Green Scorecard Shows NYC Meeting Environmental Goals

This article was written by C. Zawadi Morris.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently released the 2013 PlaNYC scorecard, which measures the annual progress on benchmarks for more than 100 sustainability and green initiatives, and said that the city is on track to meet all of its targets for cleaner air and water, more housing and park space and enhanced quality of life for New Yorkers. 
“We’ve come a long way since kicking off PlaNYC: our air is healthier, our waterways are cleaner and we’re building a sustainable future for our city,” said Bloomberg. 

Bloomberg first unveiled PlaNYC in 2007, establishing the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, while requiring the City conduct annual progress reports as well as an updated plan every four years. 

In 2011, the city updated PlaNYC to include 132 initiatives with more than 400 specific milestones to reach by Dec. 31. According to the mayor, the city is on track to meet its targets.

The report list the following progress since the city has made in the area of sustainability since 2007:

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 16 percent – more than half of citywide greenhouse gas reduction target and on track to exceed our 30 percent carbon mitigation target by 2030
• Coated more than 3.5 million square feet of roofs with areflective white coating that reduces energy use, cooling costs, and carbon emissions
• Begun the largest expansion of the recycling program in 25 years to include rigid plastics, of which currently 50,000 tons are sent to landfills, in 2013
• Launched the Food Waste Challenge, a voluntary program to engage restaurants in reducing their food waste by 50 percent through composting, donation, and prevention strategies
• Climate change projections for the City that will inform rebuilding decisions following Hurricane Sandy.
• Launched NYC Clean Heat in 2011 to eliminate the use of heavy fuel oil and accelerate the transition to the cleanest heating fuels
• Retrofitted more than 2,700 streetlights with LED technology
• Launched Citi Bike, New York’s newest public transportation option and the nation’s largest bike share program
• Built more than 300 miles of bike lanes
• Launched Select Bus Service in all five boroughs in coordination with the MTA to combine the speed and amenities of rail-based transit systems with the flexibility of buses
• Launched an electric taxi pilot in 2013 and set the goal of electrifying 1/3rd of the taxi fleet by 2020.
• Invested more than $10 billion in water quality initiatives over the past decade, including major upgrades to the sewer system and several of the largest wastewater treatment plants
• Launched the Green Infrastructure Plan to invest $1.5 billion over 20 years to reduce combined sewer overflows through green infrastructure
• Created the Bluebelt system to provide ecologically sound, cost-effective stormwater management for approximately one-third of Staten Island’s land area, as well as parts of the Bronx and Queens, through natural drainage corridors and constructed wetlands
• Restored 76 acres of eroded salt marsh in Jamaica Bay
• Planted more than 750,000 trees to date
• Added 300 acres of new parkland
• Opened 229 open spaces for children to play through the Schoolyards to Playgrounds program, which maximizes the use of underutilized space to provide additional recreational opportunities
• Opened 129 new community gardens on New York City Housing Authority properties