| Board of Directors |
Charlotte Biblow, Esq: President
Farrell Fritz, P.C.
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Lauren Furst: Executive Vice President
Pathways to Wealth, LLC
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Robert Bernard: Treasurer
Capital One Bank
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Lennard Axinn: Secretary
Island Estates
Albanese Organization Inc.
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Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III
SUNY College at Old Westbury
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Dr. Miriam K. Deitsch
Farmingdale State College,
State University of New York
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Pat Edwards
Citi Community Development ---------------
Amy Hagedorn
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Jeff Kraut
North Shore - LIJ Health System
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The Nature Conservancy
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Ruth Negrón-Gaines
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Mitchell H. Pally
Long Island Builders Institute
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Dr. Robert Scott
Adelphi University
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Ron Shiffman
Pratt Institute |
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NEWSLETTER SPONSOR
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Take More Sustainable Showers
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Did you know that a solar hot water system can provide 70% or more of your hot water needs, cutting your hot water bill significantly and reducing your carbon footprint? Income tax credits make the changeover easy on your wallet and until December 31, customers with electric water heaters can get up to $2,000 in LIPA rebates.
The technology works by capturing sunlight via solar collectors on your rooftop to heat your home's water. The water is kept hot in a thermal tank until you call on it for a shower, bath or other hot water need. The system is installed alongside your existing water heater so you always have hot water.
Solar hot water helps us fight climate change while keeping more money in your pocket.
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NYU Wagner Urban Planning Capstone Program
Sustainable LI to work with NYU Wagner graduate students
 Earlier in 2013, Sustainable Long Island had the opportunity to present and submit a proposal to students and staff involved in the New York University Wagner Urban Planning Capstone Program. What is the Capstone Program? Simply put, Capstone is learning in action.
Part of the core curriculum of the Masters program at NYU Wagner, Capstone provides students with both a critical learning experience and an opportunity to perform a public service. Over the course of an academic year, students work in teams - either to address challenges and identify opportunities for a client organization or to conduct research on a pressing social question. Ultimately, Capstone contributes not only to the students' education, but also to the public good.
Capstone teams are comprised of three to five NYU Wagner graduate students completing the last two semesters of their Master of Public Administration degree or their Master of Urban Planning degree. The program brings together teams to address complex challenges and identify new opportunities for nonprofit, governmental, health-related, urban planning and international agencies.
Recently, Sustainable Long Island was informed that we have been chosen as a client agency for the upcoming semesters!
Sustainable Long Island, on behalf of the City of Long Beach, will work collaboratively with the Wagner Capstone Team to develop a storm water mitigation plan that will improve existing infrastructure and help promote a community-wide system of sustainable stormwater collection practices. In turn, this will help reduce localized flooding and improve resiliency after storm events.
The City of Long Beach is a prime candidate for a green infrastructure/storm water management plan after Superstorm Sandy. This project will include a land and infrastructure inventory/site potential site analysis, Literature Review, Interviews with professionals and city staff, cost/benefit analysis of green vs. gray infrastructure, and an implementation plan.
Keep an eye on Sustainable Long Island's upcoming e-newsletters for updates and information on this exciting program!
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Tell Me More: New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program
Formerly known as Community Reconstruction Zones
Last month, Sustainable Long Island informed our e-newsletter subscribers that we were part of a team of consultants providing support to a handful of communities throughout the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program. We will be facilitating community input and public outreach to ensure everyone involved has a voice. Our areas of focus include:
- Village of Atlantic Beach, Atlantic Beach Estates, East Atlantic Beach
- Lido Beach, Point Lookout
- Long Beach
- Oceanside, Island Park, Harbor Isle, Barnum Island
Sustainable Long Island is partnering on the project with URS Corporation - a national engineering, design, and construction firm with extensive disaster recovery planning expertise; The LiRo Group - specialists in design and environmental services, head design firm during the redevelopment of the Long Beach Boardwalk; AIM Development - government, housing, and economic experts; and Planning4Places - specializing in community planning that reflects unique community needs and ideals. Now that you're up-to-date with our involvement in the process, we thought it would be helpful to provide a Q+A on just what the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program is all about! What is the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program? - The New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program was established to provide additional rebuilding and revitalization assistance to communities affected by Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, or Tropical Storm Lee.
- The program will assist 102 severely damaged communities.
Where did the money come from? How can I get my share? - The program was established with $25 million for redevelopment and resilience planning.
- Additional funds will be provided for implementation of projects in the identified communities.
- The total funds received total more than $750 million.
- More the $500 million is from the federal supplemental appropriation.
- An additional $250 million is from a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) which funds long term mitigation in communities.
- The money from the HMGP will be awarded based on FEMA damage assessments and the application for new infrastructure and mitigation efforts.
What is the planning process all about? - The planning process is being driven by community needs and developed by a community planning committee, experts and local officials.
- The state views this effort at a two-pronged approach - the state leads critical infrastructure and broad investment strategies, as well as provides communities with resources to invest in their futures.
- During the planning process, each community will develop a comprehensive recovery plan which addresses measures that will create a more resilient community as well as cover issues regarding development.
- The recovery plans will allow communities to effectively use the implementation funds they receive.
What is a planning committee? - The Planning Committee will drive the identification of needs, opportunities, projects and actions that are important to the community. At the end of the planning process the Planning Committee will submit their recovery plan to the State.
How can I participate? - In order to remain informed and provide input to the process, community members may attend and listen to the Planning Committee meetings. Opportunities to speak at the meeting may be limited.
- Community members are encouraged to attend the public engagement sessions (some details below). During these meetings, individuals can learn about the planning process, the progress each team is making and provide input.
Dates/times of the public engagement sessions Sustainable Long Island will be facilitating along with the NY Rising team include: Oceanside/Island Park/Harbor Isle/Barnum Island Wednesday, October 9, 2013 7:00pm - 9:00pm St Anthony's Church 110 Anchor Ave. Oceanside, NY Long Beach Thursday, October 10, 2013 7:00pm - 9:00pm Long Beach Library (2nd Floor Auditorium) 111 West Park Ave. Long Beach, NY Lido Beach/Point Lookout Tuesday, October 15, 2013 7:00pm - 9:00pm Parks Building (Community Room) 650 Lido Blvd. Lido Beach, NY Village of Atlantic Beach/Atlantic Beach Estates/East Atlantic Beach Wednesday, October 16, 2013 7:30pm - 9:00pm The Sands Beach Club 1395 Beech Street Atlantic Beach, NY To learn more about the process, dates and times of public meetings, and how to get involved visit: http://stormrecovery.ny.gov/community-reconstruction-program
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National Community Planning Month
Join Sustainable Long Island in celebrating this October
 Each year the American Planning Association (APA), its members, chapters, divisions, and professional institute sponsor National Community Planning Month to raise the visibility of the important role of planners and planning in communities across the U.S.
As the premier community-planning organization on Long Island, Sustainable Long Island is happy to join the APA in highlighting planning and plan implementation that increases Long Islander's quality of life.
Community planning can help manage change in a way that offers better choices for how people work and live. It provides an opportunity for all residents to be meaningfully involved in making choices that determine the future of their community. You can join in on the celebration as well! Here are 10 ways you can celebrate National Community Planning Month brought to you by the APA:
- Declare that October is National Community Planning Month with a proclamation.
- Hold a department open house. Highlight your work and how planning benefits the community.
- Host a neighborhood walking or bicycling tour. Highlight the planning work in your community.
- Create a library display about planning. Include a recommended planning-related reading list.
- Honor your planning commissioners during a city council meeting.
- Check out the APA's Youth and Students page for ideas on engaging youth in planning.
- Sponsor a community photo contest. Ask residents to photograph their favorite places within the community.
- Screen a planning-focused film.
- Host a forum or lecture about your community's history.
- Promote national community planning month through your website, Facebook page, or other social media outlet.
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Why We Need the 2014 Clean Water/Clean Air/Green Jobs Bond Act
Empire State Future: bond act proposal key to future success
(via Empire State Future) - Late in August, Republican Senator Mark J. Grisanti of Western New York and Long Island Democratic Assemblyman Robert Sweeney proposed the State's largest ever Bond Act. The two legislators chair their house's respective Environmental Conservation committees, and the proposed $5 billion environmental bond act would allow for critical flood protection, sewer and water systems repair, pollution mitigation, and air quality improvements.
Repairing and modernizing our state's critical infrastructure is essential, and should be a major state priority.
Why? Because there will be immediate and needed economic benefits. The proposed repair, remediation and construction will create jobs by the tens of thousands - skilled and unskilled - in all corners of New York. Much of the needed work is highly labor intensive and will rely on materials made or found here, and there will be a substantial short-term payback to our state economy. Longer-term, this important spending creates an environmentally and economically sustainable platform for future economic development - residential, commercial, tourism-related, and industrial.
And for more than a generation, all New Yorkers have benefited from the enormous and essential good that comes from solidly built dams, safe and copious drinking water, functional sewers and treatment plants, and adequate air quality. Unfortunately, they enjoyed this without paying the full cost of upkeep and repair of this essential infrastructure. Think about it - there are few things more important to modern life than air, water, and the proper disposal and treatment of our wastes.
Borrowing is, of course, a touchy subject, so, why borrow more? Simply put, this essential spending is not likely to occur if we do not borrow. Public officials are not likely to cut existing spending on popular programs to fund newly identified needs - no matter how essential they may be - that do not have obvious or immediate public benefits and popularity.
So the further question becomes, is $5 billion too much?
Read more on the 2014 Clean Water/Clean Air/Green Jobs Bond Act...
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Cleaner Air From Tackling Climate Change
New study suggests reducing air pollution from cutting emissions would save millions of lives
 (via The Atlantic Cities) - Tackling climate change would save millions of lives a year by the end of the century purely as a result of the decrease in air pollution, according to a new study.
The study is published as scientists from around the globe gather in Stockholm to thrash out final details of a landmark assessment of climate science. Their final report is due to be released this Friday and will set out projections of wide-ranging impacts of global warming from droughts to floods to sea-level rise.
The research suggests that the benefits of cuts to air pollution from curbing fossil-fuel use justify action alone - even without other climate impacts such as more extreme weather and sea-level rise. "It is pretty striking that you can make an argument purely on health grounds to control climate change," says Jason West, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, whose work is published in Nature Climate Change. West's team compared two futures, one in which climate change is stabilized by aggressive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and one in which emissions are not curbed. The scientists then modeled how this affected air pollutants and the consequent effects on health. Read more on controlling climate change...
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Wanted: Fall Interns
Sustainable LI looking for five interns - two in Long Beach
Sustainable Long Island is looking for three (3) interns to assist with a wide range of planning and advocacy issues, related to community revitalization, brownfield redevelopment, environmental justice, and food equity. Fall interns will support staff in advancing current and future projects through best practices research, policy and code review, assistance with community meetings, and administrative tasks as needed.
These internships are open to freshman through senior year undergraduates currently enrolled in a college/university. Students will be required to complete 6-12 hours per week, depending on course schedules.
Skill Requirements:
- Good verbal and written communication skills.
- General knowledge of planning, sustainable development, and social equity.
- Must be highly organized and able to work independently to complete tasks in a timely manner.
- Must be outgoing and able to engage with diverse groups of people.
- Previous community engagement experiences a plus.
Compensation: Academic credits in compliance with your academic institution.
Sustainable Long Island is also looking to hire two (2) community development interns to assist with a wide range of planning and advocacy issues, including: outreach with local businesses, stakeholders and city agencies; mapping community assets; economic development initiatives; and conducting community surveys, to help promote economic recovery in Long Beach, NY.
The intern will assist in administrative aspects of the program including meeting with stakeholders, working closely with the Long Beach Revitalization Team, and conducting field surveys and data collection. Academic research and report writing may also be required as per your instructor.
Skill Requirements:
- Good verbal and written communication skills.
- Complete regular data entry requirements and other administrative tasks as needed.
- Must be outgoing and able to engage with diverse groups of people.
- Must be highly organized and able to work independently to complete tasks in a timely manner.
- Previous community engagement experiences a plus.
- Willing to support and assist existing team members.
- Willing to work flexible hours, approximately 6-8 hours per week during the fall 2013 semester, including evenings and weekends for special events as necessary.
- Open to freshman through senior year undergraduates currently enrolled in a college/university, with a preference for individuals residing in the City of Long Beach.
Compensation: Academic credits in compliance with your academic institution in addition to a stipend.
To apply for either internship: Please send your resume and a cover letter, addressed to Janice Moynihan, Community Planner and Educational Program Coordinator, to jmoynihan@sustainableli.org.
The subject line of the e-mail should state "Fall Intern" or "Long Beach Community Development Intern."
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Together we can build a more
sustainable Long Island
These challenging economic times have magnified the problems we Long Islanders face each and every day. With our leaders warning us of tougher times to come, thinking regionally and acting locally is urgent. It is in all of our best interests to stay engaged and do what we can together to build a more sustainable Long Island.
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to Sustainable Long Island that will help support our ongoing and future work within your Long Island communities; while helping advance economic development, environmental health, and social equity!
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Want community updates on various planning projects? Exciting tidbits on events, meetings, and engagements in your neighborhood? Exclusive information and the latest feedback about everything Long Island?Real-time updates on all the news you've read today! What are you waiting for? Join us, like us, follow us, and stay informed!
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The Board and Staff of Sustainable Long Island |
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