Sorry again, Rochester. And Syracuse. But, once again, I’m back to Albany to report on some green real estate happenings.
I promise the rest of Upstate New York - I will get to you. If any of you Upstate green real estate newsmakers think that I should get to your area more quickly, feel free to email me and light a (non-carbon footprint) fire under my treehugging tail so I can visit and share in the glory of the fantastic things that New York State is up to in terms of bringing us into the sustainable twenty-first century.
So yes, Albany again this month, and with good reason. Specifically, the Greening the Mansion project that First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer is spearheading. The Governor’s Mansion, in downtown Albany, is a thirty-nine room, Queen Anne-style building. When I read that the First Lady had convened a Working Group for the project, I had a feeling that Albany-area architect Jodi Smits Anderson, whom I’ve mentioned several times in this column, would be involved. So, I called her up and my instinct was correct. Says Jodi, “I am on the committee and we made a book of suggestions. In fact, my involvement in this brought me to the attention of Judith Enck, Deputy Director of the Environment for New York State, and I’m starting a job at the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (“DASNY”) next week.” DASNY provides financing and construction services to public and private universities, not-for-profit healthcare facilities, and other institutions which serve the public good. DASNY is lucky to get a green advocate like Jodi.
Jodi went on to say that she “finds it inspiring that the First Family of New York State is really looking at how they are living in the Executive Mansion and making informed choices to reduce their negative impact on the environment. These are steps anyone can undertake and this endeavor brings home- to my home, your home, and the home of the First Family- the fact that we are each responsible to treat the world we live in with respect and care.”
Jodi recommended that I call Paul Beyer, Governor Spitzer’s Special Assistant for the Environment to get more information. Paul told me that “Greening the Governor's Mansion shows that nineteenth century historic architecture can exist side-by-side with twenty-first century clean energy technology. Greening the Mansion is just the beginning of an ongoing commitment by the First Lady to promote green building and support the Governor's goal of reducing energy consumption by fifteen percent by 2015. First Lady Spitzer is also developing public policy initiatives that will promote and provide incentives for green building, and make it easier for New Yorkers to reduce their carbon imprint on the environment.” Other members of the Greening the Mansion Working Group include representatives from the New York Power Authority, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (“NYSERDA”), the Office of General Services, and the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The group studied the condition of the Governor’s Mansion to determine which green technologies made the most sense- financially, environmentally, and economically. Much of the green technology will not only cut energy costs and help the environment, but should ultimately pay for itself in energy savings. At her press conference announcing details about the project, First Lady Spitzer stated that “[r]esidential buildings are a major contributor to global warming. The Executive Mansion is a place of historic significance, which should be properly preserved. Starting today, the mansion will also function as a sustainable building. I am hopeful that this initiative will encourage others to pursue similar efforts with their own homes. Together, every small step can reduce our overall impact on the environment.” Greening the Mansion will cut the building’s electrical consumption by fifty percent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one half. Highlights of the plan include solar panels at three locations on the property, electric vehicles charged by solar energy, the use of fuel cells, low-flow plumbing fixtures, energy efficient appliances, zero emission electric lawn equipment charged by solar energy, and all green cleaning products. The Executive Office is also enacting a local and organic food policy. The Mansion has begun purchasing New York-grown, preferably organic, produce to the greatest extent possible. The Mansion will also purchase from a local food co-op, and join a local Community Supported Agriculture (“CSA”), which allows consumers to buy a share in a farm and receive fresh local organic produce when it is harvested.
