional organization for people who work in the sustainable energy business. This website provides information on open house tours and connects people with professionals to get the necessary retrofitting done.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation page on Energy and Green Building
NYC Department of Design and Construction
Contains links to detailed, New York City specific manuals on topics such as cool roofing, energy efficient lighting, geothermal power, and construction waste management.
National Resources
Energy Star
Energy Star is a joint program between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, which promotes energy efficient products and practices. The website contains information on being more energy efficient, including tips on how to avoid wasting energy, where you can get an energy audit, and lists of energy efficient appliances.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This is the homepage of WaterSense, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s water efficiency program. It contains information on the benefits of water efficiency, tips on being more water efficient, and includes product list of water efficient faucets, toilets, and irrigation technologies.
U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy’s energy efficiency and renewable energy site provides consumer information on everything from lowering energy bills to grants that are available to large organizations.
Enterprise
Enterprise is a non-profit that provides support to affordable housing development in New York. Their green communities program provides a host of financial resources and green housing policies.