NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) My internship is with DSNY, in the Office of the Commissioner, and my position is largely focused around one event in particular, the NYC Food Waste Fair. Under NYC’s Zero Waste Initiative to contribute zero waste to landfills by 2030, the city has been steadily …
NYC Government The governmental apparatus of New York City is probably more complicated than you think, unless you happen to have worked in it before. There are various city agencies, boards and judiciaries – and that’s all before we get to elected officials. The elected positions of New York City …
Hydropower has a long history in New York State. There are more than 6,000 dams in New York, some dating back to the 1700s. Even through the industrial revolution of the 19th century, dams were the main source of power for running mills and powering machinery. As electric power replaced …
As the impacts of climate change become more of a reality, many cities are developing sustainability plans to guide them towards a greener future. While setting the goals within these plans can be challenging, it is an even greater challenge to achieve them. Many of these plans focus on specific …
In the US, we use more than double the amount of water per person than any other country in the world. An estimated 57% of our public water supply is used for residential use. The most recent 2010 USGS report estimates per capita US residential water use to be 88 gallons per day (gpd), which translates …
Winos, take notice! For many of us, it can be difficult to discern how climate change will tangibly impact everyday life. If you are an everyday wine drinker (like myself), you might be surprised (and disappointed) to learn that your happy hour beverage of choice is strongly linked to a changing …
It feels like a challenging time to be working on environmental issues here in the United States as a wave of populism and climate change denial seems to be sweeping the country. To gain some perspective on working toward sustainability goals, I spoke with Professor Sue Hartley. Professor Hartley is the Director of …
Climate change is often thought of purely a problem, and a scary one; but what if we reimagine climate change as a challenge, an opportunity to improve our built environment? There is much work to be done to prepare and protect ourselves from climate-related hazards. Let’s use this chance not only to protect ourselves …
My name is Buck Doyle, and I am an accidental “Huge Policy Wonk,” or HPW. I never expected to become one, it just kind of happened. It dawned on me when I caught myself flipping through an article entitled, “Spatial distribution of US Household Carbon Footprints Reveals Suburbanization Undermines Greenhouse …
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a national environmental non-profit organization that has worked “to safeguard the earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends” since its foundation in 1970. NRDC draws on the expertise of lawyers, scientists, and policy advocates, as …
