Shhhhh. We’re going to let you in on a well-kept secret. Despite New York’s skyscrapers and congested streets, the city is one of the most sustainable in the country. NYC’s per capita emissions are a third of those in the rest of country because of public transit use, densely packed buildings and smaller homes. Still the city plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2030. Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled one of the country’s most comprehensive sustainability plans (dubbed PlaNYC), made up of 127 separate initiatives. These range from revamping aging infrastructure, to planting a million trees over ten years, to making sure that all city residents live within a ten minute walk of a park. New York is also empowering pedestrians through “Summer Streets,” a program that closes portions of the city to traffic creating “car-free recreation corridors.” In addition to government action, the city boasts many grassroots and neighborhood organizations working to green the city, according to top NYC environmental officials. Sustainable South Bronx is one of the most successful of these. The group, centered in a low income area of the city, is working on greenways, installing green roofs and green job training and placement. (Photo by Javier Carbajal)
City of New York
Mayor: Michael R. Bloomberg
Sustainability: Rohit Aggarwala and Ariella Maron, Director and Deputy Director, Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability
Dept. of Long-term Planning and Sustainability: http://www.nyc.gov/html/ops/html/long_term/long_term.shtml
Dept. of Environmental Protection: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/home/home.shtml
Office of Environmental Coordination: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oec/html/home/home.shtml