QBP RICHARDS TO MARK CLIMATE WEEK NYC WITH INAUGURAL QUEENS CLIMATE EXPO
Featuring Local Law 97 panel, job opportunities, resources and giveaways
(September 18, 2023 at 10:15am)
QUEENS, NY – With the global push for environmental justice taking center stage in New York City as both Climate Week NYC and the United Nations General Assembly kick off, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. today announced that he will host his office’s first ever Queens Climate Expo this Wednesday, September 20 at Queens Borough Hall.
Running from 3pm to 7pm, the Expo will be centered around a panel discussion on Local Law 97, the landmark law 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 will include representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, NYC Accelerator and climate justice organizations Solar One and BlocPower.
Tabling at the Expo will be a more than a dozen environmental organizations, while other activities include 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,” said Borough President RICHARDS. “Combating climate change takes all of us, and I encourage anyone who shares the belief that clean air and water are human rights to join us on September 20.”
The Expo is a continuation of Borough President Richards’ staunch commitment to both correcting longstanding environmental inequities and ensuring Queens is a global leader in the fight against climate change.
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, Borough President 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.
Members of the public who would like to attend the Queens Climate Expo are asked to RSVP at www.queensbp.org/rsvp.
Members of the media who wish to cover the Queens Climate Expo are asked to RSVP by emailing [email protected] or calling 718-286-2640.
WHAT: Queens Climate Expo
WHERE: Queens Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens
WHEN: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 from 3pm to 7pm
WHO: DONOVAN RICHARDS JR., Queens Borough President
Climate experts and environmental organizations
Follow the Office of the Queens Borough President via @QnsBPRichards on Twitter and @QueensBPRichards on Facebook and Instagram
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