A Green and Greater New York

Mayor of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg, released the PlanNYC Progress Report which is the city’s long-term plan for a greener, greater New York. Since 2007, the New York initiative has enacted the most comprehensive green building legislation in the country and succeeded in:

• Planting a million new trees
• Protecting 28,600 acres of land for water supply in upstate New York
• Doubling the number of New York residents who bike to work
• Converting 25% of the yellow taxi fleet to hybrid vehicles
• Adding 40 hybrid patrol cars to NYPD fleet

PlanNYC hopes employers will jump on the bandwagon by ensuring a safer work environment for their employees. In 2008, New York experienced 123 fatal occupational injuries, in which the majority came from contact with objects and equipment. Too many work-site personal injuries continue to take place and many are easily avoided. If you are a victim of a severe, avoidable personal injury, let Seeger Weiss fight for your rights.

Green Translates to Dollars

Green buildings, now a priority in New York, increase the efficient use of energy, environmental, and human resources. Green buildings incorporate practices that significantly reduce or eliminate adverse environmental impacts. Another advantage is that these green buildings also translate to economic benefit.

Making green building improvements to design when renovating or constructing new structures is the most cost effective. A onetime investment premium of less than 1% of first costs can increase energy efficiency over standard building code practices by 20-30%. Here are some other interesting facts:

• Green or High Performance Buildings typically lease or sell faster, and retain and attract tenants better because they combine superior amenity and comfort with lower occupancy costs and more competitive terms.
• Energy and water efficient buildings reduce operating costs to fewer than half those of a traditional building by employing green design concepts.
• Improved indoor environments can increase employee productivity by up to 16 percent.
• The US Department of Energy says that today's buildings consume more energy than any other sector of the U.S. economy, including transportation and industry.
• The EPA estimates that building-related illnesses account for $60 billion of annual productivity lost nationwide.
• Well integrated and comprehensive green buildings projects can result in lower or neutral incremental project development costs.
• Studies indicate that Americans spend up to 90% of their day indoors. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, air quality inside buildings is sometimes two to five times worse than outside air.

New York distinguishes itself by its use of public transportation. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, more than half the households in New York City don’t even own a car. And about one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation's rail riders live in New York and its suburbs. This means that the city’s high public transit use allow New Yorkers to emit fewer greenhouse gases than the typical American and keep their gasoline consumption at the rate the national average was in the 1920s.