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PAST EVENTS Winter 2007-2008 Press Conference Announcement of Growing Green Collar Jobs ReportWHO:City Council Member James F. Gennaro, Chair, Committee on Environmental Protection Ed Ott, Executive Director, New York City Central Labor Council & Chair, NYC Apollo Alliance Elizabeth Yeampierre, Chair, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance Louis J. Coletti, President & CEO, Building Trades Employers Association Joanne Derwin, Director, Urban Agenda WHAT:Announcement of the findings and recommendations of a major study of the job creation potential and strategic opportunities for New York City from improving energy efficiency in existing buildings. Growing Green Collar Jobs: Energy Efficiency provides examples of "green collar" jobs in New York City and specific recommendations for the city to build a strong green economy through the development of current and emerging green industries and the support of workforce training programs. WHEN: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 WHERE:City Hall, The Red Room About the report:The 2007 Growing Green Collar Jobs: Energy Efficiency report is the first in a series of studies that builds upon sustainability initiatives in New York City, like PlaNYC 2030. The report was researched and written by Urban Agenda for the NYC Apollo Alliance and is supported by the City Council's Green Manufacturing Initiative. Funding for the report was requested by the New York Industrial Retention Network (NYIRN) as part of a collaboration between NYIRN, NYC Apollo Alliance and the Industrial + Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC). Also in attendance at the press conference were green collar workers currently employed in NYC as well as green collar business leaders.
Winter 2006-2007 PUBLIC MEETING AND CULTURAL PROGRAMNew Energy for the New YearDate & Time: Wednesday, January 31, 6:00 PM Place: 1199 SEIU Speakers: Snacks and refreshments will be served RSVP: Zoilo Torres, (212) 352-1821 x302 or zoilo@urbanagenda.org BUSINESS BREAKFAST BRIEFINGNYC Apollo's Priorities for 2007 and Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plaNYC 2030Date & Time: Friday, February 2, 8:30-10:00 AM Place: Join us on February 2nd to learn about the Apollo Alliance and how you can become involved in an innovative partnership to create new business opportunities, living wage jobs and a stronger, sustainable New York City. Invited speakers include Rohit Aggarwala, Director of Long-term Planning and Sustainability for the Mayor's Office of Operations, Jerome Ringo, national president of the Apollo Alliance, and business members of the NYC Apollo. RSVP: Kate Pfordedresher, (212) 558-2281 or kate@urbanagenda.org Fall 2006 NYC Apollo Alliance Event September 14, 2006 6 Harrison Street, NY, NY 5:00 to 7:00 PM Please join NYC Apollo Speakers include: The Nation Magazine has called him “the most interesting environmental leader in the U.S. right now.” A veteran of both labor and environmental battles in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley and in Washington, D.C. Elizabeth Yeampierre A life long advocate, Elizabeth leads UPROSE, serves as the Chair of the New York City Environmental Justice Ed Ott A leader in the New York City labor
For more information or to RSVP click here. Summer 2006 Introductory PV Installation Workshop The Center for Sustainable Energy ( http://www.csebcc.org) and BronxCommunity College ( http://www.bcc.cuny.edu/) will host a 20-hour solar electric (photovoltaic) installation training workshop open to the general public. The training will be delivered by a NABCEP (http://www.nabcep.org/ )-certified installer, Jonathan Lane of QuadState Solar ( http://www.quad-state-solar.com/). The introductory class is open to anyone interested in either beginning the process of learning to be an installer, or in gaining a greater understanding of this technology and its possibilities. The workshop includes:
For a course outline and reading materials, please see: http://www.bcc.cuny.edu/InstitutionalDevelopment/CSE/Course%20Outline_2006_1.pdf Schedule: For registration, Contact the Center for Sustainable Energy: 718-289-5334 CLICK HERE TO SEE COURSE OUTLINE CLICK HERE TO SEE NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT PV COURSE INSTRUCTOR
Thursday, June 1 through Thursday, June 29, Brooklyn, NY
Spring 2006 April 27-29, 2006 Energy Solutions Conference NYC Apollo Executive Board member Jim Quigley and NYC Apollo Campaign Coordinator, Eddie Lopez Jr. will be speaking at the Energy Solutions Conference being held April 27th-29th. For more information click on the Energy Solutions Button below. Winter 2005 On December 16, 2005 Urban Agenda and the JSM Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies co-sponsored a forum that outlined the troubling consequences of today's energy policy while also highlighting the growth potential of green collar jobs - jobs which meet environmental and economic goals. Speakers included J.J. Johnson, Editor of Our Life and Times published by 1199SEIU; Lee Smith, Managing Director of the National Photovoltaic Construction Partnership an IBEW initiative; and Howard Styles, Training Director of the International Operating Engineers Local 94. The current assault on environmental oversight and shortsighted energy policy impacts working people in many ways. Today's asthma epidemic is centered in poorer urban areas like the South Bronx where the disease is exacerbated by a concentration of power plants, waste transfer stations and oftentimes poor housing conditions. According to the statistics of 1199SEIU's National Benefit Fund, the number of 1199ers and their family members with asthma stands at a staggering 40,000. Hospitalization rates for Bronx asthmatics are five times higher than the national average and deaths from the disease are three times higher. As Editor, J.J. led the effort to produce "Our Environment and Our Health" a collection of powerful stories that demonstrate how environmental issues impact working people. In the magazine Dennis Rivera, 1199SEIU's President, states, "Defense of the environmental must become an integral part of the 1199SEIU program and consciousness." 1199SEIU represents more than 275,000 workers and is largest union of healthcare employees in New York. 
Eddie Lopez, Jr., Campaign Director, NYC Apollo To address these issues unions throughout NYC are developing innovative programs that maximize energy efficiency and raise consciousness. For example, Local 94 of the International Operating Engineers has instituted a cutting edge energy saving training program. Local 94's members operate some of the most important building in New York City and are regularly challenged to reduce energy costs and improve building performance. Many Local 94 members now operate "green" or high performance buildings, ones that incorporate energy efficiency technologies and environmentally-friendly building products. Major developers like Turner Construction have studied the real estate market and find growing demand for high performance building construction. As this trend continues and further complicates building management the need for highly skilled building operators becomes all the more critical.  Joanne Derwin, Project Director, Urban Agenda and Lee Smith, Managing Director, National Photovoltaic Construction Partnership High performance buildings also present the opportunity to create a green re-industrialization since green design principles also prioritize locally sourced products. We believe that NYC should lead by example and applaud City Council and the Mayor's role in ensuring that all new substantial capital projects be built to meet high performance building standards. With this legislation, NYC is taking a bold step towards creating new jobs, strengthening existing industries, improving healthy, reducing energy demand, and ensuring NYC's long-term competitiveness. The legislation, slated to take effect on January 1, 2007, will apply to the construction and rehabilitation of municipal buildings (including schools, hospitals, and city agency offices) and other construction projects that receive $10 million or more of city funds. The legislation will affect approximately $12 billion in construction over the City's ten-year capital plan, including $5 billion in school construction. By significantly improving the performance of major new and renovated public capital construction projects, energy costs for these projects will decrease an average of 30 to 40 percent, and the waste and pollution generated by buildings will be reduced.  J.J. Johnson, Editor, Our Life And Times, 1199 SEIU and Howard Styles, Training Director, Local 94 Lee Smith discussed the potential growth of the solar industry. Rising energy costs and growing government subsidies have made solar, like other renewables more cost effective. In a report to Mayor Bloomberg, the New York City Energy Policy Task Force, a public, private and nonprofit effort, found that NYC will need 2,600 megawatts of new energy by 2008. Due to transmission capacity and reliability concerns, New York City is required to produce 80 percent of the City's energy with in-City resources. To meet this need the City has a number of options. It can either continue the policy of fossil fuel led energy production and commission another three of four new power plants or it can invest in energy efficiency measures and renewable energy like wind, solar and geothermal or it could do a combination of both. Investing in renewable energy and enhancing energy efficiency means new jobs and healthier communities. Here in lies the opportunity. Spring 2005 April 8-10, 2005 PV Installation Workshop at Bronx Community College Bronx Community College’s Center for Sustainable Energy hosted a PV Installation Workshop from April 8-10, 2005. For more information about this event click here
April 8, 2005 High Performance Building Tour NYC Apollo – as a part of the High Performance Building Academy sponsored by the CUNY Grad Center and the Center for Environmental and Economic Partnership – organized a High Performance Building Tour which presented several of the most unique showpieces in urban construction in New York City.
Each high performance building was designed and constructed to achieve maximum performance by using energy efficient technologies and significantly reducing the cost of construction and maintenance. The tour brought together government, labor, business, environmental, political and community leaders to discover and experience the myriad economic development, health, and productivity benefits of high performance development. Click here to read more. Click here to see photos! April 4-8, 2005 High Performance Building Academy On April 4 City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. launched the High Performance Building Academy by giving a compelling speech which outlined the economic and environmental potential of high performance buildings. He recognized NYC Apollo saying our “ten-point plan for creating jobs, changing energy supply and demand, and improving the environment here in New York includes elements we would be wise to seriously consider”. He further explained that "NYC Apollo's plan is designed to cultivate a market for energy efficiency, high performance buildings, and other green technologies. At the same time, it seeks to develop training programs to ensure a ready workforce and identify innovative financing models and incentives to minimize costs. This is the kind of creative thinking we need to make progress in this area.” Click here to read his full speech. Winter 2004-2005 February 17, 2005. Community Energy Forum with Councilmember Tish James. NYC Apollo co-sponsored a Community Energy Forum with Councilmember Tish James. To see the press release please click here. December 2-3 Labor at the Crossroads: Competing Visions, Alternative Strategies, and the Future of the US Labor Movement Ed Ott, Joanne Derwin, and ShaKing Alston of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance made presentations about Apollo at the Queens College Labor Resource Center and New Labor Forum conference entitled "Labor at the Crossroads: Competing Visions, Alternative Strategies, and the Future of the Labor Movement." For more information about the conference please click here. Fall 2004 November 14 Eco-Metropolis 2004 Urban Agenda's Co-Project Director Jeremy Reiss spoke about jobs, economic development, and the environment is his presentation "NYC Apollo: A New Movement for a Strong Economy and Healthy City" at the 2004 Eco-Metropolis conference on November 14. For more information about the conference please click here. Read conference remarks. October 6 Ten Point Plan Release In October 2004, NYC Apollo celebrated the launch of its Ten Point Plan for a Strong Economy and Healthy City at the Municipal Arts Society. Well over 100 representatives from labor, business, city and state government, the environmental justice community and other allies attended the event, where representatives from NYC Apollo's constituency discussed the potential of implementing NYC Apollo's strategy. We Got Issues integrated a spoken word performance, and the Uprose Youth Justice Project presented a video and spoke about how NYC Apollo's vision would enhance their neighborhood. View press release. View City Limits article. October 2 High Performance Building Tour In October 2004 NYC Apollo worked with Green Home NYC to organize a High Performance Building Tour where over 100 participants examined high performance buildings throughout the city, and Ed Ott spoke to participants about the role workforce training can play in jumpstarting a broader high performance building market in New York City. View press release. Summer 2004 July 19 Implementing a High Performance Lower Manhattan On July 19, Urban Agenda and the Regional Plan Association sponsored a panel discussion, "Implementing a High Performance Lower Manhattan", as part of the Civic Alliance's Beyond 16 Acres series. Held at the Wall Street Rising Downtown Information Center, the event highlighted the opportunity to pioneer high performance building design in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and throughout Lower Manhattan. Read the summary and policy brief from the event. June 26 Planners Network Conference Urban Agenda Co-Project Director Jeremy Reiss participated in a panel discussion about High Performance Buildings in New York City on June 26 at Hunter College.View conference remarks. For more information about the conference click here. Spring 2004 May 14 Future of the Sustainable Construction Industry in the New York Region Ed Ott discussed the future of high performance buildings in New York City at the City University of New York's Sustainable Construction Conference. For more information about this event click here. April 14 Creating the High Performance City Ed Ott, Director of Public Policy and Worker Education at the New York City Central Labor Council and principal of NYC Apollo, discussed workforce issues related to high performance building at the Creating the High Performance City conference sponsored by NYC Comptroller William Thompson, Jr.View his remarks. Click here for more information about this conference. March 4 Energy Summit NYC Apollo sponsored an Energy Sector Strategy Summit where over 80 representatives from labor, environmental justice, environmental, business, government, philanthropy, and academia came together on March 4 at the District Council of Carpenters to discuss the future of energy in New York City. Read the summary report. |
