NYC Celebrated as Finalist for C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Award
New York City was celebrated as one of 20 finalists for a 2022 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Award at a ceremony held on October 19 at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The award celebrates the most impactful projects or programs spearheaded by cities from around the world to tackle the climate crisis. Earlier this year, NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda made NYC a contender in the “United to accelerate immediate action in critical sectors” category. NYC was up against Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, and Seoul – Addis Ababa and Amsterdam were selected as the winners.
C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s major cities collaborating to deliver the urgent, immediate action necessary to confront the climate crisis.
“Improving the quality of life for our residents is our North Star, and that’s what has earned us the global recognition of being the finalist for the United in Action C40 Award,” Vlada Kenniff, the Authority’s Senior Vice President for Sustainability, said. “We are weaving small actions into a comprehensive, global approach which centers on bringing green benefits to NYCHA residents – and that includes new technologies, jobs, or healthier homes.“
NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda outlines transformative strategies and technologies that can cut emissions across its buildings by 80 percent by 2050 while also protecting its buildings and residents from the impact of climate change, such as extreme heat and severe storms.
The Agenda includes a commitment to install 30 megawatts (MW) of solar panels on NYCHA rooftops by 2026. This is on top of NYC’s 100 MW target of solar installations on municipal buildings by 2025.
To reduce reliance on fossil fuels, the Agenda is fostering the creation of new methods of cooling and heating. NYCHA, in partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and New York Power Authority (NYPA), tasked two manufacturers to develop new cold-climate heat pumps that can be easily installed in apartment windows. NYCHA will purchase 30,000 of these heat pumps, enabling low-cost and reliable electrical heating and cooling for thousands of residents.
NYCHA is also installing geothermal energy and electric induction stoves at some buildings.
Residents are also benefitting from NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda with green jobs: More than 300 residents have been hired as part of its sustainability work, and another 40 have been trained in solar programs. To enhance green job opportunities for residents, NYCHA and the Fund for Public Housing recently established the Clean Energy Academy to train 100 residents over two years in preparation for careers in the clean energy sector.
Partnership with residents, community-based organizations, and City agencies is key to the Sustainability Agenda. To foster a culture of sustainability that resonates with residents, NYCHA conducted a resident and stakeholder engagement process for the Sustainability Agenda involving technical panels, a community-based organization roundtable, draft document review period, and workshop series.
“Though we still have a lot of work ahead of us, this recognition signals we are moving in the right direction.” Ms. Kenniff said.
Photo caption: Mayors and their representatives from North America, including Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, representing NYC Mayor Eric Adams, listen intently at the C40 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards in Buenos Aires to a presenter being livestreamed from Uganda.