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Sustainability Superheroes: How NYC Administrators Can Save the Planet, One Data Point at a Time So some pesky colleague keeps asking about what “sustainability initiatives” you have in the New York office. They are requesting that you fill out some spreadsheets with some data points that you have to collect. Shh...that’s because you are a sustainability superhero. And not just in any city - New York City. You may have been tasked with collecting data, such as energy use, implementing initiatives like recycling, or following policies like sustainable procurement. Wait, no one told you why? Hmm…Let’s add internal sustainability communications to the priorities of the sustainability committee. Well, Earth Month, April, is the perfect time to connect why your role is crucial to your firm’s sustainability agenda as well as to New York City’s. And beyond that, with this collective impact, you are doing good for the planet for generations to come. So, why is this important to the planet? If we don’t address greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss, the global temperatures will increase to 1.5-2 degrees Celsius. That means more extreme weather events like droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes, sea level rise from melting ice caps, loss of flora and fauna, degradation of air quality, degradation in health and increased mortality rates, global political instability... But it’s not all doom and gloom, I promise! Governments, cities, companies and individuals are working hard to implement change to save the planet. For instance, many of your clients are asking your organization about its sustainability initiatives.. To enhance the sustainability of their supply chain, clients are now issuing sustainability Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to their legal vendors. These RFPs explicitly inquire about the firm's strategies for monitoring and addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, water conservation, resource management, and other related factors. Regulations are also coming into effect across the globe, including the European Sustainability Reporting Standards and California’s Climate Corporate Accountability Act and Climate-Related Financial Risk Act. These regulations require emissions accounting and climate disclosure and assessment, underscoring the imperative for businesses to address environmental impacts transparently and responsibly.. Similarly, New York City is working hard to do its part in saving the planet and the City. If you didn’t know, the climate crisis is one of the biggest risks to New York City. The city is projected to face increasingly severe rainstorms, coastal storms, heatwaves, sea-level rise, and deteriorating air quality. These challenges demand urgent attention and action to safeguard the well-being of residents and the resilience of the city's infrastructure.NYC has set some pretty ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. How can I help? This is where you come in to save the firm, NYC, and the planet! You play a crucial role in this data collection process that helps save the world (crazy, I know!). The city relies on comprehensive data from various sectors, including buildings, transportation, and waste management, to track progress towards these targets and to inform, so they can adapt climate mitigation strategies. These are tracked in the NYC Climate Dashboard. For example, you might be asked to collect the energy usage of your tenant space and indicate if you are using electric, gas, steam or renewable energy. This information might feed into a building portfolio platform or even a simple spreadsheet. The data collected can help the City understand if it is meeting its building emissions goal, and if buildings are meeting the new solar and green roof requirements for new construction or limiting emissions from new and existing buildings. Collecting your firm’s energy data is crucial not only for client responsiveness but also for establishing emission reduction targets. This could involve adopting renewable energy sources, implementing energy-efficient practices, and exploring other sustainable initiatives. But your superhero power doesn’t end at just data collection. You might be tasked with implementing sustainable practices and initiatives within your office. These efforts collectively contribute to your firm and NYC's overarching sustainability goals that ultimately save the planet. This can include thinking through sustainable transportation options, like public transit or cycling incentives or implementing a business air travel policy. This will not only help with reporting priorities, but those are saved emissions that keep New York City air cleaner and more livable. So Superhero, remember that your efforts, one data point at a time, have far-reaching impacts, from helping your firm and its clients reduce their environmental impact to supporting New York City in becoming resilient against climate change to fostering a healthier and more sustainable future for all New Yorkers and the planet. |