Creating a Greener NYC
The heroes of climate resiliency in NYC will come from unlikely places. While regulation is important to reduce carbon and build climate resilience, it’s industrial companies and workers that will make the actual changes.
Whether producing energy-efficient products and resiliency technologies, distributing and installing those technologies, transforming our electrical, transport systems and infrastructure, or recycling our waste, industrial activities are the backbone of climate action.
Explore the cityscape by clicking on the highlighted elements.
StartSubway Maintenance
Did You Know?
The subway and bus mass transit systems are the main reason that NYC’s per capita energy consumption is less than a fourth of the rest of America’s. The subway alone prevents 5.5 million trips a day from being taken by gas-guzzling cars–over 1.7 billion car trips not taken every year.
Why it matters?
Keeping mass transit moving into the next century requires hundreds of industrial businesses, from floor panel manufacturers to communications systems maintainers to bus mechanics, smart mirror technologies manufacturers, and electrical contractors and track welders.
Local Food Production
Did You Know?
About a quarter of greenhouse gases are generated by the food system. By increasing the amount of food manufactured or grown in NYC, we can reduce greenhouse gases. It also creates opportunities for deeper waste diversion or repurposing of organic byproducts to new food products.
Why it matters?
Reducing food waste (Americans waste on average 20% of the food they buy) is a critical way to reduce a person’s environmental footprint. By buying more locally supplied or grown food products we can further reduce the environmental impact and divert more waste out of the landfill.
Distillery and Brewery Innovation
Did You Know?
There are manufacturing companies today in NYC that are innovating to solve climate problems through leveraging their product design to capture carbon. The spillover effect of innovation and its application to other problems is possible in this sector.
Why it matters?
Having space for production and R&D is essential to innovations to help save our city and our planet. Climate solutions like carbon capture, waste diversion, green product manufacturing, and renewable energy can only occur when a portion of our city is dedicated to industrial uses.
Turning Food Waste into Fertilizer
Did You Know?
In New York City, 20% of our waste stream is organic material. When we send our food to landfills, it creates the greenhouse gas methane. Composting presents an opportunity to turn our food waste into fertilizer for our community and commercial gardens and farms!
Why it matters?
Currently your plant based food scraps can be turned into fertilizer. Across NYC businesses are providing community jobs, hauling food scraps via bike, and have created over 427,000 lbs of compost available for purchase and reuse across NYC. These operations are possible with M-zoned land.
Sidewalk Rain Gardens
Did You Know?
Rather than draining into overflowing sewers and polluting rivers, rain gardens allow stormwater to be absorbed into soil and returned into the groundwater beneath–preventing flooding. Rain gardens beautify the streetscape and, if they have trees, help reduce hot temperatures.
Why it matters?
Rain gardens or “bioswales” are an important part of the city’s climate resiliency strategy, and depend on cement manufacturers, concrete installers, industrial landscapers, wholesale nurseries, and plumbing systems experts to install and maintain.
Electrifying the City’s Medium-Heavy Duty Fleets
Did You Know?
The transportation sector represents 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the city. Transportation is essential to the movement of goods and people across our city. Advances in technology along with NYC programs, are making the shift from diesel fuels to electric trucks and buses a reality.
Why it matters?
To meet a full electrification of city fleets by 2040, and support the private sector transition an array of job opportunities await New Yorkers. Technicians will be required for the installation and maintenance of EV charging infrastructure, clean truck technicians, and CDL drivers.
Porous Sidewalks
Did You Know?
Diverting rainwater out of sewers and rivers is possible when permeable pavement is used instead of concrete. Porous materials allow rainwater to pass into the ground below. That helps prevent flooding during storms and traps solids and pollutants, keeping them from harming the water stream.
Why it matters?
Shifting to porous sidewalks supports the use of recycled glass, plastic, gravel, clay, or aggregate. It uses a spectrum of businesses: recycling firms to sort and source material, manufacturers to turn it into usable asphalt, and infrastructure service contractors to install and maintain it.
Last Mile Delivery
Did You Know?
More than 1.5 million packages are delivered daily in NYC, mostly by truck, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, and safety concerns. Cargo e-bikes offer a way to reduce CO2. Every 20 miles on an e-bike prevents 7 tons of CO2 a year or the equivalent to planting 100 trees.
Why it matters?
Cargo e-bikes offer a huge opportunity for the City’s economy. With only 350 cargo e-bikes now, we will need more companies to manufacture, service, and act as delivery contractors. Machinists, welders, mechanics, and delivery workers roles will be in high demand to meet this growth.
Recycling Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris
Did You Know?
When you see a building or road being taken down or rehabilitated, that process results annually in about 33,000 tons of construction and demolition (C&D) debris a day. According to some NYC C&D operators about 95% of this debris can be kept from entering the landfill.
Why it matters?
Keeping C&D facilities local is critical to ensuring less trucks are on the road, more materials can be separated and less waste ends up in landfills. Operators today can enclose facilities, use technologies to increase the amount of recycling and minimize impact to surrounding areas.
Local and Sustainable Building Materials
Did You Know?
There are over 500 manufacturers in NYC that currently build components that could help LEED projects reach certification. They range from countertops, cabinets and HVAC systems.
Why it matters?
To build more sustainable buildings, products need to be made locally and use materials that do not harm the indoor air of the building or community. Businesses who have green product certifications and performed life cycle assessments need to be located in NYC to achieve our green goals.
Moving to Energy Efficiency Buildings
Did You Know?
In NYC, 68% of emissions come from buildings, making energy efficient improvements key for NYC’s green transition. Building owners will need to retrofit to comply with Local Law 97, which is estimated to create $20 billion in economic activity, 13 times more than the current market.
Why it matters?
Through energy efficient retrofits and Local Law 97, around 141,000 jobs will be created in NYC. HVAC installers, building operators and mechanics will be in high demand, as well as energy efficiency consultants and advisors. Without local industry our green transition won't be realized.
Moving to One Gigawatt of Solar Energy
Did You Know?
New York City has more than 100 megawatts of solar energy online, with a goal to hit one gigawatt by 2030. NYC building stock is ideal for solar panel installation and there are numerous programs and business incentives to make this a reality.
Why it matters?
Moving to a clean energy future with solar generation will require a strong workforce. There are already 10,200 solar related jobs across the city, with more opportunities on the horizon with the state’s investment of $5 million in incentives for residential projects.
Offshore Wind Power Generation
Did You Know?
By 2036, offshore wind will generate enough of our electricity to power 6 million homes by 2036, instead of using polluting oil and gas. NYC is leveraging this investment to ensure MWBEs and local businesses can access the over $70 billion expected to be created by the offshore wind industry.
Why it matters?
NY must rely on industrial businesses for this investment, millwrights, metal fabricators, electricians, mechanical engineers, wind turbine technicians, electrical power-line installers, and marine engineers and architects. Over 6,000 jobs are expected to be part of this supply chain.
Urban Vertical Farming
Did You Know?
Growing food in vertical layers produces vegetables efficiently in controlled environments, without using pesticides or harming ecosystems, and producing 10 times traditional yields. Vertical farms allow plant-based food to be grown locally so it doesn’t need to be trucked across the country.
Why it matters?
Vertical farms work best in high-ceiling industrial areas, and include a broad range of jobs, including lighting technicians, aquaculture systems managers, plumbing engineers, metal mount fabricators and installers, electricians, and farmers. They also catalyze new industries to create circular systems.
Green Roofs
Did You Know?
A typical green roof can capture 75% of the annual stormwater, double the lifespan of the roof, reduce energy/cooling costs and lower air temperatures. There are two kinds of green roofs, intensive (needs more maintenance) and extensive, which are lightweight and require less maintenance.
Why it matters?
Industrial roofs offer an opportunity to create natural sponges and a strong defense against heavy storm events. Industrial businesses will be an important partner to green our city, if incentives were modified, and real estate speculation is reduced.