MAYOR DE BLASIO APPOINTS MARK CHAMBERS TO CITY’S INTEGRATED CLIMATE TEAM AS DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY

Chambers to lead City’s sustainability efforts as part of an integrated climate team – a new resiliency director to be appointed soon

   Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the appointment of Mark Chambers as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. Chambers brings years of clean energy management and resource conservation experience to the Office of Sustainability.

Mark Chambers is a nationally-respected expert in clean energy, inclusive climate action and sustainability. He will lead the City’s sustainability programs, working to reduce the City’s contributions to the causes of climate change and expand environmental quality across the city. This includes significant initiatives to meet the City’s aggressive greenhouse gas emissions targets – an 80 percent reduction from 2005 levels by 2050 – and achieve important air quality and renewable energy goals, aspects of Mayor de Blasio’s OneNYC plan which aims to create a more equitable, resilient and sustainable city. Chambers most recently served as the Director of Sustainability and Energy in Washington D.C., and will start in his new role later this month.

Chambers will report to Daniel Zarrilli, Senior Director of Climate Policy and Programs and Chief Resilience Officer for the Office of the Mayor. Zarrilli will continue in his role leading the City’s integrated climate team, including overseeing the work of the Office of Recovery and Resiliency, the Office of Sustainability, the Office of Environmental Coordination and the OneNYC program.

“Our goals to cut the City’s greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050 and prepare the city for the impacts of climate change are ambitious,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “However, with the right talent and experience, the City will be in a position to meet these commitments as part of our broader OneNYC program to create a more equitable, sustainable and resilient city. Mark Chambers and his years of nationally-recognized experience are joining a larger team of extremely talented climate experts. I’m confident we’ll be able meet our goals with this team, and I look forward to working with them.”

“Climate change continues to be one of the greatest challenges of our time, demanding creativity and leadership. New York City and the de Blasio Administration continue to lead the globe through our ground-breaking OneNYC program of inclusive climate actions,” said Daniel Zarrilli, Senior Director for Climate Policy and Programs and Chief Resilience Officer for the Office of the Mayor. “With the addition of Mark Chambers to our team, the City will expand its global leadership on inclusive climate action as we prepare for the future. I’m thrilled to have Mark join the team as we raise the bar and achieve our ambitious climate commitments.”

“At no other time have City governments played as pivotal a leadership role in a global imperative as we are witnessing now in the response to our changing climate. The de Blasio Administration continues to set the standard for inclusive urban policy and I am excited to lead the Office of Sustainability forward on behalf of our great city”, said Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “Reaching the Mayor’s OneNYC sustainability goals and responding to our global climate challenges will continue to require hard work, innovation and empathy for those most impacted and I’m excited to join this effort.”