Clearing the Air with NYC Clean Heat

In New York City, air pollution – the majority of which comes from heating buildings – causes an estimated 3,000 deaths a year. Andy Darrell, Regional Director of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), with Abbey Brown, NYC Clean Heat Coordinator, developed the NYC Clean Heat program as an intersector collaboration. Rallying government, utilities, banks, real estate leaders, and non-profits to help buildings convert their boilers to a range of cleaner options, NYC Clean Heat has already reduced the city’s soot levels by 23 percent.

The Project fights air pollution on several fronts, working with public officials to accelerate compliance with environmental regulations and managing stakeholder participation across a variety of networks. Real estate industry partners identified buildings suitable for conversion, and the EDF itself helped navigate the collaboration and handle day-to-day operations. In this short video, NYC Clean Heat explains the dangers of air pollution and the range of solutions they promote through innovative collaboration across sectors.

Read The Intersector Project’s full case study on the NYC Clean Heat program, “Returning New York City Air Quality to the Highest in Fifty Years” here.