By Forum Staff
Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. on Monday marked Climate Week NYC by hosting Queens’ first-ever Climate Expo at Borough Hall.
The Expo was centered around a panel discussion on Local Law 97, the landmark legislation aimed at making New York City carbon neutral by 2050 through, among other efforts, dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings larger than 25,000 gross square feet. Panelists included representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, NYC Accelerator and climate justice organizations Solar One and BlocPower.
More than a dozen environmental organizations attended the expo. Other activities included climate-related job opportunities, a virtual reality station, giveaways, environmental-themed activities for children and more.
“For far too long, Queens families from Astoria to Arverne have borne the devastating brunt of climate change in the form of severe storms, air pollution and more. But The World’s Borough is primed to be a world leader in environmental justice, and our Queens Climate Expo will showcase exactly why,” Richards said on Monday.
Photo Courtesy of Google
The Queens Climate Expo was set to take place Wednesday afternoon at Borough Hall.
Richards has made climate change a focus of his administration.
In April 2023, Operation Urban Sustainability — the borough president’s working group of local environmental justice leaders and resiliency advocates that he established in 2022 — released its inaugural climate report, a 25-page blueprint to guide the Borough President Richards’ sustainability and resiliency efforts in areas such as urban agriculture, composting, energy-efficient development, environmental justice, education, nature preservation, flood prevention and transportation.
Additionally, Richards allocated $100,000 in Fiscal Year 2023 to fund the planting of dozens of trees across neighborhoods that historically suffered from severe heat zone effects. Also, in 2021 the Borough President formalized the Queens Solid Waste Advisory Board, a diverse group of residents and industry representatives tasked with advising him on issues related to waste, recycling, resiliency, and other concerns involving environmental protection and equity.
