August 7, 2018 –- Mayor de Blasio and NYC & Company—New York City’s official
destination marketing organization—announced today that they will welcome
Climate Week to New York City from September 24-30, 2018. Organized by The
Climate Group, an international non-profit organization, Climate Week NYC
will gather international leaders from across the public, private and
government sectors to showcase and discuss global climate action in New York
City, with support from NYC & Company.
“We are honored to again welcome The Climate Group and Climate Week NYC for
the 10th year,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Here in New York, we’re taking
bold action on climate. Through our groundbreaking OneNYC strategy and our
ambitious 1.5˚C Plan, we’ve committed our city to hit the highest goals of
the Paris climate agreement. We’re divesting from fossil fuels, mandating
that our largest buildings cut their emissions, and investing in electric
vehicles. Through investments in resiliency and sustainability, we are
building a fairer city for all.”
“Climate Week NYC is the largest climate week in the world and as one of the
key summits in the international calendar—which runs alongside the United
Nations General Assembly—has been driving climate action forward since its
launch in 2009,” said Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group. “We are
thrilled to be hosting our 10th Climate Week NYC and to appear on the
world’s stage, to continue to advance climate action to the top of the
global agenda.”
“Our goal is to leverage the City’s significant and growing sustainability
efforts to position the destination as ‘the capital city of a responsible
world,” said Fred Dixon, President & CEO of NYC & Company. “From our most
iconic parks becoming permanently car-free, plans for Jacob K. Javits
Convention Center to house one of the City’s largest rooftop farms, and many
of our leading hotels embracing the City’s Carbon Challenge, events such as
Climate Week NYC is the perfect platform to engage our City and the world
to demonstrate their pledge to better protect the planet.”
Approximately 10,000 people from over 40 countries are expected to attend
150 events—including panel discussions, concerts, exhibitions, and seminars.
An opening ceremony on September 24—featuring key speakers and dignitaries
including Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change, Edmund G Brown, Governor of
California, and President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti—is planned for The Times
Center in Manhattan.
Along with Climate Week NYC, New York City has recently attracted
high-profile, large-scale events including WorldPride in 2019. These
monumental events will help fuel record-breaking visitation numbers. In
2017, there were 62.8 million visitors.
“New York City is thrilled to host the 10th annual Climate Week to showcase
the climate leadership happening all across the five boroughs,” said Daniel
Zarrilli, NYC’s Senior Director of Climate Policy and Programs and Chief
Resilience Officer. “In the absence of federal leadership in Washington,
cities all across the country are stepping up their ambition to achieve the
Paris Agreement. Here in NYC, we are accelerating our GHG reductions,
adapting our city, and divesting from fossil fuels as part of our
comprehensive OneNYC strategy. Congratulations to the Climate Group for
building an effective and successful platform for climate action over the
last decade and we look forward to the next 10 years of partnership.”
“From protecting our coastlines, buildings, and infrastructure to making our
neighborhoods safer and more vibrant, New York City is dedicated to
confronting climate change head-on and protecting our city and its citizens
from the associated threats,” said Jainey Bavishi, Director of the Mayor’s
Office of Recovery and Resiliency. “Climate Week NYC brings together some of
the most brilliant innovators around the world to do just that.”
“Climate change is here and this moment requires decisive, ambitious, and
collaborative action,” said Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of
Sustainability. “Climate Week NYC is an opportunity to inspire and embolden
us all to deliver necessary solutions.”
“As the Ranking Democratic Member on the State Senate Committee on Energy
and Telecommunications, I am excited to celebrate Climate Week NYC. This is
a great initiative and effective way to engage all stakeholders as we work
to protect the environment,” said Senator Kevin Parker.
A New Generation of Sustainable Hotels
New York City’s evolving hotel scene is embracing eco-conscious design and
practices. Overall, 19 properties are currently committed to the NYC Carbon
Challenge. 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge opened in 2017 as part of the
eco-friendly 1 Hotels brand. The Grand Hyatt New York and The Peninsula New
York has vowed to shrink their carbon footprints through upgrades like
high-efficiency boilers and LED lighting. The Pierre participates in
EarthCheck, a program which measures the property’s impact on the
environment, and boutique Crosby Street Hotel was awarded the City’s first
LEED Gold Certified building.
Park Preservation and Honoring Horticulture
As of June 2018, Central Park—the world’s most iconic green space, which
welcomes more than 42 million visitors yearly—joined Brooklyn’s Prospect
Park in becoming entirely car-free. Suspended above the City streets, The
High Line—an abandoned elevated rail line transformed into a horticultural
oasis—opened its first section in 2009 as a habitat for birds, insects and
humans seeking respite. At Battery Park City, horticulturists manage the
neighborhood’s park without pesticides and engage in large-scale composting.
This summer, New York City welcomed new green spaces at Hunter’s Point South
in Long Island City, Domino Park in Williamsburg, and Pier 3 at Brooklyn
Bridge Park.
Green Roofs and Urban Farms
The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is currently home to a 6.75-acre green
roof, completed in 2014, which attracts wildlife, provides insulation that
cuts the building’s energy use by 26 percent, and absorbs stormwater. The
Javits Center’s latest initiative is to cultivate a nearly 1-acre rooftop
farm on the roof of the expansion, with the intention to grow produce to
serve delegates.
Atop Brooklyn’s Barclays Center—famed for its sporting events and concerts—
is a 3-acre green roof with another sloping over its subway entrance.
Brooklyn Grange keeps bees in over 30 naturally-managed, rooftop hives
citywide and operates the world’s two largest rooftop soil farms in Long
Island City, Queens, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
New to the Bronx, The New York Botanical Garden introduced Edible Academy
this spring. The three-acre campus features a green roof, demonstration
kitchen, technology lab, teaching greenhouse, solar pavilion, vegetable
gardens, teaching and performance spaces and more.
Established in 2012 to help feed, inspire, and educate the local community,
Snug Harbor’s 2.5-acre Heritage Farm on Staten Island produces fresh fruits
and vegetables in an environmentally sustainable manner. In 2017 Heritage
Farm staff worked with over 100 volunteers and educated over 2,280 children
on sustainable farming, food sources, and plant biology.
Roosevelt and Governor’s Island
Roosevelt Island is home to Cornell Tech’s in-progress campus, featuring
cutting-edge green buildings the “net-zero” Bloomberg Center and “The
House”, the world’s largest LEED-Platinum passive house structure. On
Governors Island, eco highlights include an urban farm with resident goats,
a composting center and the Billion Oyster Project, an ecosystem restoration
and education initiative which has already planted 25 million oysters of a
2035 goal of one billion oysters, to create waterway filtration in New York
Harbor.
City’s Top Attractions LEED The Way
The City’s LEED buildings are models of sustainable urban architecture. In
2009, the Empire State Building underwent a green-focused retrofit of the
iconic 1931 skyscraper while One World Trade Center was constructed as one
of the world’s tallest LEED-certified buildings. At Hudson Yards—the largest
private real estate development in the history of the US—14 acres of gardens
and public spaces, rainwater-collection infrastructure to reuse 10 million
gallons per year and an on-site hyper-efficient power plant are leading
green features. Of note, the first completed building in the emerging
neighborhood, 10 Hudson Yards, is LEED Platinum certified.
Brooklyn’s Children’s Museum earned a Silver LEED certification after it was
built in 2008 for solar-generated electric power, recycled rubber flooring
and geothermal heating and cooling, while the venue also teaches children
about ecology through hands-on exhibits. The Whitney Museum of American Art
is also LEED Gold certified for its energy-saving measures, recycled
materials used in construction, and green roof which is home to two
beehives.
Shining examples of the NYC theater industry’s commitment to sustainability
include the creation of The Broadway Green Alliance.
To learn more about Climate Week NYC from Adam Lake, Head of Media and
Corporate Communications at The Climate Group, and Fred Dixon, President and
CEO of NYC & Company, click
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