Johnson: Let’s fi ll every tree pit
BY GABE HERMAN
While the West Village is one
of the most tree-dense areas
of the city, a new project
aims to add even more greenery
there and in other nearby neighborhoods
by fi lling in tree pits that can’t
accommodate trees.
Speaker Corey Johnson, whose District
3 includes the West Village, Chelsea,
Hell’s Kitchen and the Garment
District, has said that he wants to
fi ll every viable tree pit in his district
before leaving offi ce.
“For the past two years, I’ve allocated
more than $800,000 to fi lling these
pits with new trees,” Johnson said.
“Sadly, some empty tree pits cannot be
planted because they are over utilities,
under the canopy of another tree or for
other reasons. So we’re trying something
new, and this year, I allocated
$25,000 to the Horticultural Society,
which will fi ll unviable tree pits in the
district with shrubs or raised fl ower
boxes as part of a pilot initiative.”
The allocated money for the new initiative
is from the City Council’s Parks
Equity Initiative.
One “unviable” tree pit that has
been selected for the program is at 21
Cornelia St. On a recent afternoon,
the pit was fi lled with two big garbage
On a recent afternoon, the tree pit at 21 Cornelia St was filled with
garbage bags.
bags, so adding plants could be a
nice upgrade.
Other tree pit locations for the program
include: 600 Washington St.
at Leroy St.; 322 West 17th St.; 191,
239 and 682 Ninth Ave.; 250 West
15th St.; 253 West 24th St.; 425 West
21st St.; 452 West 45th St.; and 692
Tenth Ave.
More locations will be added,
according to Johnson’s offi ce.
“With support from the Speaker’s
PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN
offi ce this new program is aimed at
beautifying unviable tree pits,” said
Nick Guntli, director of GreenTeam at
the Horticultural Society. “Depending
on the tree pit, the sidewalk, neighborhood
and community involvement,
tree pits will receive a shrub, perennials
plantings, or a raised bed for
planting fl owers/edible plants.”
There is no defi nite start date yet for
the initiative, according to Guntli.
Read more at thevillager.com
Google’s Chelsea offi ce meets ‘Challenge’
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Google’s New York offi ces, in
Chelsea, are making big leaps
to reduce their carbon footprint
a part of the NYC Carbon Challenge.
Under the challenge, which launched
in 2013, entities such as universities,
hospitals and other large tenants vowed
to reduce their emissions by 30 percent
or more over the next ten years. Google
vowed to reduce their emissions 30
percent by 2023, and after achieving
that goal early (reaching a 36.5 percent
decrease in 2015), they increased their
goal to 50 percent by 2025, which has
also been met early.
In total, Google has reduced their
greenhouse gas emission levels 54
percent this year, six years ahead of
schedule, according to a company
announcement on Sept. 26.
“Reducing emissions and reversing
climate change is one of the biggest
challenges of our lifetime, but Google
is proud to be part of the fi ght and a
member of the NYC Carbon Challenge,”
said William Floyd, director of
government affairs and public policy at
Google. “In just a few years, we’ve seen
what can happen with simple changes
like improving windows and using light
more sensibly, with a 54 percent emissions
cut proof that success is possible.
The Google offices at 111 8th Ave. in Chelsea.
We are proud of the progress we’ve
made so far and continue to look for
more ways to reduce our carbon footprint
and build more sustainable practices
into everything we do.”
To reduce their emissions, Google’s
111 Eighth Ave. building was retrofi tted
with old steam chillers with energy
effi cient electric chillers, and high effi
ciency windows and lighting replacements
were installed. Google also made
sure that offi ce spaces were built to
LEED Gold minimum standards, with
a focus on daylight dimming, occupancy
sensors, CO2 controls as well as
FILE PHOTO /THE VILLAGER
lighting schedules.
The tech giant has further invested
large resources into radiator replacements,
improved ventilation, plug load
reductions and more.
The NYC Carbon Challenge is a part
of a broader initiative by the City of
New York to reduce carbon emissions
and improve building effi ciency. Over
100 participants have joined the challenge
so far, including Goldman Sachs,
NYU, Weill Cornell Medical College,
BlackRock and the Fashion Institute
of Technology.
Read more at thevillager.com
City making
its buildings
more green
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Seeking to make the city a little
greener, the de Blasio Administration
will retrofi t nine cityowned
buildings — including three
in Manhattan — to reduce energy usage,
it was announced on Sept. 25.
The Sanitation Department’s
Manhattan Garage 7 on 57th Street
in Midtown, along with the Department
of Homeless Services’ Harlem
1 Men’s Shelter and Keener
Assessment Shelter on Ward’s Island,
will undergo “deep energy
retrofi ts” to achieve a 50 percent or
greater reduction in energy usage,
and a 30 percent or more drop in
carbon emissions.
The retrofi ts may include new
insulation, redesigns to increase
natural daylight and ventilation,
upgraded electrical fi xtures and automated
control of all heating and
cooling systems.
“As the Federal government abandons
the vital fi ght against global
warming, New York City is leading
the way,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“With our Green New Deal we are
meeting this crisis head-on. We must
act now so that our children and
grandchildren can inherit a cleaner,
safer and fairer city for all.”
Not only will the improvements
make the buildings more
eco-friendly, but they’ll also save
the city money, according to Mark
Chambers, director of the Mayor’s
Offi ce of Sustainability.
“Deep energy retrofi ts are the next
frontier in the fi ght against climate
change,” Chambers said. “We’re crossing
the threshold with these aggressive
measures that will slash emissions
and save taxpayers money.”
Before the retrofi ts are made,
the city’s Department of Citywide
Administrative Services (DCAS)
will perform audits of the facilities
to fi nd ways to increase effi ciency
in heating, cooling, lighting and
power usage. After the audits are
completed, the agency will then
partner with other city departments
to implement energy conservation
measures.
The retrofi ts aim to help the city
achieve goals set in Local Law 97 of
the Climate Mobilization act, which
calls on the city to reduce emissions
from government-owned buildings
by 40 percent in 2025 and by 50
percent by 2030.
The announced retrofi tting projects
are scheduled to be completed
before 2025.
4 October 3 - 9, 2019 CNW Schneps Media
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