Apartments Are About to Get More Eco-Friendly in NYC and Other Cities

Climate change has been a controversial subject lately across the country due to President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. While some people came to terms with this decision, New York City Mayor Bill DiBlasio decided to honor the Agreement through an executive order and released his plan to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

According to an article by the National Apartment Association, some of the highlights of his plan are energy reduction and waste management for New York’s existing buildings, including apartments. This will help control the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and further combat climate change. Proof of the city’s continuous fight against climate change is the fact that last year, Manhattan was the sixth in the U.S. with the most green rental apartments (about 6,000).

New plan to address climate change impacts rental apartments

According to the plan, large buildings, including apartment buildings, will have to limit fossil fuels by 2030 and 2035. Renters in almost half of the city’s buildings will benefit, as owners are now required to make necessary adjustments like adding new boilers and other building equipment.

Also, those planning to rent a brand-new apartment will get the most eco-friendly features, as all new construction will have to adhere to a stricter energy code in the next years to meet certain energy targets.

Another thing mentioned in the plan is that the property owners will be given access to a “free planning tool for high performance energy retrofit strategies” and there will also be more partnerships with the City to reduce energy and water. A marketing campaign is also expected to be launched in order to encourage residents to save more energy and water.

NY residents too will have the chance to play their part. They will be able to help through the city’s composting program by separating their waste in latched bins that would later be picked by sanitation.

Although the plan doesn’t yet seem to impose fines for noncompliance, Mayor DiBlasio is in favor of this and will work towards making sure that property managers comply with the changes, states NAA.

More cities are likely to join in the climate change discussion

NYC’s plan will most likely serve as a model for other U.S. cities willing to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. It happened before, in 2009, when NYC was the first to require property managers of large buildings to measure and report their energy and water usage. As a result, 26 localities followed NYC’s example.

Moreover, Mayor Bill DiBlasio is committed to working with other C40 cities across the world to advance sustainability plans and find solutions to fight climate change. Some of these plans are to be launched by 2020 and many will require building owners and operators to cut back on energy, waste and water usage.

Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has already committed publicly to addressing climate change and making the right steps towards fighting it. More C40 city mayors like Austin’s Steve Adler and Atlanta’s Kasim Reed are expected to take the same stance in December at a C40 meeting.

Source: National Apartment Association