NY City & State Policy Update – April 2012

At the end of March the City Planning Commission unanimously approved the Zone Green Text Amendment to remove zoning rules which can limit green building technologies in the City.  The amendment now moves on to the City Council. Also in late March the Bloomberg administration submitted a memo of opposition regarding the NY State Senate’s budget proposal to delay by three years the requirement for low-sulfur heating fuels in buildings in the City. The New York chapter of Efficiency First, a national advocacy organization, has been putting on a strong push to protect On-Bill Financing in New York.  The group’s listserv connects members to their elected officials on various pieces of energy efficiency related legislation and budgetary matters, if that’s your sort of thing. Back on the City level, NYC was the recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in recognition of its leadership and achievement in sustainable policymaking.  The prize is a “biennial international award that honours outstanding contributions towards the creation of vibrant, liveable and sustainable urban communities around the world.” For you social media types out there, GOOD Magazine has reported on a new social media platform: Honest Buildings.  This site “has created a profile for any building in the world with an address. This platform is the first place that connects occupants, service providers and owners to each other and the buildings where they live, work and spend their time.”  We finally have a Facebook for buildings. Lastly, even though we’re already almost a quarter of the way into the year (!), Builder Magazine published 10 “Green Building Mega Trends for 2012” at the beginning of this year – we’ll see how these ideas play out in the coming months.