At a recent press conference, leaders in government, finance and real estate came together to launch an unprecedented public-private partnership to finance heating fuel and efficiency upgrades in thousands of New York City buildings. The goal is to get buildings to switch to cleaner fuels sooner than required by law and to cut soot pollution in the most polluted neighborhoods. Mayor Bloomberg announced almost $100 million in financing and other new resources to help buildings take advantage of cleaner fuels and technologies. This financing, made possible by JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Citibank, Hudson Valley Bank, the New York City Energy Efficiency Corp., and the Community Preservation Corp., will target low and moderate-income buildings. Leading up to this announcement, this teamwork has already resulted in 450 buildings upgraded with roughly 1,134 in the process of converting to cleaner fuel. This project can only set such ambitious goals - and accomplish them - because the right stakeholders are at the table to get it done. Government, real estate, utilities, banks and environmental groups are all working together to help buildings convert to cleaner heating fuel. It's one of the largest clean energy projects for buildings anywhere. This financing and the free technical assistance already available are significant, and can be accessed at NYC Clean Heat's new website: nyc.gov/cleanheat. There building owners and managers can find detailed information and free resources to help them navigate the process of converting to cleaner fuel. Contact NYC Clean Heat To learn more, dial 311 and ask for NYC Clean Heat. To reach the NYC Clean Heat technical director to discuss converting your building, call 212-656-9202 or [email protected]. Isabelle Silverman is an attorney at Environmental Defense Fund, New York, N.Y.