In this episode of Building Tomorrow, we’re introducing you to New York State’s Energy Plan, the policy that will guide energy-related decision making for the next 15 years — from now until 2040.
Today’s host, Danielle Manley, Associate Director of Policy at Urban Green is joined by John Williams, the Chief Policy Officer of NYSERDA. They discuss the current state of the market and how energy policy can meet future demand, without delaying New York’s emission reduction goals.
Listen to the episode to hear about how the state’s energy policy is shifting to deliver affordable, reliable, clean energy to more New Yorkers by 2040.
John G. Williams, Chief Policy Officer, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
John Williams was appointed Chief Policy Officer for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on June 24, 2025. In this position, Mr. Williams is responsible for providing guidance for energy policy development for New York State. He oversees the Policy, Analysis, & Research team, providing economic analysis and scientific research to best inform policymakers in energy and environmental issues as well as the Business Performance Management unit, which provides market characterization and evaluation, markets and statistical insights, and metrics and performance analysis, all of which guide effective clean energy strategies. Mr. Williams is the recipient in 2021 of a Public Service Excellence Award from the State Academy for Public Administration.
Host: Danielle Manley, Associate Director of Policy at Urban Green Council
Danielle is responsible for advocacy, analysis and collaboration on Urban Green’s policy initiatives in New York City and State. She previously worked at the Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University’s Earth Institute researching and communicating local climate risk information for stakeholders in global cities and ecosystems, and served as project manager for the Third New York City Panel on Climate Change Report. Danielle also worked for nonprofits in Buffalo on environmental education and advocacy. She holds a Master’s Degree in Climate and Society from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University at Buffalo.
Resources
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member of Urban Green, and subscribing to our podcast for more insightful conversations on building a sustainable future.
We'd like to thank Carrier for sponsoring the event and podcast.
#ClimateGoals #BuildingDecarbonization #EnergyEfficiency
Chapters:
00:59 — John’s path to energy policy
03:25 — What deregulation changed for how electricity is generated and delivered
05:32 — What is the State Energy Plan and how does it impact affordability, reliability, decarbonization, and load growth?
09:51 — How the Energy Plan aligns with the CLCPA
16:23 — Why nuclear is back in the mix
22:27 — Buildings continue to be front and center
27:45 — Transitioning the gas system
30:34 — State and local alignment
37:54 — What’s next?
In this episode of Building Tomorrow, guest host Adam Schiabor interviews NYCEDC’s Jamie Horton and NYU Stern Center’s Marianna Koval to discuss the recent report, Banking on Climate, which dives into the role of mortgage lenders in supporting building decarbonization efforts in New York City. They also share their personal journeys into sustainability, the importance of regulatory frameworks like Local Law 97, and the significant investment opportunities available in the green economy.
Adam Schiabor, Associate Director, Research, Urban Green CouncilAdam is responsible for conducting data analysis and research into sustainability topics. Prior to Urban Green, Adam worked at a non-profit healthcare company that was dedicated to using the Affordable Care Act to expand access to services and lower the cost of healthcare in New Mexico. Adam holds a B.S in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Oregon and a M.A in Economics from the New School for Social Research.
Guests:
Resources discussed in this episode:
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member of Urban Green, and subscribing to our podcast for more insightful conversations on building a sustainable future.
We'd like to thank Carrier for sponsoring the event and podcast.
#ClimateGoals #BuildingDecarbonization #EnergyEfficiency #NewYorkCity #NYC #NYCLocalLaw97 #Sustainability #Finance
In this episode of "Building Tomorrow," we delve into New York State's ambitious climate goals and the pivotal role buildings play in achieving them.
New data analysis from Urban Green Council reveals that one-third of all large buildings in the state exist outside of New York City, but we know little about their energy use.
Listen in as Danielle Manley, Associate Director of Policy at Urban Green Council, makes the case for why statewide benchmarking is a crucial first step towards empowering large building owners with energy insights that can guide building upgrades, and drive market demand for efficiency.
Guest: Danielle Manley, Associate Director of Policy at Urban Green Council
Danielle is responsible for advocacy, analysis and collaboration on Urban Green’s policy initiatives in New York City and State. She previously worked at the Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University’s Earth Institute researching and communicating local climate risk information for stakeholders in global cities and ecosystems, and served as project manager for the Third New York City Panel on Climate Change Report. Danielle also worked for nonprofits in Buffalo on environmental education and advocacy. She holds a Master’s Degree in Climate and Society from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University at Buffalo.
Host: Ellen Honigstock, Senior Director, Education, Urban Green Council. Ellen oversees the development of Urban Green’s Public Programs. She is also responsible for developing the curriculum for Urban Green’s signature programs, including GPRO and Crushing the Code. Ellen has 28 years of experience as an architect and volunteered for Urban Green for several years before joining the staff, where she served as the first Residential Green Building Advocate for Urban Green Council, working to increase green building and LEED for Homes certification in the New York residential marketplace, and as a committee chair of the Green Codes Task Force.
Resources
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member of Urban Green, and subscribing to our podcast for more insightful conversations on building a sustainable future.
We'd like to thank Carrier for sponsoring the event and podcast.
#ClimateGoals #BuildingDecarbonization #EnergyEfficiency
Live from Urban Green's 2025 annual conference, this special episode of Building Tomorrow features an exciting conversation about how resilience is shaping building design today and how the industry is evolving to meet climate challenges.
Sustainability and resilience are closely linked in the building sector. With more frequent heat waves and extreme storms, New York City’s buildings must be prepared for a changing climate. Decarbonization efforts must integrate resilience to ensure long-term sustainability.
The panel discussion is moderated by Susanne DesRoches, NYSERDA.
The other panel speakers are:
Ilana Judah, Arup
Jessica Mederson, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP
Talley Burley, Environmental Defense Fund
Mónika Serrano-Riedlinger, Adaptate LLC
This episode was recorded on June 2, 2025 at Urban Green's NYC Next: Shaping Building Decarbonization conference at NYU in New York City.
For more information, visit Urban Green's conference page.
We'd like to thank Carrier for sponsoring the event and podcast.
Live from Urban Green's 2025 annual conference, this special episode of Building Tomorrow features an exciting conversation about the future of battery storage on the grid and in buildings.
In the coming years, battery storage will be an increasingly important tool for adding capacity to the electrical grid and increasing resilience. As demand for renewable energy grows, battery storage offers a flexible solution to store excess energy, ensuring a reliable and stable power supply. In this session, leading experts will share valuable insights into how battery storage will be integrated into the green building landscape, helping to optimize energy use, support decarbonization, and improve overall grid reliability.
The panel discussion is moderated by Gina Bocra, WSP.
The other panel speakers are:
Molly Rafelson, Clean Fight
John Romano, Con Edison
Daniella Leifer, Sustainable CUNY
Claudia Villar-Leeman, NY-BEST
This episode was recorded on June 2, 2025 at Urban Green's NYC Next: Shaping Building Decarbonization conference at NYU in New York City.
For more information, visit Urban Green's conference page.
We'd like to thank Carrier for sponsoring the event and podcast.
Live from Urban Green's 2025 annual conference, this special episode of Building Tomorrow features an exciting conversation about a new concept for a program that would dramatically simplify decarbonization projects and drive down costs.
The panel discussion is moderated by Chris Halfnight, Urban Green’s Senior Director of Research and Policy.
The other panel speakers include:
James Gepner, NYSERDA
Joe Chavez, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
Susan Leeds of Garrison Associates
Marc Zulaga of Cadence OneFive
This episode was recorded on June 2, 2025 at Urban Green's NYC Next: Shaping Building Decarbonization conference at NYU in New York City.
For more information, and videos, visit Urban Green's conference page.
We'd like to thank Carrier for sponsoring the event and podcast.
The 32BJ Training Fund provides free training to eligible 32BJ SEIU workers, ranging from cleaners, maintenance workers, building engineers, and superintendents so they can build the environments where people want to live and work.
Hear from Michaela Boren, Manager for Green Programs, about how the 32BJ Training Fund has incorporated sustainability training into their work, and how that training helps workers advance in their careers.
RESOURCES:
32BJ Training Fund Course Catalog
The Inflation Reduction Act is the largest climate action ever taken by the federal government. In this episode of Building Tomorrow, hear from Amanda Clevinger and Ion Simonides about the IRA’s substantial incentives for green building initiatives, including tax credits and rebates for energy-efficient upgrades and renewable energy installations.
HOSTS:
Ellen Honingstock, Senior Direction, Education, Urban Green Council
Amanda Clevenger, Policy and Programs Director, Bright Power
SPEAKER:
Ion Simonides, Senior Policy and Programs Analyst, Bright Power
RESOURCES:
NYS Guide to Inflation Reduction Act Savings
Rewiring America’s Incentive Calculator
Bright Power: Energy Efficiency Federal Tax Credit for Condos and Co-ops
Bright Power: The Inflation Reduction Act - A Guide for Multifamily Building Owners (Webinar)
Bright Power: Unlocking Tax Credits with Energy Star and Zero Energy Ready Homes (Webinar)
Abbreviations used in the episode:
IRA - Inflation Reduction Act
ITC - Investment Tax Credit
LIHTC - Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
45L - New Energy Efficient Home Tax Credit
25C - Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit
EPA GGRF - EPA Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
In this episode of Building Tomorrow, Mark MacCracken, the Vice President of CALMAC at Trane Technologies, joins host Ellen Honigstock and co-host Whitney Smith to discuss thermal energy storage. Thermal energy storage is a clean energy alternative that involves using ice for cooling and water for storing heat. Listen in to learn more about how this method of heating and cooling compares to fossil fuel systems and conventional electric resistance.
HOSTS:
Ellen Honigstock, Senior Director, Education, Urban Green Council
Whitney Smith, Senior Climate & Sustainability Leader and Associate Principal, Arup
GUEST:
Mark MacCracken, Vice President and CALMAC Portfolio Leader, Trane Technologies
To decarbonize New York City buildings, heating systems reliant on fossil fuels must be replaced with sustainable alternatives. In this episode of Building Tomorrow, Brightcore’s Jonathan Hernandez joins Urban Green’s Ellen Honigstock to discuss geothermal energy and how it can be expanded in NYC to decarbonize buildings and make them more resilient.
Listen in as they dive into the geothermal industry, and how new policies and technologies are making the installation of more ground source heat pump systems possible.
HOST:
Ellen Honigstock, Senior Director, Education, Urban Green Council
GUEST:
Jonathan Hernandez, Director of Business Development, Geothermal, Brightcore
RESOURCES:
Find the images and graphics discussed in the episode here.
Building systems are designed and installed separately, but at the end of the day, they have to work together in order for a building to work as intended. Commissioning makes that happen.
In this episode of Building Tomorrow, Kelly Westby from Steven Winter Associates joins Urban Green’s Ellen Honigstock to discuss all things commissioning, including:
By the end of their conversation, you’ll be able to see how commissioning makes a building complete!
This is a crossover episode! Make sure to listen to the Buildings + Beyond podcast to hear Kelly interview Ellen about addressing the skills gap in the sustainable building industry.
HOST:
Ellen Honigstock, Senior Director, Education, Urban Green Council
SPEAKER:
Kelly Westby, Managing Director, Building Operations, Decarbonization, and Efficiency, Steven Winter Associates
RESOURCES:
Listen to our crossover episode featuring Ellen on Steven Winter Associates' Buildings + Beyond podcast:
Explore the resources mentioned in this episode:
Want to learn more?
Retrofitting existing buildings can help increase energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions. But what do these retrofits look like in a place like Manhattan, where almost one-third of total floor area has landmark status and is, therefore, energy-code exempt?
In this episode, Dr. Erica Avrami, Nate Rogers and Kate Reggev discuss these energy code waivers and how, despite the waivers, new greenhouse gas legislation could necessitate energy retrofits in historic buildings. This new era of regulation marks a momentous shift in regulation practices and signals a need for significant reforms to preservation policies in light of climate change.
This interview expands on Dr. Avrami’s previous research, including her paper, “Energy and Historic Buildings: Toward Evidence-Based Policy Reform,” which examines the implications of a changing legislative landscape on historic preservation in NYC.
Recorded May 10, 2022
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The first compliance period for Local Law 97 is here, and energy upgrades in NYC’s existing buildings will need to pick up. But what kind of upgrades are needed, and who will do the work?
Manny Pastreich, President of 32BJ SEIU, joins Urban Green CEO John Mandyck on Building Tomorrow for a discussion on how we can mobilize the green workforce to complete these energy upgrades.
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Installing an energy upgrade in an occupied building is difficult. These projects are also critical to realizing decarbonization goals.
In this episode of Building Tomorrow, hear from Trevor Smith, a construction manager with extensive experience in completing design-build energy projects in occupied buildings. Trevor shares tips on how to carry out these projects successfully, including how to improve communication and work better with operations staff.
HOSTS:
Ellen Honigstock, Senior Director, Education, Urban Green Council
Shruti Narkar, Sustainability Project Manager, JLL
SPEAKER:
Measuring and disclosing “financed carbon emissions”—or Scope 3 emissions—by banks and financial institutions is critical for investors who seek to understand climate risk in their portfolios.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is responsible for the management of over $240 billion in pension funds and is leveraging this role to drive carbon disclosure, including Scope 3 emissions, from the companies in which pension funds are invested. On September 13, 2023, Comptroller Lander joined Urban Green Council CEO John Mandyck for a conversation about his net zero plan and how finance can be a lever for decarbonization.
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In Dr. Melissa Checker’s 2020 book, The Sustainability Myth, she took a critical look at the hidden costs—and contradictions—of New York City’s ambitious sustainability agenda. Her insights into the dynamics of environmental gentrification shed light on some of the hidden forces driving redevelopment in the city.
Three years after the book was published, Dr. Checker joined Building Tomorrow to chat about what has changed in the years since and how we can equitably distribute the benefits of the green transition.
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Embodied carbon—the emissions resulting from the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials—will play a key role in decarbonizing the built environment.
In this episode of Building Tomorrow, Ellen Honigstock and Prateek Srivastava sit down with Stantec’s Robby Vogel to get a Structural Engineer’s perspective on strategies to reduce embodied carbon and how they can be employed in the built environment.
They discuss everything from new technologies to navigating client relationships to how emerging and established professionals can learn from one another to shape the future of sustainable projects. If you’ve ever wondered what embodied carbon is and why it matters, this episode is a must-listen!
GUEST
Robby Vogel, Principal, Structural Engineering Design Leader, Stantec
HOSTS
Ellen Honigstock, Senior Director, Education, Urban Green Council
Prateek Srivastava, Structural Engineer, Stantec
RESOURCES
As New York City transitions away from fossil fuels, it’s imperative that environmental justice be centered in policy making, and that people from historically disadvantaged communities actively benefit from the transition.
In this episode of Building Tomorrow, Zakiyah Sayyed and Anushka Maqbool sit down with Sonal Jessel, Director of Policy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, to talk about Sonal’s career journey, WE ACT’s work with electrification and workforce training, and the importance of centering environmental justice in the electrification conversation.
GUEST:
Sonal Jessel, Director, Policy, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
HOSTS:
Zakiyah Sayyed, Former Crew Supervisor for NYC°CoolRoofs
Anushka Maqbool, Programs Associate, Urban Green Council
RESOURCES:
In February 2023, Michael Deane, former Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for Turner Construction and Urban Green Board Member, passed away, leaving behind a legacy as a dedicated sustainability champion and friend to the green building movement.
Today, we’re re-releasing this 2018 conversation between Michael and Urban Green Senior Director of Education Ellen Honigstock: a wide-ranging discussion on eliminating construction waste and the wide array of innovations that lie at the intersection of sustainability and construction. This conversation remains as timely now as when it was recorded.
Guest:
Michael Deane, former Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for Turner Construction
Host:
Ellen Honigstock, Senior Director, Education, Urban Green Council
Resources:
As materials and construction account for 11 percent of global carbon emissions, embodied carbon—the emissions arising from the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials—will play a key role in our path to deep decarbonization of our built environment.
Join Shruti Narkar and Ellen Honigstock in a conversation with Aurora Jensen where she provides helpful tips on how to measure, track and scale the reduction of embodied carbon through her experience of working on real-world projects.
Guest:
Aurora Jensen, Senior Technical Specialist and Embodied Carbon Lead, Brightworks Sustainability
Hosts:
Shruti Narkar, Project Manager, CodeGreen
Ellen Honigstock, Senior Director, Education, Urban Green Council
