Manhattan Clean Energy Hub

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. Welcome to Uptown Chats, a podcast where we share stories about environmental justice by and for everyday people. I'm your co host, Lonnie. [00:00:24] Speaker B: And I'm your other co host, Jaron. [00:00:25] Speaker A: And. And today we have an exciting topic that we have hinted at a few times and that Jaron's been very eager for us to talk about. And that's the New York Clean Energy Hub. [00:00:34] Speaker B: That's right. This is a special topic for a few reasons. One, We act leads the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub, which is one of 12 regional clean energy hubs across New York State. [00:00:44] Speaker A: And two, Jaron actually leads this work for We act and helps coordinate with 12 other organizations across the city to connect Manhattan residents with opportunities to participate in clean energy transition. [00:00:55] Speaker B: Our special guest today is actually from one of those partner organizations. We'll be joined by Satcheli De Leon from the association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, also known as anhd, who helps lead our outreach and make sure that we are reaching folks throughout the borough of Manhattan. [00:01:12] Speaker A: For anyone who's never heard of the clean energy hubs, don't worry, by the end of the episode you'll be an expert. But before we get to the good stuff, Jaron, can you share WEAC's mission? [00:01:21] Speaker B: I sure can. We ACT's mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and or low income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. [00:01:33] Speaker A: Thank you, Jaron. As we mentioned today, we'll be talking to Sasha Leon from a andhd about how the 12 clean energy hubs throughout New York help ensure folks living and working in disadvantaged communities are part of the state's transition to a cleaner and a more sustainable energy system. [00:01:47] Speaker B: To help give a little bit more context about why these clean energy hubs were created in the first place, let's go ahead and take a step back and talk about where most of the greenhouse gas emissions in New York City come from in the first place. And also some of the work WE ACT has done over the years to help reduce those greenhouse gas emissions. Don't worry, we'll keep it short and sweet. [00:02:07] Speaker A: Yeah, a lot of our dedicated listeners and WE ACT members might have heard this plenty of times. But for those who may not know or may be shocked by this, in New York City, 70% of our greenhouse gas emissions, so the pollution and the emissions that cause the climate change come from buildings burning fossil fuels. So a lot of people think of other different ways and forms of that, whether it be cars specifically and exhaust from that, but from New York City, it's our buildings. And studies show that climate change impacts community of colors the hardest, from extreme heat to flooding and all of the other climate impacts that go on. [00:02:43] Speaker B: Absolutely. And to help reduce these emissions, one initiative that we launched is called the Solar Uptown now program, where we installed 415kW of solar panels on HDFC Affordable Housing Co ops and trained community members to do the installations, creating jobs in the process. We also helped install 1.2 megawatts of solar on the roofs of 40 New York City Housing Authority, aka NYCHA buildings, including Carver Houses in East Harlem as part of the Community Power Community Solar project. It's a mouthful, and we've been advocating for legislation to reduce emissions like Local Law 154 of 2021, which will ensure that new buildings built in our community are all electric and won't burn fossil fuels. Yeah. [00:03:32] Speaker A: So we act is not new to this game. And that's why New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, also called nyserda, selected we act to host and manage the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub. Helping residents of Manhattan specifically take advantage of clean energy projects, clean energy jobs, energy efficiency improvements in their homes, and rebates for businesses and personal transportation. The hub helped Manhattan residents on the front lines of climate change save money and access affordable energy efficiency upgrades and job opportunities. [00:04:04] Speaker B: Yeah, the purpose of NYSERDA's Regional Clean Energy Hubs is really just to help New York residents, community organizations and small businesses access and navigate free of charge all of the opportunities created by this energy transition, including clean energy careers, renewable energy installations, energy efficiency improvements, and transportation alternatives. Lonnie just mentioned a lot of those, but just to reiterate the point, the [00:04:31] Speaker A: 12 clean energy hubs across the state launched back in 2023, so they've been around and up and running for a few years now. In our conversation with Sashla, you'll hear more about how the work has evolved over the last few years and what exciting things the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub has in store for us in the future. [00:04:48] Speaker B: With that said, Lonnie, why don't we go ahead and jump into our conversation with Satali? [00:04:52] Speaker A: Sounds good. Let's go. [00:05:01] Speaker B: Thanks so much for joining us today. We're super happy to have you on this episode of the podcast. Long overdue for us to really do a deep dive on the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub, but also just clean Energy hubs and some energy topics in general related to the work that we do. Before we get too far into our conversation, can you just briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your role both at your organization and also as a part of the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub. [00:05:28] Speaker C: Well, thanks for having me. So my name is Natalie Leon. I am an energy and housing justice coordinator with the association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, also known as ANHD is a membership based organization that does advocacy, organizing policy and capacity building work in and around affordable housing and equitable economic development. I'm a part of ANHG's capacity building team and the Capacity Building team works to upskill and resource our membership with our various training programs and fellowships and technical assistance offerings. So you know, I joined NHD back in 2023 to support NHD's growing sustainability portfolio and work and that includes technical assistance for our affordable housing developers to support them in accessing incentives for programs like the Affordable Multifamily Energy Efficiency Program. And also that of course includes outreach for the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub. So I am the outreach manager for the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub and that includes facilitating the Hub's internal referral process for incoming leads, making sure that if you reach out to the Hub that you are being connected to the correct advisor, and also managing our key outreach initiative that we call the Clean Energy Justice Partners. [00:06:46] Speaker A: I'm excited to talk to you because the connection between housing and energy and building decarbonization is really important when we talk about a just transition, energy transition. So what role do you see the Clean Energy Hub playing in that energy transition in New York City? [00:07:04] Speaker C: So I really see the Hub as being a facilitator. Right. There are just a ton of programs that have been developed at the city and the state level to support the transition to clean energy. And at the end of the day, what good is a program if people don't know it exists, if the people that are most meant to benefit from it aren't able to access it? And so for me, the Hub is really, the Hub's role is really to facilitate that process and to demystify some of that and to, you know, we have energy and workforce advisors as part of the Hub. So when you reach out to the Hub, you'll submit a registration form, you'll let us know more or less what kind of support it is that you're looking for. When we connect with you, you'll connect with one of our either energy or workforce advisors and really you can have a conversation with them and they know the programs backwards in front and you know they can, based on that conversation that you're having with them, give you some recommendations around programs and things that you might not even know exist or might have not even considered for yourself. And. Yeah, and be able to access programs that can either support, you know, are meant to support tenants, to support, to lower their energy bills, build building owners, homeowners who are looking to upgrade their, and retrofit their buildings to make them more energy efficient workforce opportunities. If you're trying to break into the clean energy sector and you don't know how to do that, you can reach out to the hub and figure out how to do that as well. And also small businesses that are trying to figure out how they can lower, lower their, their energy bills and their operating expenses. Because, you know, I think at the end of the day, a lot of, a lot of this work also connects back to affordability. Right. And that kind of gets back to that connection to affordable housing. Overall. I think a lot of the, the work that the hub does, we're really looking to connect our most vulnerable communities, the communities who are most likely to suffer the worst consequences of climate change, and making sure that they're benefiting from these programs so that they're not being left behind in the process. Part of that is affordability, ensuring that homes have been weatherized, making them safer and making them more energy efficient. Because bipoc low income communities here in New York, those folks are more likely to live in older, less energy efficient housing. And so by supporting community members, building owners, tenants, and getting connected to these programs, we are through that process also supporting affordability and also affordable housing preservation. And so that's a really important part of the work that NHD is doing, right? Work around affordable housing preservation. So how can we get affordable housing developers connected to these programs to make their buildings more, you know, weatherized, protected against the elements, preventing water infiltration, making those buildings safer, but also making them more energy efficient so that their operating costs don't continue to increase and also for the tenants themselves so that their energy bills can also come down over time. [00:10:23] Speaker B: I appreciate that. I feel like that's such a good summary of a lot of the, it's hard to unpack all of the work that the clean energy hubs do in this short amount of time, but I feel like you touched on all the key, the key parts of it and I feel like a good buzzword that's in there a couple times in what you were talking about. That's. I feel like in a lot of people's minds right now when we talk about energy is affordability. Like it just, we've talked about it so many times on the podcast, so Far. But it really is at the core, not the only piece, but like a big piece of what the hubs are there to do. Right. Of like making sure that people can take advantage of the programs that are out there to make these upgrades and this clean energy transition affordable for everyone. I know that the hubs have existed now for a couple years. You know, you've been with the hub for at least a couple years now, so you've seen it kind of evolve. And so I'm curious from your perspective how you've seen this work of the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub, or just the hubs in general kind of evolve over the last few years from all the different work that there is to do in this space and how the hubs kind of filled a role in helping to support this clean energy transition. [00:11:32] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, I would say that it definitely took, I think, a little bit of time to really get up and running. It's a pretty big undertaking. Right. So we are part of the Manhattan Clean Energy hub. There are hubs throughout the five boroughs. There's the Brooklyn and Bronx hub, there's the Queens and Staten island hub, and then there's hubs up through upstate. And you know, to be, to be responsible for. Right. Connecting all New Yorkers who live in Manhattan to all of these amazing programs is a lot. And so I think that we've definitely taken the time to kind of coordinate internally, figure out what are the best processes, making sure that we can like streamline the process, making sure that when folks come through the door requesting support, we're getting them connected to an energy or workforce advisor as quickly as possible. I would say a lot of the changes that have happened most recently for the hub really has been an expansion of our workshop offerings. We have a lot, we've been doing a lot more energy smart workshops and different sorts of community workshops to support community, community members in understanding how they can play a role in lowering their own utility bills through some easy adjustments that they could be making in their own homes and lives, and then also connecting folks to other sorts of resources that are, that are related. And so we'll talk a little bit more eventually I think about some of the upcoming events that the hub has. But you know, we do work around tenants rights, doing work around utility rights. And so these are things that kind of intersect with the work that the hub is doing. And so, yeah, so I would say definitely our expanded workshop offerings. And then the other piece I would say is we've really expanded our outreach efforts. Right. So when the hub first started, we didn't have what we call now the Clean Energy Justice Partners. It's one of our key outreach initiatives that we've been really developing over the years. And I think at this point we've kind of, through every iteration has improved and gotten bigger and better. And the key there with the Clean Energy Justice Partners is that the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub is really partnering with community based organizations, organizations that have deep roots and ties within their communities throughout Manhattan. They've been there for decades. They have their communities ear and trust. And so when you have an initiative like the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub that's relatively new in the current political climate, where there's distrust in government, it is really helpful to be able to partner with the community to really make sure that the message of the hub, that the resources of the hub are really reaching the community those most, you know, those frontline communities, the communities that are least resourced, the folks that we are really trying to make sure are aware of the resources of the hub to get them connected to all of these programs. And so I've been really excited to help to facilitate that program and work with our hub partners. You know, all of our hub partners are also ADHD members. And so through those relationships, we've been able to build this network of outreach that has really supported the hub and in increasing our outreach numbers, making sure that we're reaching as many Manhattanites as possible. And so, yeah, that's been really exciting. [00:14:50] Speaker B: One quick thing before we get onto the last planned question. I feel like you alluded to the fact that there are clean energy hubs across the state. There's 12 in New York State, three that serve New York City across the five boroughs. What do you feel like is different about the work that we do as part of the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub versus maybe some of the other hubs upstate or I guess to put more precisely, what do you think some of the unique challenges of this clean energy energy transition in New York City for, you know, the buildings and the people that we serve that, you know, from all the folks that we've seen come through the hub, the different needs that have arisen? Yeah. What stands out to you as kind of unique and I guess particularly challenging or like a unique part of our work as a hub? [00:15:37] Speaker C: Yeah. So I would say, you know, for the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub, I think unlike most other hubs, you know, Manhattan is largely, is largely made up of. Made up of tenants. Manhattan is largely made up of tenants. And so there are less homeowners and a lot, if not Most of the programs, most of the state programs that are currently available a lot of the time do focus more on either building owners themselves or homeowners. And so there has been a unique challenge there just kind of there being a little bit of a mismatch between the programs that are currently available versus who our audience and who are the community members that we are trying to reach. And so that's impacted, I would say, the ways in which we've done our outreach and the community and the ways in which we focus and focus on connecting with community members. Right. So we do a lot of uplifting of our workforce programs. Right. Because you know, that regardless of whether you live in an apartment building or in a house, you know, one to four family residential home, you're able to access the workforce opportunities that are available. You know, we've been doing a lot more Energy Smart workshops. So there are a limited amount of programs that are specifically for renters and tenants. And I hope that will change over time. I hope that the state and the city will see over time that we need to be, you know, creating more programs specifically to address the affordability. Affordability issues for tenants and giving them more opportunity and space to engage in, you know, the energy retrofit process. But that can be limiting, right? When we're talking about like a landlord versus a tenant, a building owner versus a tenant. And there are a lot of logistical complications that happen there. But that is one of the things that I like about our Energy Smart workshops, because we do distribute kits that have some kind of. Have some easy materials that even a tenant can easily install in their building or in their apartment to support in reducing the energy consumption of their apartment and lowering their bills. [00:17:51] Speaker A: I think it's awesome to hear how the Clean Energy Hub has responded to the needs of community and people that you serve to make changes to how you offer programming and thinking about it from a holistic perspective. And also, you know, just the idea that there is very unique being in Manhattan, and that's something that we act for environmental justice that we definitely hope to create and make sure we're thinking about programs that are for those who are renters because they don't have. They have the least amount of say in what they can do to their building. But you have your workshops and you have other things that you do. So that kind of leads me to my. My question is, what are some of the exciting opportunities, events that are coming up for our listeners, especially for those who are in Manhattan? What can people take advantage of? [00:18:35] Speaker C: Yes. And before I Get to that. There's one more thing that I did want to add. An important part of our relationship with our Clean Energy Justice Partners and the opportunity that has come from that is that sometimes folks that come to the Hub for services, they might end up needing services and supports that the Hub doesn't directly offer. [00:18:53] Speaker A: Right. [00:18:54] Speaker C: We've had community members who have been in need of food or housing, relocation assistance, you know, even support finding clothing. And so those are the things that the Hub doesn't directly offer. But through the relationships that we have with our Clean Energy Justice Partners, not only are they doing outreach on behalf of the Hub, but they also make it possible for the Manhattan Hub to. To your point, like holistic, right, to create more holistic offerings and opportunities where if someone is coming to the Hub and they need something that's outside of kind of our general realm of expertise, we're still able to connect them to the resources that they ultimately need. Because it takes a lot to ask for help. And when you reach out, it can be really discouraging to be met with a no or an I don't know or we don't have that. And so it's great that we do have these connections and relationships and partnerships that allow us to kind of expand from just our scope, which is incredibly important, but also, most importantly is really reaching and meeting New Yorkers where they're at and getting them connected to the services and supports that they ultimately need most. And so, yeah, getting to the next part of the question around kind of what's coming up and upcoming opportunities and events. So, yeah, we have a lot on the docket at the Hub. We have, you know, the summer is quickly coming to a close, sadly. But we do have upcoming workshops to close out and round out the summer coming up pretty soon we have, on Monday, August 10th at 6:30pm the hub is going to be joined by the Public Utility Law Project, who is going to be presenting their utility Utility Rights workshop. And that workshop aims to support participants in how to read a utility bill, what to do if they fall behind on their electric and gas bills, financial assistance programs, how to negotiate a deferred payment agreement, New York State Department of Public Services complaints and inquiry process, and more. And I'm personally really interested in attending that one because I actually have had an issue with my own kind of sin bill, which, you know, the rate code seems to be incorrect, and I think that I've been overcharged. And so I'm looking forward to learning a little bit more just for my own purposes because you know, affordability is, is key. [00:21:23] Speaker B: It's nice being a part of the program that you can benefit from yourself. You're like, yes, actually I will sign up for my own workshop, thank you very much. I will be there. Because you know what, A lot of us are renters and we live in the city and are utility customers. And it's just good to know what resources and programs are available to you, even for those of us working on the programs themselves. [00:21:47] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:21:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, I think that was our last question, last official question for you, Satchli. I don't know if there's anything else before we let you go that you wanted to mention plug related to the work that you do as a part of the hub or just your work in general. The floor is yours. Anything, any closing remarks before we wrap up? [00:22:06] Speaker C: I guess the last thing you said made me think of something which is like a lot of the folks in this city who do the work day to day to support our communities, whether it's us on the hub or the after school provider or the person who's supporting folks in like connecting to SNAP or whatever it is, a lot of the time those same folks are folks who still need these sorts of programs and services. Right. So I think it's, it's important to remember that even though we're like here supporting folks along the way, that the affordability crisis runs so deep that even, you know, all those folks also need all of the same supports and services that we're trying to connect other folks to. [00:22:49] Speaker B: With that. Satchli, thanks so much for being here. Thanks for joining us for the podcast and for sharing some of your insights and just your experience being a part of the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub team and just your work in general. We'll have to have you back on the show again at some point. [00:23:03] Speaker C: I'd be happy to come back. [00:23:04] Speaker A: Much appreciated. Thanks for listening. If you like this episode, make sure to rate and review the show on whatever platform you listen on. If you have thoughts about the show or suggestions for topics you want us to discuss, we encourage you to reach out to [email protected] I also want to [00:23:25] Speaker B: remind folks again about our Uptown Chats hotline where listeners can call in with questions they have about climate and environmental justice. Got a question? Call 877-Uptown-6. That's 877-878-6966. Really though, call us. [00:23:42] Speaker A: Check out we act on Facebook at We act for EJ That's W E A C T T F O r e j on Instagram blue sky and YouTube @weact4ej. That's w e a c t number 4ej. And check out our website, weact.org for more information about environmental justice. [00:23:59] Speaker B: Until next time. [00:24:00] Speaker A: Bye. It.