Read below how New York City Mayoral candidate Tony Avella proposes to further green NYC
* Create an Energy Volatility Task Force: Upon taking office, Tony would seek to create the Energy Volatility Task Force that he is proposing at the City Council (Intro.#891/2008), which would change City policies and procedures to mitigate the effects of huge fluctuations in price and the availability of oil. The issue of energy volatility and the resulting impact on the City’s economy, as well as that of the nation, must be addressed immediately. Details on his proposal are available here.
* Saving Energy by Example: New York City can combat climate change by leading by example. The City already owns hundreds of buildings throughout the five boroughs, most of which are old and energy inefficient. In a time when both the environment and our economy are demanding our attention, we can no longer allow the taxpayers’ dollars to literally drain out the windows of City-owned properties.
As Mayor, Tony will start by requiring an energy audit of all City-owned buildings. Next, he will implement simple changes, such as requiring City-owned buildings to turn their lights and computers off at night. This is a basic energy-saving step that the Bloomberg administration, for all of its so-called green credentials, has failed to take. Tony would also work with his commissioners to develop a sensible capital plan for improving the energy efficiency in City-owned buildings. Done correctly, these expenditures could lead to real energy and money savings on a yearly basis, which will help to greatly reduce our carbon footprint.
* Green is Good for Business: Over the past eight years, the Mayor has actively worked to undermine viable businesses within our city by seeking to rezone manufacturing districts as “mixed use” or by simply seeking to promote “sustainable” housing developments where jobs already exist. The Mayor cannot on one hand seek to reduce air pollution and traffic and at the same time force local manufacturers to work outside of City and transport their goods in by truck.
As Mayor, Tony will make a concerted effort, through the Department of City Planning, to target areas of the City for use by local manufacturers. It will be his priority to target these areas for sustainable manufacturing, as New York City has an opportunity to be a leader in this sector in the coming years. These manufacturing jobs will be vastly superior to the big box store jobs that the Bloomberg Administration seems to believe in and, they will be green!
Finally, Tony has committed to directing his city agencies to buy greener, more energy-efficient products. In doing so, he would give increased weight to companies that make sustainable goods within the
five boroughs.
