Entries by Lorenzo Mohammed
Pass the NY HEAT Act NOW V2
New Yorkers need cleaner heat and lower bills. Tell Gov. Hochul, Speaker Heastie, and the NY Legislature to include the NY HEAT Act in the budget.
Breathing Easy – New York’s Clean Deliveries Act
From Brooklyn to Babylon, 1 out of 4 New Yorkers resides within a half-mile of a large e-commerce warehouse. Along with fulfilling orders, these facilities bring a host of health and environmental hazards like asthma and heart disease. Historical practices of discrimination and racism placed warehouses near communities of color and low-income families, forcing them to face the brunt of these impacts. It’s time for a change.
The Clean Deliveries Act is a common sense bill that requires these facilities to track and reduce their pollution, thereby protecting the air of the neighborhoods where they reside.
During this Teach-In, we heard from:
Emmitt Mendoza-Gaspar, Chief of Staff for AM Marcela Mitaynes
Sam Becker of the Environmental Defense Fund
Jaqi Cohen of the Tristate Transporation Campaign
Antonio Rosario of the Teamsters
We then heard from the ElectrifyNY coalition about how you can take action to make this crucial bill a reality this session.
Join the Fight for Clean Deliveries: https://p2a.co/E83CRWT
Pass the NY HEAT Act NOW
New Yorkers need cleaner heat and lower bills. Tell Gov. Hochul, Speaker Heastie, and the NY Legislature to include the NY HEAT Act in the budget.
ElectrifyNY & EDF Release “Warehouse Boom” Impacts Report
A new report to be released on January 18 by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) traces the growth of mega-warehouses in New York communities, driven in part by the e-commerce boom.
Following the release of a national report, the release of the New York Proximity Mapping Report shows the warehouse boom’s unequal health burden on New York communities.
ElectrifyNY, EDF, and NY State legislators joined for a press conference highlighting the report’s findings and the need for legislation like the Clean Deliveries Act. The Clean Deliveries Act would direct the state to conduct a review of emissions related to large warehouses and require warehouse operators to choose from an array of actions to minimize pollution.
Access the full report: https://globalcleanair.org/academic/report-one-in-four-new-york-state-residents-lives-within-half-a-mile-of-a-mega-warehouse/
Take action with ElectrifyNY to pass the Clean Deliveries Act: https://bit.ly/cleandeliveries
NY HEAT Act
The NY Home Energy Affordable Transition (HEAT) Act (S.2016A/A.4592A) is a transformative climate and energy affordability bill that clears the path to investing in clean, modern, electric heating systems for all New Yorkers.
During this Teach-In, we learned more about this legislation and what we can do to help get it passed this session.
Our speakers included:
Chris Casey: Senior Attorney, Climate & Clean Energy Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Allison Considine: NY Senior Campaign & Communications Manager for the Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC)
Jessica Azulay: Executive Director of Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE)
Learn more about this legislation and how to get it passed at https://bit.ly/NYHEAT.
View the speaker slides here: https://nyforcleanpower.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/12.15.23-NY-HEAT-Act-Teach-In.pdf
“70 x ’30 Where We Are and What it Will Take to Green New York’s Grid”
NYCP’s November 2023 Teach-In featured the latest on efforts to decarbonize New York’s power sector with clean energy. Find out what recent developments may mean for our state’s goal of 70% renewable energy by 2030 and what you can do to make NY’s climate plan real.
Our speakers included:
⚡️ Anne Reynolds, Executive Director of Alliance for Clean Energy New York and Climate Action Council member who provided updates on meeting the Climate Act’s “70x’30” targets.
⚡️ Luke Falk, COO of Clean Path NY for energyRe, who presented the current status of the project and the critical role of transmission in the clean energy transition.
⚡️ Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, who discussed the fight to build out offshore wind on Long Island — recent victories, setbacks, and what comes next.
Plus, we heard from Dan Haas of Friends of Columbia Solar on how we can take action to support large-scale solar on the ground.
Use this tool to take action and support the Sheperd’s Run project: https://p2a.co/rO1qyXM
Making It Real: Implementing NYS Climate Act through Entrepreneurship & Workforce Development
NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, parts of this program were unable to be recorded. We apologize for the inconvenience.
In 2019, New York passed its landmark climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act)—still one of the strongest climate laws in the nation. Where are we now and what is needed to achieve the CLCPA’s carbon reduction targets and achieve equitable economic benefits?
Successful implementation will require a combination of policy leadership and thoughtful investment in entrepreneurs, local innovators and the developing workforce. Although New York already ranks third in the nation for clean energy jobs, the Empire State has only scratched the surface when it comes to its potential in the clean energy economy, and sharing the benefits with all New Yorkers.
For the state to meet this moment—possibly the largest economic opportunity since the Industrial Revolution—we must come together.
This event, part of Climate Week NYC, included a welcome address from Anne Reynolds – Executive Director, Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY), Keynote address by Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson – Assembly District 31. A Clean Energy Accelerators & Entrepreneurs Solutions Showcase featuring Cassie Schuttrumpf – Program Manager, Venture for Climate Tech, Daniel Cohen – Founder, UCharge, David Goldstein – Founder & CEO, Hydronic Shell Technologies, Jose Porro – Founder & CEO, Cobalt Water. And a Career Pathways & Workforce Development Panel moderated by Uchenna Bright – Northeast Advocate, E2 featuring Charles Callaway – Director of Workforce Development, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Carter Strickland – Chief Sustainability Officer & Executive Director of Climate Action, SUNY, Tonya Gayle – Executive Director, Green City Force and Vincent Albanese – Director of Policy & Public Affairs, LiUNA.
Please note that, due to technical difficulties, we removed several inaudible portions of the recording. Quality issues remain and some portions of the recording may still require increased volume or using subtitles while watching. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and will strive to do better for next year’s event.
What Energy Coaching Has Taught Me About Green Investing with Tom Konrad
A growing group of for-profit and not-for-profit companies and individuals are popping up around the country to help individuals and businesses transition to a fossil fuel-free economy. One such coach is Tom Konrad, Ph.D., CFA who provides free phone energy coaching sessions on behalf of the nonprofit New Yorkers for Clean Power. He also moonlights as the portfolio manager of the Foundation Green Income Fund, a hedge fund focusing on high-income stocks advancing the clean energy economy. Taking the old adage “invest in what you know” to the next level, Konrad discusses some investing ideas he has brought back from the real-world efforts of his clients to decarbonize. This was a Climate Solutions Week Hudson Valley Event on 9/20/2023.
Image Credit: Modern Quixote, linocut by Sarah Konrad. Sarah Konrad Art on Facebook.
Working for Change: Green Jobs to Fight Climate Change
Working for Change: Green Jobs to Fight Climate Change is a presentation that highlights what New York’s Climate Act means for the state of Green Jobs in New York, and the many pathways to good-paying, equitable Green Jobs across the state.
This is a recording of “Working for Change” presented by NYCP’s Education & Careers Coordinator, Cal Trumann, at the Clean Energy Careers NY Brooklyn Summit in April 2023.
Request a “Working for Change” Presentation here: https://forms.gle/mrhn1mW2mdZ2VfBm9
Learn More About Clean Energy Careers NY here: https://cleanenergycareersny.org/