New PlaNYC Case Study by ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability - Released

Opening of Week-Long Earth Fair Held in Grand Central Terminal

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Earth Day New York today launched Earth Week, a week-long celebration of the 40^th Anniversary of Earth Day. A series of events will be held across the five boroughs, leading up to Thursday’s Times Square celebration. The Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning & Sustainability also announced the release of a new case study of PlaNYC, the City’s long-term vision for a greener, greater New York, conducted by ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability. Martin Chavez, the former mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico and current Executive Director of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, was on hand for the release of the case study and the launch of Earth Week at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. Also attending was Earth Day New York President amd Executive Director Pamela Lippe, Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning & Sustainability Director Rohit T. Aggarwala, Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty and Buildings Commissioner Robert D. LiMandri.

“PlaNYC has changed the way New Yorkers think about their city and their future,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We must continue to tackle the seeming insurmountable problems we face and dream big. Our city and future generations are depending on it. Forty years ago, a group of committed individuals created the Earth Day movement, and three years ago, we launched a comprehensive effort to create a greener, greater city. This week, we are reaffirming our commitment and celebrating all those who are making a real difference to the health of our planet.”

“For the past twenty years, Earth Day New York has been committed to engaging New Yorkers to get involved in a wide variety of activities and lifestyle changes that will protect and restore our environment,” said Pamela Lippe, President and Executive Director of Earth Day New York. “We are inspired by the Bloomberg Administration’s commitment to long term planning and action and admire their willingness to share the lessons learned from their pioneering efforts.  On this 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, we hope that all New Yorkers, citizens of this nation and the world will follow the lead of our great Mayor and renew their commitment to making positive changes to protect the health of our planet and future generations.”

“The Department of Sanitation is pleased to be a part of this year’s Earth Week festivities culminating in Thursday’s exciting Earth Day New York event in Times Square celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day,” said Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty. “I can remember being a newly-promoted assistant foreman in 1970 when the first Earth Day was celebrated. Not many people then could have imagined that Sanitation would some day play a very important role in keeping our planet Earth both clean and green. But today we do play a vital role in recycling and in keeping our City clean.”

“Making buildings in New York City more energy efficient is one of our top priorities, it will improve the quality of life for generations to come," said Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri. “The Department of Buildings is pleased to be a part of Earth Week's 40th anniversary celebration as we continue working with property owners to green their buildings so their energy costs decrease and the health of our environment increases. This year, we are proud to lead Mayor Bloomberg's initiative to cover one million square feet of rooftops with white reflective coating, an innovative effort to cool our City and save our energy.”

Earth Day 40^th Anniversary Celebration in Times Square

Earth Day New York, in partnership with the City, will host a public celebration in Times Square from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Earth Day, April 22. Speakers and performers include: Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn; Ajamu Brown of the Center for Development of Human Services; Matthew Modine; Maya Lin; Miss America Caressa Cameron; Elphaba from Broadway’s Wicked; the cast from the Broadway show Hair; Grace Potter and the Nocturnals; Blue Man Group; Wangari Maathai; and Salman Ahmad and Junoon.

Earth Day New York Earth Fair

In celebration of Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary, Earth Day New York will present a six-day indoor exhibition in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall and a two-day outdoor festival on Vanderbilt Avenue. EarthFair Indoors will highlight displays and exhibits from Toshiba, Siemens, MTA, PlaNYC and others. 

The hours of operation are 10am-7pm Monday, April 19th through Friday, April 23rd and 10am - 5pm on Saturday, April 24th.  EarthFair Outdoors runs Friday, April 23rd from 12pm to 7pm and Saturday, April, 24th from 11am to 5pm. This outdoor festival of art, music and the environment will include a large exhibit area featuring green businesses, organic food, environmental groups and live musical entertainment. 

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability Case Study

The Mayor also announced the release of a new case study of PlaNYC that provides an in-depth look at how the City developed its sustainability plan. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA developed the case study, called “The Process Behind PlaNYC” in collaboration with the City.

“Mayor Bloomberg has demonstrated tremendous leadership and forward-thinking with PlaNYC, and the proof is in the City’s outstanding and measurable progress toward achieving its long-term climate and sustainability goals,” said Martin Chavez, ICLEI USA Executive Director and former three-term mayor of Albuquerque, NM. “New York is also joining a small group of local governments to be awarded all five of ICLEI’s Five Milestones for Climate Protection, which recognizes that the City is making tangible reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This is ICLEI’s mission, to help our network of 600 local governments in the US and over 1,200 globally, share ideas and learn from one another to address climate change and improve the sustainability and quality of life of their communities.”

“Sharing the PlaNYC story with other cities will help them go from planning to action, so we can all make possible the kinds of emissions reductions necessary to curb global warming,” said Rohit Aggarwala, the City’s Sustainability Director. “Developing and implementing a sustainability plan is a challenging task that requires patience and perseverance. With committed departmental commissioners and staff, support from the public, and an openness to innovation we have been able to make demonstrated progress towards achieving the goals in PlaNYC.”

The case study describes how PlaNYC, which was released three years ago on Earth Day 2007, contains 10 major goals and 127 initiatives that address how to accommodate one million more people in an already dense city, while at the same time reducing the City’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent and improving its infrastructure.

ICLEI credits the following 10 factors for the success of PlaNYC:

1. Strong mayoral leadership and cooperation between the Mayor’s Office and City Council
2. A group of dedicated city agency staff performed in-depth research and analysis, involving extensive coordination and collaboration between the agencies
3. A methodical, transparent, and inclusive planning process
4. Central management and coordination provided by the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
5. An external Sustainability Advisory Board to provide best practice advice and guidance
6. A comprehensive public outreach process to generate broad public support and to help educate the general public about climate change and sustainability issues
7. Strategic release of the plan by the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, which coordinated its announcements with key stakeholders
8. Inclusion in the plan of an implementation plan with a timeline and a funded budget
9. Swift transition from planning to action: the City is actively implementing all 127 initiatives
10. Openness for innovation and policy-making not driven by politics or business as usual

Calendar of Earth Week Events

The Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability also released a comprehensive calendar of Earth Week events in which the City is involved. The events are:

Monday, April 19:     

• Earth Week Kick-off Press Conference, Grand Central Terminal
• Release of the ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA case study on PlaNYC
• Opening of the EarthFair Indoors 2010, Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal (runs through April 24^th)

Tuesday, April 20:    

• DOT Commissioner Jeannette Sadik-Khan participating in the release of a report demonstrating the “Green Dividend” of New York City’s transit network
• DSNY recycling event - MoMA Employee Green Day, Museum of Modern Art, Manhattan

Wednesday, April 21:           

• Mayor Bloomberg to be honored for sustainability efforts by the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name Province, Holy Name Church, Manhattan.
• DSNY recycling event - Earth Day Fair at LaGuardia Community College, Long Island City, Queens
• DSNY recycling event - Earth Day Fair at SOM, 14 Wall St., Manhattan

Thursday, April 22:   

• Earth Day 40th Anniversary Celebration, Times Square, Manhattan, 11 am – 2 pm
• Release of PlaNYC 2010 Progress Report
• Earth Day in Times Square Exhibition: Times Square on Broadway between 42^nd and 43^rd Streets has been designated to house a number of environmental informational booths, 8 am – 4 pm
• NYC Department of Environmental Protection’s “Water-On-The-Go Stations” in Times Square, Manhattan
• DSNY recycling event - Earth Day @ the Time Warner Center, Manhattan
• DSNY recycling event - NYU Earth Day Fair, New York University, Manhattan
• DSNY recycling event - IIE Earth Day Fair, 806 UN Plaza, Manhattan
• DSNY recycling event - Earth Day Compost Q&A, New York Botanic Garden, the Bronx

Friday, April 23:                                                     

• Brooklyn Children’s Museum, LEED-Silver Award Unveiling & 110th Birthday Ceremony, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
• EarthFair Outdoors, Vanderbilt Avenue outside of Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan, 12 pm - 7 pm

Saturday, April 24:                

• MillionTreesNYC and NYC Service Volunteer Planting Day, locations throughout the city
• Opening of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection’s Visitors Center at Newtown Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant, Greenpoint, Brooklyn – Open both Saturday and Sunday, April 24 and 25
• EarthFair Outdoors, Vanderbilt Avenue outside of Grand Central Terminal, 11 am - 5 pm
• DSNY recycling event - Brooklyn Children’s Museum Earth Day, Brooklyn
• DSNY recycling event  - Ecology Day, Staten Island Mall, Staten Island
• DSNY recycling event - Earth Fair, Staten Island Zoo, Staten Island
• DSNY recycling event - Earth Day Fair, Forest Hills Elementary School, Queens
• DSNY recycling event - St. George Day, Tompkins Park, State Island
• DSNY recycling event - Stuyvesant Square Earth Day Alliance, Stuyvesant Square, Manhattan
• DSNY recycling event - Earth Day Compost Q&A, New York Botanic Garden, the Bronx

Sunday, April 25:                  

• DSNY recycling event - NYC Grows, Union Square, Manhattan
• DSNY recycling event - Go Green! Greenpoint Earth Day Celebration, McCarren Park, Brooklyn
• DSNY recycling event - Green for Queens Community Earth Day Fair, Central Queens YM&YWHA, Forest Hills, Queens