A Greener New York

As a civil liberties lawyer, I have defended many groups of environmentally-aware New Yorkers, such as the following:

* Critical Mass bicyclists who seek to increase environmental awareness and less-pollutant methods of transportation.

* Neighbors Against N.O.I.S.E, filing a lawsuit against the above-and-below ground storage of diesel fuel at 60 Hudson Street (a residential neighborhood).

Right now I am considering filing a lawsuit on behalf of the community surrounding Yankee Stadium, which has seen many acres of park and recreational space destroyed to make way for the new stadium, and many promises so far unkept for building an equitable amount of replacement park space.

The Public Advocate should be the conduit for grievances like these. I have faith that people are naturally concerned and knowledgeable about their own environment, and my approach of actively collecting complaints from people in every neighborhood in this city could potentially identify many similar situations that need to be addressed.

Of course, the Public Advocate does not have to go to court to defend the environment. It has the duty of making recommendations to city agencies – not just in fiscal matters as the comptroller’s office does, but also regarding their day-to-day operations and practices. Implementation of sustainability measures is one factor I would oversee and include in annual progress reports on city agencies. And finally, by making the office more visible, more public, we would have a great opportunity to use the position to educate New Yorkers about leading a more sustainable lifestyle, suggesting and publicizing common-sense ways to reduce their ecological footprint and energy usage. Our current economic situation, however bleak, is an opportunity because people are particularly attentive to anything that can help them save money, and help our city and planet’s future.

While running for Public Advocate, I have been heartened to see many organizations, from environmental groups to labor unions, showing great interest in policies that could provide green-collar jobs. The Public Advocate should make allies out of disparate groups of New Yorkers, and this is one issue where we can all easily fight on the same side. I deeply look forward to uniting labor advocates, environmental advocates, as well as businesses both small and large, to foment this industry. It is also our call to incorporate career training for a green economy into our higher education system. Having – and widely publicizing - this training infrastructure would aid the city’s efforts in luring clean-tech businesses to New York.

There are many things we can do to reduce carbon emissions that will not only make New York cleaner, but also serve to stimulate our local economy and provide thousands of green jobs. Because buildings are the source of nearly 80% of the city’s carbon emissions, I support legislation under consideration by the City Council to require energy-benchmarking and retrofits in large buildings every ten years. This approach could extend to the 7-8 thousand vacant residences owned by the city. Because approximately half of these buildings’ carbon emissions are caused by electric usage, we need to reduce our energy usage, and the city should be at the forefront, setting the example with all properties it owns, uses, leases or subsidizes. This is why the Public Advocate must push first for audits and disclosure of energy usage on city properties, and also push for measures and requirements to reduce that usage. In order that private owners not lag behind the city’s progress in these areas, we should use targeted tax credits and density bonuses to incentivize green developers and owners who green their properties through such measures as retrofitting or greenroofing. The Public Advocate should publicize and encourage all of the above means of reducing our ecological footprint, and play a prominent role in educating people about the benefits of these actions.