Clinton climate initiative allows NYCHA to be energy efficient

Former President Bill Clinton, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary Alphonso Jackson and I completed the first-ever sustainability partnership with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the nation's largest public housing authority. This new partnership will allow NYCHA to become more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, helping to fulfill the goals of PlaNYC, the long-term sustainability agenda. The partnership among the city, the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and HUD will help provide access to energy-efficient and clean-energy technologies at reduced prices. NYCHA's comprehensive plan includes building retrofits as well as boiler and heating system modernizations that will lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from NYCHA's 2,600-plus buildings citywide. The mayor, president and secretary Jackson were joined by NYCHA chairman Tino Hernandez at the Eastchester Community Center in the Bronx, a NYCHA-sponsored facility where recreational, cultural and educational programs are offered to residents and the surrounding community. The New York City Housing Authority is home to more than 408,000 low and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs. These energy saving measures will help the authority save money, and the environmental impact of these measures will result in cleaner, healthier air for the residents living in public housing. These environmentally-friendly enhancements will help us do our part to put the brakes on global warming and they will also help us build a greener, greater New York. Two years ago, NYCHA implemented an ambitious program by investing $2 billion to modernize and upgrade its aging housing stock. And now, by implementing environmentally sound strategies, NYCHA will contribute significantly to the sustainability of the city and its residents, and it will become a national dealer on green issues among public housing agencies. CCI will help NYCHA gain access to energy-saving technology and resources through a purchasing consortium that will help the authority buy energy efficient technologies at lower prices. The CCI will also assist the Housing Authority with the program development and launch to curb the output of carbon emissions. In addition to meeting NYCHA's own challenges, the programs described below will also serve as the public housing component of the Mayor's PlaNYC 2030 agenda, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York City to ensure a sustainable quality of life for all New Yorkers. The initiatives will demonstrate NYCHA leadership around the areas of retrofits, green technology and policy. Each of the large-scale initiatives below is an ongoing program that will receive technical assistance under the new partnership with CCI. The programs seek to reduce NYCHA energy consumption, confront financial challenges associated with rapidly rising utility rates, as well as tackle New York City's carbon emission challenges.The Computerized Heating Automated System (CHAS) is an Authority-wide heating-plant management technology. Michael Bloomberg is mayor of New York, N.Y .