Latest News: New York City

Technology and digital innovations have had a positive impact on our environment - we have the internet to thank for a large reduction of paper and waste. But these innovations can also have negative impacts that we should be aware of.

An effective, environmentally-friendly, modern freight system is crucial to keep up with population growth, reduce tailpipe emissions and truck congestion. NYCEDC recently announced its plan to revamp New York City’s freight system with the Freight NYC initiative.

While New York City’s municipal sanitation workers collect waste and recycling from our curbsides by day, private carting companies are responsible for collecting from commercial properties at night. Community advocates and city policymakers have been combating environmental, health, and safety issues within the commercial waste industry.

We are excited to announce our first round of endorsements in the 2018 Congressional election cycle.

Adriana Espinoza, our NYC Program Director, recently submitted testimony to the New York City Council's Health and Finance Committees last week regarding our healthy foods budget priorities.  We called for a $10 million investment to expand grocery store access in underserved communities, a $15 million to increase healthy food SNAP incentive program, and a $3 million investment to increase healthy food options at corner stores.  

Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found that toxic chemicals in drinking water can be harmful at much lower levels than the EPA previously reported as safe. Newly disclosed e-mails between members of the EPA revealed that the agency tried to keep this information hidden to avoid conflict with the public and a negative reaction from the media.

A newly released report published by Bloomberg predicts a very promising future for electric buses. The report found that switching from conventional to electric buses would not only be helpful for air quality, it would also save money in the long term. 

Earlier this month, the New York City Council introduced a package of legislation designed to tackle lead exposure in NYC from water, soil, and paint. The seventeen bills represent the largest and most concerted effort to address lead poisoning in years.