In December 2018, the New York City Council Committee on Environmental Protection met at City Hall to amend the administrative code of the City of New York in relation to the commitment to achieve certain reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (Introduction No. 1253), establishing a sustainable energy loan program (Introduction No. 1252), and to a building energy efficiency grade (Introduction No. 1251). The full report can be accessed online, but in short, the clock is ticking fast to combat climate change in New York City. Our buildings contribute 70% of the city’s total carbon emissions, and the time for change is long overdue.

In 2009, Local Law 87 was supposed to mandate retrofits in large, high energy consuming buildings. The law was weakened, and instead became a voluntary retro-commissioning program. De Blasio “used retrofit to win” his position as Mayor, according to councilmembers, and attempted to make a voluntary program work – but it didn’t. Now, a full decade later, time is up. We lost this decade of potential progress due to pushback from the real estate industry.  However, there is now overwhelming support for Introductions 1253, 1253, and 1251, and as the largest city in the country, it is New York’s moral obligation to do as much as we can.

Although these amendments are being presented and Local Law 87 never saw the success it was hoped to, it is important to acknowledge that the voluntary retro-commissioning program resulted in a 15% drop in carbon emissions over the past decade. However, with the new IPCC report, we know that a 15% decrease over 10 years isn’t going to cut it. New York City’s carbon reduction goals are to achieve a 40% decrease by 2030, and an 80% decrease by 2050. With the primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions being heating/ cooling and electric use, large buildings must be targeted first.

“Can a letter go out to the Trump International Building?” said a member of the committee, which was met with laughs and applause. “They don’t believe in climate change, but it’s real,” he continued. It is an unfortunate reality that at such a critical time to make huge changes to protect the future of our homes, cities, countries, and planet, the current administration is turning a blind eye to impending disaster. That’s why New York has stepped up to remain compliant with international environmental agreements such as the Paris Agreement.

Kinks in compliance were still being worked out by the Department of Buildings at the hearing last December. What we do know is that annual audits of energy use will be mandatory, as well as sub-metering non-residential tenants. Mandatory auditing is a huge step- and I see no reason to stop at energy. The NYC Retrofit Accelerator and Community Retrofit NYC programs both helped identify energy and water saving retrofits, yet “water” language is otherwise absent from today’s efficiency conversation. Decreasing water consumption leads to decreasing energy consumption, and the two utilities should not be separated in conservation efforts as they often are. Representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection, which is New York City’s water utility provider, were present at the public hearing, yet there was no discussion of mandating audits or sub-metering for water usage.

Furthermore, there are reasons beyond the 2050 carbon emission cut goals to reduce water usage, such as the impending Delaware Aqueduct shutdown or CSO mitigation in our waterways. The more water we use, the more water we have to manage, which poses real infrastructure issues. The tools exist and are readily available to tackle water consumption the way the city is about to tackle energy consumption, and I see no excuse to ignore the issue. As we know, any and all action to reduce our carbon footprint can help in the race against a disastrous future. And the race is getting tight.

The last update on the status of Intro 1253 was that it was returned unsigned by the Mayor on May 20, 2019.  In the meantime, building owners and property managers can fight on the front lines of the climate battle by engaging in conservation practices for both water and energy. There are plenty of tools and consultants out there to help – such as us at Ashokan Water Services.  For any noble real estate or sustainability professionals reading this, check out our monitoring, auditing, and sub-metering services.

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Allegra Miccio

Having grown up in Brooklyn, I always knew the Gowanus Canal to be a polluted waterway that was near the big-box hardware stores under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.  It was flanked by “cool neighborhoods” on either side- namely, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, and Boerum Hill.  These are the places my parents liked to go out to dinner, do boutique shopping, and catch a movie.  To me there was this grey area between Fifth Avenue and Smith Street, of which I knew nothing about for most of my childhood.  It was Gowanus.

Fast forward to my college years.  I’m in an introduction to Urban Planning course, learning about Superfund sites.  It turns out that the dirty little waterway is one of the country’s most polluted.  Fast forward to present day.  I’m back in Brooklyn, getting my Master’s in City and Regional Planning, and working in water management.  My office is in- you guessed it- Gowanus.

With water, it’s important to consider that every part of the cycle is interconnected.  One could argue that what we do at Ashokan Water Services (reading meters, monitoring consumption, and finding ways to help people save on bills, to name a few of our so-called water services) has little effect on bigger, hot-topic water issues that environmentalists are into.  I, however, beg to differ.

The less water we use, the less water we discharge to the sewer systems (and the less money we spend, but I’ll leave that pitch to our sales team!)  Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) occur when the volume of waste in the sewer system exceeds capacity.  When the sewers overflow, waste is released from CSO outfalls into bodies of water, like the Gowanus Canal.  This is common during precipitation events, and the discharge can contain anything from stormwater runoff to toxic waste.

So, saving water seems great.  It will save bill-payers money, and help ameliorate issues like CSOs.  This is where the Gowanus Canal comes in.  Last summer had the pleasure of chatting with folks from the Gowanus Canal Conservancy about the Gowanus sewershed and implications of impending rezoning in the neighborhood.  The inevitable future of high-rise residential buildings in the area will lead to increased volume of water in the sewershed.  The Conservancy’s goal is to implement extensive stormwater retention systems, such as bioswales and storage tanks in buildings, to eventually reach zero CSO.  Requirements to implement sewage overflow prevention measures in new developments are included in the rezoning outline.

Mitigating waste dumped into the Gowanus Canal will allow the waterway to more easily transition to a natural state.  The reintroduction of mussels and oysters into the ecosystem helps to filter water, and creating natural banks rather than built up bulkheads can help improve storm resiliency.  While some groups advocate for development catered towards human recreation (such as boat slips, access points, and promenades), I think it is wiser to focus on returning the canal to a more natural state.

As someone who spends every day in relatively close proximity to the canal, I am concerned about the seriousness of health issues.  There are reportedly higher than average cancer rates in the area, and anyone who comes in direct contact with the water is at even higher risk.  I also had the opportunity to canoe with the Gowanus Dregdegrs Canoe Club last summer, and I’m going to be honest, I was very paranoid about touching the water. It was nasty.  While I support their initiatives as stewards and educators, and hope that the Gowanus can ultimately be reclaimed for human enjoyment, remediation needs to come first.

Ultimately, the introduction of residential buildings surrounding the canal will lead to increased demand for public space.  It is likely that this demand will come before the canal ceases being a cocktail of toilet water and chemicals, because of the impending rezoning in the area.  The Department of City Planning’s rezoning framework for Gowanus is focused on resilient infrastructure, open space, job growth, and residential development.  As can be seen with the first residential development to go up bordering the canal (365 Bond), some public space that has already been created.

Despite the filthiness of the Gowanus Canal, it really can be quite beautiful.  It is as much an asset as it is an issue, and with the hard work of advocacy groups and conservationists in the neighborhood, the aforementioned Conservancy and Dredgers to name a few, change can be made.  It is my dream for an organization like Ashokan to help spread the water conservation good news.  Every effort helps, and every drop of water saved makes a difference.

It is important to keep in mind that water issues such as these are not limited to the Gowanus neighborhood.  It is important to conserve water anywhere and everywhere! For more information on how we can help you save water, check out our website.

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Allegra Miccio