Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former President Bill Clinton, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Alphonso Jackson today announced the first-ever sustainability partnership with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the nation's largest public housing authority.  This new partnership will allow NYCHA to become more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, helping to fulfill the goals of PlaNYC, the Mayor's long-term sustainability agenda. The partnership among the City, the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and HUD will help provide access to energy-efficient and clean-energy technologies at reduced prices.  NYCHA's comprehensive plan includes building retrofits as well as boiler and heating system modernizations that will lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from NYCHA's 2,600-plus buildings citywide. The Mayor, President and Secretary Jackson were joined by NYCHA Chairman Tino Hernandez at the Eastchester Community Center in the Bronx, a NYCHA-sponsored facility where recreational, cultural and educational programs are offered to residents and the surrounding community.

"The New York City Housing Authority is home to more than 408,000 low and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs.  These energy saving measures will help the Authority save money, and the environmental impact of these measures will result in cleaner, healthier air for the residents living in public housing," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "These environmentally-friendly enhancements will help us do our part to put the brakes on global warming and they will also help us build a greener, greater New York."

"I'm pleased to be working with Mayor Bloomberg, Secretary Jackson and the New York City Housing Authority on this program as part of my foundation's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world," said President Clinton.  "This is a step in the right direction in the fight against climate change that will reduce New York City's carbon footprint, while saving money for taxpayers and residents at the same time."

Two years ago, NYCHA implemented an ambitious program by investing $2 billion to modernize and upgrade its aging housing stock. And now, by implementing environmentally sound strategies, NYCHA will contribute significantly to the sustainability of the City and its residents, and it will become a national dealer on green issues among public housing agencies.

CCI will help NYCHA gain access to energy-saving technology and resources through a purchasing consortium that will help the Authority buy energy efficient technologies at lower prices.  The CCI will also assist the Housing Authority with the program development and launch to curb the output of carbon emissions. 

"Working with the New York City Housing Authority, we've been able to replace aging hot water tanks and boilers and install energy-efficient light bulbs in hundreds of buildings across the city," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson.  "We're making great progress-and NYCHA and Mayor Bloomberg have been great partners.  Now we must step it up.  We are not just retrofitting buildings for today, we are writing new blueprints for tomorrow."

"This is a great opportunity for NYCHA to contribute to Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC sustainability goals," said NYCHA Chairman Tino Hernandez.  "We are working together to take an important step in promoting the environmental health of our City while continuing to preserve public housing."

"The partnership that begins today affects the way in which we will look at all aspects of what we do and how we can protect the environment," said NYCHA Environmental Coordinator and Commissioner Margarita López.  "It allows us to contribute to the greening of our City making it a healthier place for our residents while yielding savings of much needed funds for the future of public housing."

In addition to meeting NYCHA's own challenges, the programs described below will also serve as the public housing component of the Mayor's PlaNYC 2030 agenda, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York City to ensure a sustainable quality of life for all New Yorkers. The initiatives will demonstrate NYCHA leadership around the areas of retrofits, green technology and policy. Each of the large-scale initiatives below is an ongoing program that will receive technical assistance under the new partnership with CCI.  The programs seek to reduce NYCHA energy consumption, confront financial challenges associated with rapidly rising utility rates, as well as tackle New York City's carbon emission challenges.

Computerized Heating Automated System (CHAS)

The Computerized Heating Automated System (CHAS) is an Authority-wide heating-plant management technology. CHAS is a software application that allows for the remote monitoring and hands-on management of NYCHA's 210 large, central heating plants from any Internet-equipped personal computer.

Instantaneous Hot Water Heater Program

Under the Instantaneous Hot Water Heater Program, NYCHA is replacing aging domestic hot water tanks with energy-efficient instantaneous-steam water heater devices at various developments throughout the City. The new heaters reduce heating fuel consumption, simplify maintenance, and provide safer and more reliable hot water service to residents.

Apartment and Common-Area Lighting Upgrades

NYCHA has been performing energy-efficient lighting upgrades in its buildings with the goal of reducing its overall electricity consumption by 15 percent. The retrofitting program as it is also referred to looks to replace an average of 7 light fixtures per dwelling unit from incandescent light bulbs to energy-efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). CFLs use less than one-fourth the amount of electricity as traditional domestic incandescent bulbs and last eight to ten times longer.  This program also includes common-area lighting upgrades that consist of exchanging magnetic ballasts with state-of-the-art electronic ones and replacing T-12 fluorescent bulbs with super-efficient T-8 technology.

The new initiatives will further advance NYCHA's goals and contributions to PlaNYC and to the global green agenda.  NYCHA's will help make New York City the world's first great sustainable city of the 21st century.

William J. Clinton Foundation

President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation with the mission to strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. To advance this mission, the Foundation works with like-minded organizations and forms partnerships with national and local governments around the world to make an immediate and measurable impact in several areas, including bringing HIV/AIDS care and treatment to underserved populations, developing sustainable economic growth in Africa and fighting global climate change.

The Clinton Global Initiative serves as a non-partisan catalyst for action, bringing together a community of leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues. In the U.S., the Foundation is working to combat the alarming rise in childhood obesity and is helping to expand economic opportunity by empowering small business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn more at www.clintonfoundation.org.