Last month, NYSERDA and the state Public Service Commission (PSC) announced that they will make approximately $250 million in state funding available for renewable energy projects.  

The funding will be awarded competitively for electric generation projects using wind, hydroelectric, biomass or other clean-energy resources. Officials expect to announce the awards in April.

Please visit NYSERDA's website for more information on the RFP 2226 funding opportunity.   

This introductory course will help building operators manage their buildings in a more cost-effective way, saving money on energy and water bills while going green.  

The three-hour course will:

• Orient building operators to green terminology and concepts
• Inform superintendents about NYC's new green laws for existing buildings
• Determine if future education and/or certifications may be right for the attendees
• Uncover ways in which green skills and knowledge can drive career advancement

A big THANK YOU to all the attendees of the  

first Intro To Green for Co-ops & Condos course!

This course will be presented again in April.

Please check the Intro To Green page for more information and updates.

Sara Jayanthi speaks about incentive programs  Mary Tchamkina advices attendees on green education opportunities in NYC

Max Joel speaks with guests after the course

To participate in the program, data centers can call 212-701-7222. 
 

For additional information, customers can visit http://www.nyserda.org/data-centers or http://www.coned.com/energyefficiency.

Electric loads that are automatically controlled as demand side resources, which are especially valuable in the NYC area, can help NYS reduce peak demand, price volatility and emissions, and increase grid reliability and the integration of renewables.  

The benefits of these innovations to NYS rate-payers will be increased opportunity to participate in demand response programs and demand charge and energy cost savings.

 Congratulations to ThinkEco, who just won the Consumer Electronics Association Line Show in NYC for the Modlet. They were also awarded a Consumer Electronics Show innovations honor for 2011. ThinkEco was also recognized in a recent NY Times column by David Pogue. ThinkEco is a tenant of the NYSERDA-sponsored NYC ACRE clean-energy incubator.

ThinkEco's Modlet addresses the problem of phantom load, the electricity used when our appliances are turned off but still plugged into the wall, wasting money and energy. The Modlet automatically turns off power to unused appliances, even allowing users to monitor and manage their power consumption remotely.

Named for the modern electric outlet, the Modlet plugs into an existing electric outlet and allows users to plug in up to two three-pronged plugs. Modlets are not available until the Spring; visit ThinkEco.com for updates.  

James Kinyanjui has recently been hired to work for Solar One's Green Jobs Program. Please take a moment to learn more about one of Solar One's newest hires!

Solar One (S1): What has been your experience with Solar One?

James Kinyanji (JK): Working with Solar One has been one of the most unique experiences in my career. Never have I held a position that was so dynamic in job duties.  At the Green Workforce Training Lab in Long Island City, I help teach several green courses and maintain the facility. As the students experience different teachers with each subject, I remain a constant that they can count on as a mentor and guide throughout their training. It gives me an opportunity to bond with the students and assure the quality of their education on an individualized level.  
 

At the Solar One office, I've participated in developing lessons and curriculums for some of the classes. I've even had the opportunity to receive additional training on behalf of Solar One for new classes that I will be developing and teaching at the lab. I am also involved in the Solar One Tenant Education Program (STEP), in which I travel around Brooklyn to recently weatherized buildings and address the tenants about their building improvements and how to live 'green' in general.

S1: How did you become interested in green and green jobs training? 

JK: My first interest/exposure to green would have to be in high school. I went to the High School for Environmental Studies and took Advanced Placement Environmental Studies. I had the fortune of participating in actual experiments with zebra fish, taking field trips upstate visiting superfund sites, and attending lectures at Mount Sinai Hospital.
 

My next exposure with green came years later. I was unemployed and joined a 'back-to-work' program from FEGS [F.E.G.S. Health and Human Services System] and Goodwill Industries. There I was trained on Green Building Maintenance, and was first made aware of the potential financial aspects of "green". After Goodwill, I set my sights on the Strive Program [Strive is a training program and job placement service] - which was offering a free green construction course.  Green jobs were looking like a better opportunity amongst the recession and high unemployment rates.

S1: How did you get involved with Solar One's Green Jobs program?

JK: The last part of the Strive Program was training by Solar One. It was there that I met Anthony Alexander and Antuan Cannon, and was exposed to all the potential aspects of what a green career could branch into. I found it fascinating that buildings alone can be such a treasure trove of green work opportunities for so many workers that would otherwise be out of a job! Shortly after completing the Strive Program, I received a call from Strive, explaining that due to my resume and quality of work in the Solar One classes, I was highly considered for the HRA's [Human Resources Administration] Wage Subsidy Program. This is how I first started working for Solar One.

Read more about James on upcoming posts to the Solar One Blog 
 

Wednesday, February 2, Technical Roundtable: Sunrise Yard Maintenance Facility MEP System. 200 Park Ave, 9th Floor (Met Life Building), 8-9am.Please join Urban Green Council for an in-depth discussion of the MEP system of the NYC DOT Sunrise Yard Facilities Maintenance building, a high-performance, multiple-prime contract project. The Sunrise Yard Maintenance Facility's HVAC system was designed to the greatest extent possible economically and practically with the most efficient equipment selected for the project. Attend this round table discussion to hear from the building team members about the different key elements and innovative coordination between systems that enabled this building to reach LEED Platinum Certification. $15 Urban Green members/students, $25 non-members.

Wednesday, February 2, Managing Lean and Green: NYC Dept of Buildings is Greener and Greater. Pratt Manhattan 144 W 14th St., Rm 608, 10am-12pm. A presentation and discussion about NYC's new green building laws. What is the intent behind these laws, how are they being applied and what do they mean for your buildings? Topics will include: NYC Greener Greater Buildings Laws, context and goals; Building Performance: Benchmarking and evaluation programs; impact and intent of the laws on building efficiency, health and safety; and available funding to help offset the costs of compliance. $20 per session, light breakfast provided. Please register online before Feb 2.   

Thursday, February 3, The Greening of Business: Best Practices, Investment and Cost Savings. EisnerAmper LLP 750 Third Avenue New York City, 8-9:30am. The third event in Gotham Media's GreenTECH Series will focus on the practical steps that businesses, firms and even individuals can take to make themselves greener. The greening of business has become an imperative and this panel will offer tips and guidance for making cost effective changes that do not require capital investment. We'll also take a look at those companies that are leading the pack as well as at those companies and entrepreneurs providing easily accessible green services and products. Free, please register before the event.

Tuesday, February 8, NYC Superfund: Toxic Solution or Toxic Label? Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, 6:30pm. What will the recent Superfund designations of Newtown Creek in Queens and the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn mean for community residents and the rest of the city?  How will they affect the plans of real estate developers interested in revitalizing these post-industrial zones?  What is the fate of the natural environments themselves? Co-sponsored by the Newtown Creek Alliance and presented as part of the Museum's Urban Forum series, New York Neighborhoods-Preservation and Development. Reservations required: 917-492-3395 or programs@mcny.org; $6 Museum members; $8 seniors and students; $12 non-members. $6 when you mention Solar One.

Tuesday, February 8, LESEC: Compost Storytime. Ottendorfer Public Library, 135 Second Avenue (between 8th and 9th Streets), 4-5pm. The NYC Compost Project in Manhattan invites children age 5 and over, accompanies by an adults, to come hear stories about how worms work the magic of turning leftover food waste into nutrient-rich compost. We will also take a close look at actual living worms and discuss their anatomy, lifecycle, and process of decomposition. Registration required. This is a free event.

Wednesday, February 9, YRG Discussion: Complying with the New NYC Green Building Codes: A Guide for Owners and Operators. YRG: 217 Grand Street - Suite 802 (between Mott & Elizabeth), 5:30-7pm. New York City's new green building codes are kicking into gear.  Required benchmarking for commercial buildings starts in May of this year, and other codes will require compliance shortly thereafter. Join YRG for a discussion outlining the new NYC green building laws and what building owners and operators will need to do to meet the requirements. $10 fee.

Thursday, February 10, Carbon Nation film and Q&A panel. Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th Street, Upper Level, between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave., 6:30pm. Solar One is proud to co-present the film Carbon Nation with the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Green Screens program. Carbon Nation is a film by Peter Byck that explores potential alternatives to carbon fuel from one-armed Texas cotton farmer Cliff Etheridge's efforts to pull together an enormous wind farm, to green jobs innovator Van Jones. Screening followed by a Q&A with the director Peter Byck, Solar One Executive Director Chris Collins, Solar One Green Workforce Development Director Diallo Shabazz, and a reception. Friends of Solar One may purchase tickets at the $9 Affiliate price, Film Society members must pay $7, and $12 for non-members.
 

Thursday, February 10, High-Performance Building Salon: Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Lab. 71 West 23rd Street, 18th Floor, 6-8pm. Please join us as Buro Happold presents on the simulation analysis and sustainability aspects of The Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Lab.  This presentation offers the New York building community a rare glance inside Living Building Challenge certification.  The certification is one of the most rigorous sustainable building standards available, with only three projects currently certified.  Designed by Flansburgh Architects, the Energy Lab is a LEED Platinum building and a candidate for Living Building Challenge certification, currently in its audit period. $10 Urban Green Members, $15 Non-Members, $10 Students (must show valid ID at the door).
 

Saturday, February 12, LESEC: Composting in Co-ops and Apartment Buildings. Columbus Amsterdam BID, 991 Amsterdam Avenue (between 108th and 109th Streets), 10am-12pm. For home composters interested in expanding their individual composting efforts to establish a cooperative compost program with other residents in their buildings, the NYC Compost Project in Manhattan explains how to plan and implement a building-wide composting program in your co-op or apartment building: how to present the project to your board, how and where to site the bins, and how to cooperate with your neighbors for an odor- and pest-free composting program. Includes testimonials and photo examples from current co-op composters. Registration required. Fee $5.

Saturday, February 12, Stop 'N' Swap Queens. Renaissance Charter School, basement cafeteria, 25-59 81st St. between 37/35th Ave. 11am-2pm. Community "swaps" provide the perfect opportunity to find new homes for things you no longer need. By taking home items that you can use, you are also helping to prevent waste from production, packaging and transportation required to get new things.

Tuesday, February 15, Freshkills Park Talks: Michael Marrella on The City's Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. Metropolitan Exchange, 6th Floor, 33 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, 6:30pm. The Freshkills Park Talks lecture series continues in February with Michael Marrella, Project Director of the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan for the New York City Department of City Planning. Michael will be discussing Vision 2020, an update to the New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan that sets the new long-range vision for the City's waterfront and waterways. Specifically, Vision 2020 identifies key opportunities for improving our waterfront and prescribes strategies to realize this vision.  Free. No RSVP required. Please email doug.elliott@parks.nyc.gov or call (212)788-8277 for more details.
 

Wednesday, February 16, Green Building Monthly Forum: Affordable Housing. Hafele Showroom, 25 East 26th Street, 6:30-8pm. The Green Building Forum is held on the third Wednesday of each month and features presentations by green building practitioners followed by discussion. This month join them to discuss The Green Way, the sustainable design and development of an affordable housing complex in the Melrose Section of the South Bronx, NY  Free. 

Thursday, February 17, New York City The Future Metropolis Vol. II. Educational Alliance, 197 East Broadway, 7pm. Do you wonder what New York City will look like in 20 years? If so, please join Solar One Energy Connections for the second NYC The Future Metropolis event, an exciting, fast-paced look at some of the new technologies, projects, and ideas that are shaping the future of our city. Volume II of this series will explore the physical infrastructures and shifting networks of ideas that are enabling the green transformation of New York City.  The invited speakers will address topics such varied topics as the smart electric grid, NYC food supply, and the importance of human capital to the greening of our business, buildings, and society. Free for first 50 MeetUp RSVPs, $5 in advance, $10 at the door. 

Wednesday, February 23, YRG Discussion: Urban Agriculture and Active Design: The Next Frontiers of Sustainability.217 Grand Street - Suite 802 (between Mott & Elizabeth), 5:30-7pm. Fresh food production in our urban centers, and environments that promote physical activity are quickly becoming crucial elements to the sustainability equation. This discussion will explore the issues and opportunities, and take a look at what is already happening in and around the City. $10 fee.
 

Saturday, February 26, Stop 'N' Swap Brooklyn. MS 113 lobby, 300 Adelphi St between DeKalb/Lafayette, 11am-2pm. Community "swaps" provide the perfect opportunity to find new homes for things you no longer need. By taking home items that you can use, you are also helping to prevent waste from production, packaging and transportation required to get new things. 
 

Wednesday, March 2, Managing Lean and Green - Green Design Resources. Pratt Manhattan 144 West 14th Street, Room 608, 10am-12pm. The "Managing Lean and Green" training series is sponsored by the Supportive Housing Network of New York, Pratt Center for Community Development, the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, and the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board.$20 per session. 

Thursday, March 10, SIEDC GREEN CLEAN EXPO. 300 Father Capodanno Boulevard, Staten Island, 8:30am-2:30pm. The Green & Clean Expo will feature a wide range of green sponsors, vendors, products, innovators, and demonstrators. The Expo will highlight business incentives for locating in the Green Zone, and feature information sessions on energy efficiency, recycling programs, solar power, and much more. Free.  

Wednesday, March 16, GreenHomeNYC Forum: Water Conservation and Stormwater Management in NY. TOTO Showroom, 25 Mercer St., 6:30-8pm. This month's forum will feature the following speakers: Adam Yarinsky and Susan Drake of The Architecture Research Organization, Tatiana Morin of NYC Soil and Water Conservation District and John Coogan, RA of OCV Architects. Free. 

Sunday March 27, LESEC: Welcome the Spring! Outdoor Composting Workshop. La Plaza Cultural Community Garden (SW corner of E 9th St & Ave C), 11am-1pm. Get your garden ready for spring cleanup and planting at this outdoor composting basics workshop. The NYC Compost Project in Manhattan offers this workshop on how to convert your yard waste and kitchen scraps into a rich organic fertilizer to feed back to your plants, just like nature intended! Learn the basics of composting, set-up options, compost application, and troubleshooting. Issues specific to composting here in NYC will also be addressed. Outdoor compost bins will be available for purchase at a reduced price. Registration required. Fee $5.

National Grid offers Energy Efficiency programs for New York City and Long Island existing gas heating and oil-to-gas conversion customers. Our programs are designed to help our residential customers reduce the incremental costs of installing new high efficiency heating equipment, increase annual fuel savings and improve the comfort their home.

National Grid residential Heating and ENERGY STAR® programs include rebates on high efficiency heating equipment, indirect water heaters, boiler reset controls, thermostats and windows.