Yonkers Green Policy Task Force

It's hard to imagine that some still deny the cause and effect of climate change and weather disasters, but it's true. To them, the GPTF can only say go bear witness to any of the decimated areas affected by Hurricane Sandy and then let's talk. 

GPTF staffer Laura Fahrenthold spent Thanksgiving Day as a volunteer for Occupy Sandy in Far Rockaway, Queens with her sixth grade daughter (above) loading supplies, and handing out water, food and clothes to more than 150 needy people who stood in line for more than 1.5 hours to receive as much as a roll of toilet paper or a few cans of food. 

It was a small gesture but one that offered hope that somehow the world will start paying closer attention to itself.  

Volunteers are still needed every single day to help do everything from wrap holiday presents to repair homes or cook and load/drive supplies. 

Here is a list of opportunities excerpted from the Huffington Post. 

You can make a donation through the Robin Hood Foundation, Red Cross, AmeriCares, the Salvation Army or Save the Children. You can also consult the websites of Goodwill, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Corporation for National & Community Service to see a list of state and local agencies coordinating recovery efforts. The group World Vision is also helping to distribute food and supplies. Jersey Shore Hurricane News on Facebook has been posting various donations that are being sought by groups along the storm ravaged Shore.  

Occupy Sandy is collecting supplies and donations and leading a series of grassroots efforts, including dispatching people for on-the-scene work, in New York and New Jersey. The group is also running a registry of needed supplies through Amazon. The Bay Ridge Cares Kitchen is preparing hot meals for people in hard-hit New York neighborhoods and is looking for drivers, cooks and grocery donations. The Bowery Mission is collecting donations to help house displaced New Yorkers.

The website for New York Cares has a frequently-updated list of volunteer opportunities around New York City. The advocacy group United Neighborhood Houses also has a list of locations in need of supplies and assistance. Jersey Cares is providing a similar service for communities in New Jersey.

The New York City YMCA is collecting donations to go toward school supplies for affected NYC schoolchildren. Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn is coordinating supplies and volunteers. The Long Island Cares food bank, the Brooklyn restaurant chain Two Boots and thePublic Theater in lower Manhattan are also collecting supplies.

Changing one’s ways or implementing new initiatives is difficult. It’s inconvenient. This seems especially true in the U.S. in recent years. Thus, the reluctance to implement smarter, cleaner strategies. Businesses in other nations have demonstrated that clean approaches – in operations and also in business strategies – have been successful in meeting the challenges of the global recession. Now there is a U.S. industry that can be a model for companies across the business spectrum to add value while addressing sustainability concerns, and that is the automobile industry.

For decades “Big Auto” did things the same old way, ignoring the fact that technology and consumer preferences were changing and that more people no longer wanted to drive gas guzzlers, whether because of rising gasoline prices or concern with the environment. Perhaps they thought they can affect consumer attitudes with advertising.

The results for U.S. auto makers were disastrous. By failing to be more sustainable, U.S. automakers weakened their bottom line and lost their lead position in global sales. GM was rescued from potentially going totally out of business by a federal bailout with oversight that insisted the company make the type of cars that people had requested for years. Chrysler, besides getting bailout money, was taken over by a European buyer, infusing their sustainability experience. While Ford was not bailed out, they were on the verge of bankruptcy and also began to build more fuel-efficient cars that they had been fighting for decades. Although some Americans are unsure about climate change, Big Auto finally learned that addressing sustainability helps consumers get more value from their car, which everyone supports. All 3 firms have improved sales and the bottom line. Even SUV sales have improved recently, but for models with better gas mileage.

Which other U.S. industries have not addressed changing technologies and consumer preferences and can use the U.S. auto industry as a model? One that comes to mind is the power industry, as major electricity producers have fought new regulatory initiatives and renewable energy. Power companies have the opportunity to gradually replace their oldest, dirtiest power plants with cleaner energy, but many appear reluctant to do so.

An example is the new draft mercury rules for power plants. The US EPA, after listening to industry and environmental sectors, crafted new rules with an economic analysis that estimates both avoided deaths and emergency room visits that could be caused by this rule, based on current scientific knowledge, and the overall national economic gain. Instead, power companies are lobbying against this bill and even pushing Congress to pass a bill preventing the US EPA from passing new rules. Some have intimated that plants may shut down and perhaps potentially deprive areas of electricity.

It may seem counterintuitive, but smart federal rules that represent compromises between industry and environmental groups and based on current health-based, scientific knowledge and economic analysis, may be the best thing for the power and all industries. Such efforts result in a “level playing field” for all companies and a more satisfied public, both in terms of health cost savings, energy independence, energy source choices and risk, and environmental concerns. With all the debate in the last few years about federal health care legislation and record health insurance costs, it is certainly non-partisan and in everybody’s interest to enact laws that can reduce factors that lead to fatalities and the need for health care, based on current knowledge.

There is also the case of “unwanted consequences” by squelching smart legislation. An example for all industries is federal climate change or “carbon” legislation, which did not pass Congress. Failure to enact uniform legislation does not mean that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not regulated. Instead they are regulated in a “quilt” of rules in different states, regions, and even cities. The Northeast U.S. has the “RGGI” rule for GHG emissions from power plants there, while California’s new AB-32 has demanding rules for many industries. And then there are rules that only indirectly affect carbon emissions, such as “green building” rules and renewable energy standards. Even federal GHG rules are not gone. First, the GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule (40 CFR Part 98) requires a variety of industries to report (not reduce) their direct emissions. Finally, the US EPA will be required to pass legislation to reduce GHG emissions through the Clean Air Act (CAA). Required? Yes. Several courts have ruled that GHGs are a “pollutant”, and the CAA requires the US EPA to regulate all pollutants. But, the CAA is not the ideal way to legislate reductions of compounds with no direct, health-based effects. Rules based on the CAA may impact some industries harder than others compared to specific GHG-based rules (theory of “square peg in a round hole”).

The writing is on the wall for many U.S. industries, including the power industry. Change positively with the times, seek consumer preferences, and work with new technologies and together with the government and there is a chance to benefit from the available transition to clean energy and benefit the bottom line. A New Year’s Wish for 2012.

(Continued from Great "Greening" Efforts at SUNY Schools.)

“Overall,” said Ross, “what struck me was the power of SUNY. I was absolutely amazed at what was going on in SUNY in terms of sustainability efforts, and our capacity to make a difference. SUNY really impacts New York state, so when we make a difference in SUNY we make a difference across the state.” 

Ross said what she took away from the conference was that SUNY schools need to partner with one another and with their communities to work on “green” initiatives. Student involvement also is the key, as students are often the most enthusiastic advocates for sustainability in all aspects of life.

The conference sessions were: Energy Panel: Financing and Performance Contracts; Curriculum and Training; Energy Conservation Measures; Engaging the Campus Community; Measuring Success: Finding Common Ground; and Getting the State of New York to Do What You Want: A Historic and Current Review of Options.

Hosted by SUNY Empire State College, the conference was organized by a committee representing different SUNY campuses and SUNY Central Administration. The committee members were: Joseph Fox, SUNY Central Administration, Mary Ellen Mallia, University at Albany, Joseph Tripodi, Purchase College, Sean Vormwald, Onondaga Community College and SUNY Empire State College Director of Environmental Sustainability Sadie Ross

Additional information about the 2011 SUNY Sustainability Conference

(Continued from Another Congratulations to SUNY - First-Ever System-Wide Sustainability Conference: A Look Back)

Students at Empire State College study independently at 35 locations across the state or online through its Center for Distance Learning. However, Davis added that, “we travel and we print, so we are always looking to do better for the state and for SUNY and to meet our own targets for sustainability.”

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry President Cornelius B. Murphy Jr. delivered the keynote, highlighting areas in which his institution has sought to lower that campus’s carbon footprint. He showcased some of the “student-driven” measures ESF is undertaking, including a diesel fuel reclamation program, the heating and energy system for the campus portal building and the campus’s work with its forest acreage to sequester carbon monoxide.

Speaking of climate change, he said that this generation has a moral commitment to make the investment in a green future, for the sake of future generations. “I have eight grandchildren and it is my grandchildren whose lives will substantially change. Their children may never see a sugar maple turn color, there will be reduced availability of water resources in their lifetime, and increased cost and reduced availability of agriculture.” 

Both presidents have signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Initiative.

More on the power of SUNY

Simple Energy Saving Tips

Occasionally people ask me some variation of the following: “I can’t get my company to develop a
‘green’ program. People are either too busy or they worry that it will cost too much or can’t grasp the
benefits. Can you suggest some simple, cheap ‘green’ ideas that we can implement easily that will
result in some tangible benefits? Maybe then there’ll be interest in a fuller program”. Excellent
question and certainly understandable given the pressure managers are under in this economy. Here
are some simple tips that will reduce both your energy costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Here’s one a little out of the ordinary, but research shows can be very effective in reducing utility bills:
paint your building roofs white. U.S. Energy Secretary and Nobel Prize Winner Steven Chu has
promoted this simple act as both beneficial to your company and the earth. By changing the color of
flat roofs to white, sunlight will reflect back through the atmosphere reducing the “heat island” effect
and also reducing the demand for air conditioning, resulting in significant electricity cost savings,
particularly peak usage rates at their highest. Lowering roof temperature rises also reduces long-term
maintenance costs, paying back the cost to paint the roof white. You can put a logo on the roof to
advertise one’s company or school. The roof does not even have to be white; there are other “cool”
roof colors that would reflect away much of the radiation. While such an effort may be less effective in
extreme northern latitudes, cost savings potential from this single act abound.

The next simple suggestion has a major caveat. When you replace office equipment and appliances,
purchase Energy Star-rated products. Energy Star is a program jointly run by the USEPA and
USDOE to evaluate and reward products that meet their particular energy efficiency standards and
uses less energy than similar ones. A wide variety of products for your office or facility can earn the
Energy Star label, such as appliances, office equipment (computers, printers, copiers), windows,
doors, air conditioners, light fixtures, etc. A recent McKinsey studied demonstrated that equipment
upgrade is the most cost-effective way to reduce GHG emissions, and can earn you back the extra
capital cost in reduced electricity bills in a relatively short time. So work with your Purchasing
Department to procure Energy Star equipment and with your landlord to provide you with Energy Star
products, too. Now comes the caveat. Recent news that an audit conducted by the Government Accountability Office found that the Energy Star program improperly awarded labels for non-existent products. See the New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/science/earth/26star.html?scp=1&sq=energy%20star&st=cse.
It may be necessary to perform further checking to confirm that items you plan to purchase really are energy efficient and will reduce your utility bills. Keep site of the real benefits.

Here’s a 3rd idea to help reduce your transportation fuel bill: convert a vehicle to combust a biofuel.
Transportation is unique in that all fuels derive from petroleum (a car fueled by a solar cell has not yet
been invented!). But renewable biofuels from the agricultural sector can substitute in many vehicles
with just minor engine adjustments. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 established incentives raising production of biofuel from corn and cellulosic, non-food (i.e., wood, grasses) sources from the current 10 billion gallons/year rate to 36 billion gallons/year by 2022. Just be careful that you have access to affordable biofuels. For example, the Northeast is currently without a major biofuel production plant. Getting biofuels to the Northeast market may be complicated and expensive. But the technology is there to operate trucks on biofuels, and can be simple as used vegetable oil.

The next idea is very practical: improve your lighting. You already know to convert your
incandescent bulbs to CFLs or LEDs. Improving your lighting also means asking the questions: do
you really need that light fixture and is it giving you the light you need for the task? The phraseology
these days is “task lighting” and trying to meet “ideal” task lighting. What is the right amount of light
needed to perform the necessary task? Metrics exist. Facilities using this approach gain the greatest
benefits. There is growing research on effective lighting levels for different needs. This may result in
adding light fixtures, but may also result in either removal of light fixtures or usage of bulbs with lower
wattage because too much light had been used based on needs. Besides the likely saving of
electricity costs and GHG emissions, this effort could also improve worker efficiency.

The next idea is an extension of this, and that is control your lighting. Buy and install sensors as a
lot of energy and costs are wasted in lighting unused areas. In fact, sensors can be bought fairly
cheaply (careful: you get what you pay for!). Enjoy the savings when all lights go off at the end of the
day and stay off all night and go off when the sun shines brightly into a room. But there is new
technology that goes further. LED bulbs contain six sensors which can be programmed through
network cables. Therefore, they can be programmed through your main computer (and in the future
through one’s iPhone and Blackberry!) to each individual light on when each should be on or off or
brighter or dimmer. For example, in a warehouse or large work area, light can be focused on the
areas where people are working and walking and not on others. Is this science fiction? No, “smart”
lighting is now reality. While these systems are not yet available in the open market, this will probably
become available through electrical contractors. Several utilities are working with contractors to install
and test this and determine electrical and cost savings. Contact your local utility to see if they offer
the prototype and may allow you to be an early user of this “smart” energy saving system.

We hope this has given you some good ideas of simple projects you can implement at your facilities
to show how “green” strategies have many financial and other benefits. Now is always a good time to implement some of these suggestions.

Get more useful information in our blog: www.CCESworld.com/blog

John Cusak is President of Gifford Park Associates (GPA), a management consulting firm specializing in helping investors, major companies and academic institutions understand the relationships between organizational sustainability performance and the bottom line financial performance & shareholder/stakeholder value of organizations, and profiting from those relationships.

Clients have included multinational companies, utilities, institutional investors, government agencies, academic institutions, venture capital firms, and a number of companies operating in the areas of carbon finance, clean technology and climate risk management. His most well-known GPA assignment was serving as the start-up CEO of Innovest, the corporate sustainability performance rating agency and investment research house, from 1998 to 2001.

Prior to starting GPA in 1993, he was a senior executive at Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), where he was head of several subsidiaries in the US and Europe, held technology marketing and R&D staff positions, and worked extensively with venture capital firms managing ABB's energy & environmental technologies venture fund. He has a MBA from NYU Stern School, and an MCE in Environmental Engineering & Science and a BCE in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College. His largest client role presently is serving as part-time Executive Director of the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS), a consortium of 45+ colleges and universities working to integrate sustainability into their campus operations, curricula, research and communities. In addition, he is an adjunct finance professor at the Iona College Hagan School of Business in New Rochelle NY, teaching a course in Sustainable Finance for the past four years.