In the News: Buildings Called Key Source of City’s Greenhouse Gases

New York City's Office of Sustainability recently released a report on Greenhouse Gases which found that the City's 950,000 buildings emit nearly 80% of our CO2 emissions. With 20% coming from automobiles and mass transit it is clear that a strategy to reduce these gases will have to include an aggressive campaign to implement sustainable design and development for our region's residential and commercial structures. However, what is even more surprising is the number of buildings with (or should I say without) either green roofs or LEED certification. Out of the 950,000 buildings in New York City only 20-30 currently have green roofs...JB

Image: New York from space. Can you count the green roofs?

April 11, 2007
By Diane Cardwell

Laying the groundwork for a plan to reduce the production of greenhouse gases in the city, the Bloomberg administration released a study yesterday showing that New York’s roughly 950,000 buildings are responsible for a vast majority of the city’s carbon dioxide emissions.

In sharp contrast to the national average of about 32 percent, the city’s buildings are responsible for 79 percent of the greenhouse gases produced by the city and are rising each year, according to the study, conducted by the city’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability. Transportation systems, including mass transit, cars and trucks, are responsible for most of the remaining 21 percent of the emissions, which are considered a major factor in global warming.

The release of the inventory marked the first concrete step in Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s ambitious effort to set the city on a greener path as it plans for the addition of one million residents by 2030. In December, Mr. Bloomberg outlined goals to help guide the city’s growth in a more environmentally sound way, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent.

Read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/nyregion/11carbon.html

Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report
http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/ccp_report041007.pdf

NYC's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
http://www.nyc.gov/html/ops/html/long_term/long_term.shtml

US Green Building Council
http://www.usgbc.org/