News
GREEN BIG APPLE: How to Get Ahead
September 12, 2011
| NYC lags behind most major cities in sustainability, but there's potential, according to NYU Schack Center for the Sustainable Built Environment director Constantine Kontokosta. Last week, he asked an expert panel how we get beyond the low-hanging fruit. (Our guess: Turn it into bio fuel.) |
 |
| Constantine, snapped at NYC Urban Technology Innovation Center's event at NYU Kimmel Center, received input from Rudin Management COO John Gilbert, SL Green director of sustainability Jay Black, NYC Energy Efficiency Corp CEO Susan Leeds (real name), and Related VP of sustainability Charlotte Matthews. John disagreed and says that even though NYC doesn't have a high percentage of LEED buildings, we have a head start as one of the most energy efficient cities due to our vertical nature and mass transit.Constantine replied: “NYC is using mass transit as a crutch.†|
 |
| What's key: driving down consumption to the individual consumer and helping them be more efficient, says John (left, with Jay). Jay says start small and unfold projects over time. By doing this, SL Green's Reckson portfolio has reduced energy by 15% over the past four years at a low cost. But John's biggest fear is regulatory. There are well-meaning people in the City, FDNY, and DOB, “But do they have the same agenda?†he asks. “There has to be a leader making right-minded decisions.†Otherwise money will be wasted on programs that aren't deemed regulation. |
 |
| Susan's (left, with Charlotte) non-profit is using $37M in federal funds and additional private and philanthropic capital to encourage owners to incorporate green tech and get projects off the ground. One technology Related is considering at Hudson Yards is a co-gen unit that will provide 100% redundancy—but Charlotte says technologies come with the risk of not giving perceived returns. Susan wants to see more verification and transparency about performance. (And before someone e-mails us about that Poland Spring bottle, it was made from recycled plastic.) |
