Sustainability and the City – Page 4 – A Blog from the Sustainability in the Urban Environment Program at City College

Panel: Pollution and Black America: The Struggle for Environmental Justice

October 1, 2020October 7, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

The Colin Powell School at CCNY hosted this lecture on environmental justice on October 1st, 2020 as a kick-off to their second year of the undergraduate Climate Policy Fellows Program. It can be viewed the Colin Powell School YouTube channel below. Additional information is also copied below from the Youtube post. Speakers: Linda Villarosa, Director of CCNY’s Journalism Program Shawn Rickenbacker, Associate Professor of Architecture at the CCNY Spitzer School of Architecture. Moderated by Trevor Houser, CCNY alumni and Director of the Climate Policy Fellows program, Partner, Rhodium Group – Kickoff of Climate Policy Fellows – While Black communities are …

Alumni Profile: Gabrielle O’Grady, Class of 2020

September 22, 2020October 9, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

Why did you decide to attend the program at CCNY? What do you like about it? I found the Sustainability in the Urban Environment Master’s Program when I decided I wanted a career change. After a few positions in clinical research and at the emergency room, when it was time to commit to medical school something was stopping me–it was my fascination for the built environment. My grandfather came to this country as a master cabinetmaker. I would visit his shop and bask in the scent of fresh cut lumber. With his help, my parents built the house I grew …

Student Project: Open Passive House

September 17, 2020October 7, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

The True Cost of Passive House: Making a business case for multifamily affordable Passive House Objective: There exists a highly compelling case for promoting Passive House building standards for the affordable multifamily sector in New York City. In addition to deep energy and carbon reductions that align with the goals of New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act, increased occupant comfort and climate resiliency will greatly benefit some of New York City’s most vulnerable populations. There is great interest in Passive House on both the supply side (designers and developers) and the demand side (customers, HPD), but there is a lack …

Alumni Profile: Ben Leer, Class of 2015

June 15, 2020June 15, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

My name is Ben Leer, I am a sustainability consultant, designer, builder and educator. I currently teach in the Building Science department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and am a NAPHN trainer for the international Passive House Tradesperson Certification. My path has been unconventional and at times challenging, but my various experiences have given me a broad perspective on what it means to create a sustainable future. As an undergrad at Hunter College I studied environmental science. This is where I was first introduced to the many problems that plague our planet. Armed with the scientific knowledge that things had …

Faculty Profile: Professor Jim Biles

June 15, 2020June 15, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

James Biles is a newly affiliated faculty member in the MS Program in Urban Sustainability. An Associate Professor in the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership since 2009, Jim is also affiliated with CCNY’s International Studies Program and the PhD Program in Earth and Environmental Sciences at the CUNY Graduate Center. As an economic geographer, Jim’s research and praxis are situated at the confluence of social and economic processes, development policy, and local livelihoods, primarily in Mexico and Latin America. In light of the deep-seated changes in the role of government and the prevailing ideology of development, his …

Alumni Profile: Logman Arja, Class of 2016

June 12, 2020October 7, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

My name is Logman Arja, I attended the City College of New York as a Fulbright scholar from Sudan, where I earned a Master of Science in Sustainability in the Urban Environment, graduating in 2016. I also now hold a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. I am currently a lecturer in Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design. I am also the founder and CEO of TRIPLE C (Clean Clay Cookstove), a San Francisco based design company committed to delivering ceramic 3D printed smokeless stoves to address household air pollution in …

Honoring the Class of 2020

May 29, 2020May 29, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

On May 27th, the Sustainability in the Urban Environment Program convened graduates over Zoom alongside CCNY’s President, Sustainability faculty, friends, family, current students, and alumni to honor the very resilient Class of 2020. Vanessa Ventola and Jenny Lin were honored as class Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively. Below is the downloadable slideshow of photos shared by the graduates of themselves and of their experiences in the Sustainability Program.

Student Project: The Hoboken Resilience Primer

May 18, 2020October 7, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

Students Danielle Tommaso, Joe Sollod, and Lorenzo Paganotti presented their mid-year progress for their yearlong capstone project focused on the development of a Hoboken Resilience Primer for the City. See video below from their Zoom presentation on May 15th, 2020.

Student Project: Environmental Education Program Evaluation

May 18, 2020June 15, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

As part of the requirements for completing the capstone for the Program, students must present a video mid-year review documenting progress so far and research directions for the next semester. Students Carolina Salane and Navida Rukhsha Vignoles present their work in the video below on evaluating botanic garden children’s education programs across New York City.

Student Project: Green Burial in NYC

May 18, 2020October 7, 2020 by Katherine Gloede Silverman

Students Debbie Einhorn, Bryant Cupidore, and Alex Young are working on the yearlong capstone project with Professor Christina Staudt of the Columbia University Death Lab. As part of the capstone process, students are required to present at the mid-year point to show their work to date and plan for the next semester of research and deliverables. Below is a video recording of their mid-year review, which was held online over Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic.