GrowNYC Volunteer Newsletter

 

GrowNYC Volunteer Newsletter

Hello Beloved GrowNYC Volunteers,

Thank you so much for volunteering your time and energy with GrowNYC, we truly appreciate your efforts in furthering our mission! I would like to bring our new Volunteer Feedback Form to your attention. Use this form to provide us with the following:

• Communicate feedback and share details about your experience volunteering with GrowNYC.

• Share ideas about we can improve your volunteer experience.

• Uplift and share experiences you had with the GrowNYC staff you interacted with while volunteering.

Fill out the Volunteer Feedback Form and let us know, please send me an email if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns!

Best,

Corey Wilkins

Lead Individual Volunteer Program Manager

Register for our March Virtual Volunteer Orientation

What's new: Interested in volunteering with GrowNYC? Join our online orientation where our Volunteer Program Manager will provide information about GrowNYC, local agriculture and food access, safety protocols, as well as current and upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Orientation is open to all, however, GrowNYC volunteers must be 18 years of age or older. The volunteer orientation is required to participate in our volunteer opportunities.

• Upcoming virtual orientation: Friday, March 15th, 5pm - 6pm (sign up)

Volunteer Spotlight

Meet Ned, our spotlight volunteer of the month! Read the interview below to learn more about Ned.

1. How long have you been volunteering with GrowNYC?

I started volunteering with GrowNYC in late 2022, and it became one of my regular activities in the summer of 2023.

2. Tell us about yourself, what interests you and how do you spend your time?

I love learning about foodways, urban infrastructure and local history. I got a bike last fall, and have been enjoying exploring bike trails around and outside the city. I also just started taking mandolin lessons at a folk music school nearby.

3. Why did you decide to volunteer with GrowNYC?

When I moved to New York, I was thrilled to learn about food scrap the drop off at greenmarkets. I was looking for communities and groups to join, and thought it made perfect sense to volunteer with a service that I make ample use of. I've volunteered regularly at an urban farm in another city, and missed being among people who think deeply about food production. Also, this is the biggest city I've ever lived in and I was curious to learn about waste management in NYC.

4. What has been your favorite moment/memory volunteering with GrowNYC so far?

I so enjoy chatting with the GrowNYC staff and other volunteers at my regular site! It's hard to pick a memory of one particular conversation, but they're all so fun, wide-ranging and thought-provoking. It's also always fun to chat with food scrap dropoff regulars in the neighborhood, and to get to know the neighborhood dogs.

Stop 'N' Swap® Volunteer Opportunities

Stop 'N' Swaps® encourage reuse, build community, and reduce the waste NYC sends to landfills. By volunteering you will create an opportunity for people to share things they no longer need instead of throwing them away, and find things they do want without manufacturing, packaging, or transportation.

• As a volunteer, you will help receive, sort, and display the gently used items that people bring. You might also help keep areas neat, take pictures, or help promote some of the other great work this GrowNYC Zero Waste Program does!
  
  Saturday, March 16th - Brooklyn
  PS 9 The Sarah Smith Garnet School
  80 Underhill Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
  10:30am-4:30pm (sign up)
  
  Saturday, March 23rd - Manhattan
  St Mary's Church
  521 W 126th St, New York, NY 10027
  
  10:30am-4:30pm (sign up)

Sign up for the Stop 'N' Swap® Newsletter for updates on upcoming events!

Compost Volunteer Opportunities

Food scrap collection allows New Yorkers to take part in waste reduction and turn their food waste into compost to grow food and care for New York City parks and trees.

• As we await potential changes to our composting operation Food Scrap Drop Off volunteer opportunities will be posted on a bi weekly basis. Please do not hesitate to contact Cwilkins@grownyc.org if you have any questions

Volunteer Opportunities Include

Manhattan:
E 96th Street GM - Fridays (sign up)

97th Street GM - Fridays (sign up)

Columbia Uni GM - Sundays (sign up)

79th Street GM - Sundays (sign up)

Brooklyn:
Cortelyou (Flatbush) GM - Sundays (sign up)

7th Ave Sunset Park GM - Saturdays (sign up)

Bed-Stuy Farmstand - Fridays (sign up)

Fort Greene GM - Saturdays (sign up)

Grand Army Plaza GM - Saturdays (sign up)

Queens:
Jackson Heights GM - Sundays (sign up)

Forest Hills GM - Sundays (sign up)

Greenmarket Cooking Demonstration Volunteer Opportunities

Share your passion for cooking at the Greenmarket! Be in the mix by volunteering at your local Greenmarket helping the market manager with cooking demonstrations, promotional activities, customer support, farmer support, and more!

Queens:
Jackson Heights GM - Sundays (sign up)

Manhattan:
Inwood Gm - Saturdays (sign up)

Greenmarket Volunteer Opportunities

These events are outdoors, rain or shine. Please dress for the weather and bring a reusable water bottle! Sign up for one or more opportunities at the following Greenmarkets (GM):

Manhattan:
Columbia Uni GM - Sundays (sign up)

Other Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer With GreenThumb’s Help a Garden Grow Program

GreenThumb community gardens are developed, led, and cared for by dedicated volunteer gardeners who critically upkeep them as public green spaces. This workday will support various projects at 400 Montauk Community Garden and help kickstart their growing season!

You can use this link to view a list of dates and time to volunteer at the 400 Montauk Community Garden. Please do not hesitate to contact Kyleen Sanchez (Kyleen.Sanchez@parks.nyc.gov) with any questions about GreenThumb volunteer opportunities!

Partnerships for Parks - The Power of Native Plants is Rescheduled

 

 

RESCHEDULED: The Power of Native Plants Passionate about native plants and pollinators? Our extremely popular webinar about nurturing resilient ecosystems in our local parks has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 13, from 6:00 - 7:30pm. If you have already registered for this webinar, there is no need to register again. For those who haven’t registered, register now! Featured speakers:  Yekaterina Gluzberg, Volunteer Projects Manager, Partnerships for Parks Anya Hoyer, Senior Community Engagement Coordinator, Partnerships for Parks Matthew Morrow, Director of Horticulture, NYC Parks Wednesday, March 13, 2024 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm

REGISTER NOW

Get Grounded: It’s My Park Refresher Are you a community leader who organizes It’s My Park projects? There's still time to register for our workshop held both online and in-person and led by expert volunteer coordinators. Become part of our community, sharpen the skills needed to beautify local parks and manage volunteers, and walk away with a free packet of native seeds (while supplies last)! Featured speakers include: Heather Butts, Community Group Leader, H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths Jennifer Cucchiarella, Corporate Engagement Manager, Partnerships for Parks Yekaterina Gluzberg, Volunteer Projects Manager, Partnerships for Parks Stefanie Gutierrez, Senior Community Engagement Coordinator, Partnerships for Parks Part 1: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 from 1:00pm - 2:00pm (online) Part 1 (alternate date): Thursday, March 14, 2024 from 6:00pm - 7:00pm (online) Part 2: Thursday, March 21, 2024 from 1:30pm - 4:30pm in person at Park House in Queensbridge Park (Rain date: Friday, March 22)

REGISTER NOW

NYC Green Fund Grassroots Grant Deadline is Approaching Looking for funding to activate a local park or open space? The NYC Green Fund Grassroots grant program provides funding support up to $40,000 per year along with the option of two-year funding for returning grantees. Apply for projects involving open space stewardship, environmental action, organizational development, youth development, health and wellness, and arts and culture in local parks and open spaces now! To learn everything you need to know about applying for this grant, attend our final info session on Monday, March 11 from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. The application deadline is March 15, 2024 at 11:59pm.

LEARN MORE/REGISTER

Partnerships for Parks is a joint program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks that supports and champions a growing network of leaders caring and advocating for neighborhood parks and green spaces. We equip people and organizations with the skills and tools needed to transform these spaces into dynamic community assets.

California Man Sentenced to 145 Months in Prison for Multi-Million Dollar Fraud and Money Laundering Schemes

 

In federal court in Brooklyn, Joseph Modile, a Nigerian national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Diane Gujarati to 145 months in prison for his participation in two separate schemes to defraud victim homeowners and a corporation and launder the proceeds of those frauds. In February 2023, Modile pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft that were filed in the Eastern District of New York, and to charges of money laundering and wire fraud that were filed in the Southern District of Texas and subsequently transferred to the Eastern District of New York. As part of the sentence, Modile was also ordered to pay more than $1.5 million in restitution and more than $1.5 million in forfeiture. Modile pleaded guilty to both charging documents in February 2023.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Alamdar S. Hamdani, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Erin Keegan, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), and Douglas Williams, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Houston Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.

“Modile checked all the boxes for a sophisticated fraud–stealing, deception, money laundering and identity theft. Today’s sentence checks the box for an appropriate penalty for his crimes of greed from Brooklyn to Texas,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “I commend the prosecutors from my Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Special Agents for their outstanding work unraveling Modile’s scheme.”

Mr. Peace also expressed his thanks to the New York City Police Department which conducted this investigation as part of an enterprise Priority Transnational Organized Crime (PTOC) of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), the FBI’s Boston Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, New York County District Attorney’s Office, the Houston Police Department, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for their substantial assistance.

“While Modile took part in a complicated scheme, involving a cadre of runners and a series of fake documents and bank accounts, his goal was simple - steal from unsuspecting victims,” stated United States Attorney Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “Although his crimes stretched to all parts, from Brooklyn to Houston, thanks to the work of two U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Modile will spend several years in one place, a prison cell, no longer able to help fellow criminals prey on the innocent.”

“This sentencing is a positive step toward justice for Joseph Modile’s victims – homeowners, business owners, and the everyday email users alike who were defrauded of over $15 million as a result of his sophisticated schemes. The defendant spearheaded at least three fraud schemes across the country and over the course of several years. His tactics, while sophisticated, were no match for HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force Cyber investigators,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Keegan. “I commend HSI New York, the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of Texas, as well as FBI Houston, for a job well done.”

“FBI Houston, along with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, led an OCDETF investigation on numerous prolific organized crime figures. Modile, for years, was an orchestrator of multi-million-dollar fraud schemes who stole from countless victims around the world,” stated FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Williams. “Dismantling largescale criminal enterprises is what the FBI does and Modile’s sentence should send a message to greedy criminals like him still out there, it’s just a matter of time before we get you too.”

In a scheme that was charged in the Eastern District of New York, from January 2014 and September 2018, Modile and others defrauded victims, businesses, and financial institutions in the United States through a sophisticated home equity line of credit (HELOC) scheme involving a series of bank account takeovers. During this time, Modile and others also laundered proceeds from the bank account takeovers. In furtherance of the HELOC fraud scheme, Modile and others acquired personal identifying information (PII) of the actual holders of the targeted bank accounts at the financial institutions. The co-conspirators then used the PII to impersonate the actual holders of the targeted bank accounts, thereby gaining control of the accounts. In some cases, members of the conspiracy recruited “runners,” who impersonated the actual account holders inside bank branches using forged and fraudulent identification documents created at the direction of Modile. In most instances, the stolen funds were first deposited into fraudulent bank accounts set up and controlled by co-conspirators in the names of the actual victims from whom the money had been stolen. In other cases, the bank accounts into which the stolen funds were first deposited were in the names of sham corporations, which were opened using false and fraudulent identification. In total, Modile and others stole at least $5 million as part of the HELOC fraud scheme.

In a related scheme charged in the Eastern District of New York, in May 2018, Modile and others engaged in a separate Business Email Compromise scheme, using fraudulent emails and telephone calls to steal approximately $10.2 million from a victim company. The coconspirators used a fraudulent email address to impersonate a  contractor of an entity located in St. Paul, Minnesota, and directed representatives of that entity to deposit the funds in an account controlled by members of the conspiracy. Modile and others then laundered those stolen funds through bank accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy.

Finally, as set forth in the information filed in the Southern District of Texas, from November 2017 until May 2018, Modile knowingly devised a scheme to defraud victims. Modile used his cellular phone to communicate with others about financial transactions for the purpose of executing his scheme. Modile directed an individual already convicted in Houston, Texas to withdraw cash from their bank account and provide it to others. Modile also directed the individual in Houston to lie to their financial institution regarding the reason for withdrawing money from their account. In February 2018, Modile orchestrated and directed a substantial amount of money into an account of the individual in Houston. The money derived from wire fraud and Modile was aware the money came from unlawful activity.

This effort is part of an OCDETF operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF 

Owner of Telemedicine Companies Pleads Guilty to Role in $136M Medicare Fraud Conspiracy

The owner of two purported telemedicine companies pleaded guilty to her role in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare of $136 million.

According to court documents, Jean Wilson, 52, of Richmond Hill, Georgia, was a licensed nurse practitioner in New Jersey. Wilson owned two purported telemedicine companies, Advantage Choice Care LLC (ACC) and Tele Medcare LLC (Tele Medcare), and two orthotic brace suppliers, Southeastern DME and Choice Care Medical. Wilson, through these companies, recruited medical professionals who were bribed to sign prescriptions for Medicare beneficiaries for orthotic braces and prescription drugs that were medically unnecessary, ineligible for Medicare reimbursement, or not provided as represented. In certain instances, Wilson only paid providers when they signed orthotic brace orders. The medical professionals Wilson recruited would often sign the orthotic brace orders based solely on a brief telephonic interaction with the beneficiary, or no interaction at all. Wilson and the medical providers she retained frequently signed false and misleading documentation to support claims to Medicare.

During the conspiracy, Wilson and others submitted, or caused the submission of, false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicare sponsors, and Medicare Part D plans in excess of approximately $136 million for orthotic braces and prescription drugs that were medically unnecessary, ineligible for Medicare reimbursement, or not provided as represented. Medicare, Medicare sponsors, and Medicare Part D plans paid at least $66 million for these claims.

Wilson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. As part of her plea, she has agreed to pay over $66 million in restitution to Medicare and the IRS. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Special Agent in Charge James Dennehy of the FBI Newark Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office made the announcement.

The HHS-OIG, FBI, and IRS-CI are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Darren C. Halverson and Nicholas K. Peone of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Attorney General James Wins $300,000 for Customers of Long Island Pet Store That Illegally Sold Sick Puppies

 

Shake A Paw Sold Sick Puppies, Some of Which Died Shortly After Purchase, to Unsuspecting New Yorkers

AG Secures Restitution for Customers and Stops Shake A Paw From Using Known Puppy Mills

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that pet store, Shake A Paw, will pay $300,000 to approximately 190 customers who they illegally and knowingly sold sick puppies to at locations on Long Island. As part of the settlement, Shake A Paw will also be required to change their business practices after an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found Shake A Paw kept dogs in inhumane conditions and sold critically sick puppies that died within days or weeks after purchase. Shake A Paw will pay $300,000 in restitution to all impacted customers, many of whom spent thousands of dollars on medical bills after the puppies they bought fell sick. The company is also required to stop all misleading advertising about selling the “healthiest” and “best of the best puppies” from the “most trusted breeders,” and can only purchase animals from reputable breeders or brokers that follow state and local laws. Shake A Paw will be banned from selling dogs entirely starting in December 2024 as the result of a new state law taking effect that prevents pet stores from selling dogs.  

“New Yorkers who purchase a dog are seeking loyal and loving additions to their families. Unknowingly buying a sick puppy can be downright heartbreaking,” said Attorney General James. “Not only did Shake A Paw’s owners treat the dogs in their care despicably, they defrauded their customers by lying about their health, leaving many families stuck with expensive veterinary bills. Shake A Paw’s days of buying and selling sick puppies are over, and their former customers will get restitution for the losses they suffered. I will continue to fight to protect consumers and hold accountable all those who violate laws meant to protect innocent animals.”  

In December 2021, Attorney General James sued Shake A Paw after an OAG investigation revealed its two Long Island locations in Hicksville and Lynbrook falsely advertised sick pets as healthy, failed to disclose the animals’ legitimate medical conditions, misrepresented puppies’ breeds, and refused to reimburse consumers for veterinarian bills they incurred because the dogs they purchased were sick. 

In one case, a customer purchased a puppy who died just six days after a Shake A Paw employee told them that the puppy was “fine.” In another case, a customer’s puppy was hospitalized for severe double pneumonia only two days after purchase. One customer spent over $2,000 on veterinary bills after a puppy she bought from Shake A Paw was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection just a week after purchase. Shake A Paw refused to reimburse her for the full cost, in violation of the law. 

The OAG’s investigation analyzed over 400 veterinary records of puppies sold at the stores and found that more than half of the puppies had upper respiratory infections and/or breathing problems or were infected with parasites. Almost 10 percent were diagnosed with pneumonia, which can be fatal in dogs. The illnesses and congenital defects in these animals were found to be consistent with puppies that are purchased from puppy mills.

Shake A Paw also lied to customers about the sources of its puppies, failing to fully disclose to consumers that their puppies originated from known puppy mills. While its website claimed that they “work with the most trusted breeders nationwide and handpick the best of the bunch,” in reality, Shake A Paw’s owners shipped thousands of puppies from known puppy mills, including one on the Humane Society’s “horrible hundred” list of the worst breeders in the country. 

After selling sick puppies to customers, Shake A Paw refused to offer reimbursements when they called to complain. Instead, Shake A Paw directed customers to the company’s own veterinarians, who would often fail to correctly diagnose illnesses. In violation of New York’s Pet Lemon Law, Shake A Paw refused reimbursements to customers and told customers they would not be reimbursed if they visited an independent veterinarian. 

Shortly after filing the lawsuit against Shake A Paw, Attorney General James secured a temporary court order banning its two Long Island stores from purchasing or adopting any new animals for resale in New York, requiring a vet appointed by OAG to examine all puppies in Shake A Paw’s possession prior to their sale, and freezing its bank accounts. 

The settlement announced today resolves OAG’s case against Shake A Paw. Shake A Paw will pay $300,000, which OAG will distribute to impacted customers. The company must comply with all local and state animal welfare laws, including providing adequate housing, enclosures, infection treatment, and other measures to ensure proper care. Shake A Paw will also be banned from sourcing animals from puppy mills and must only purchase animals from breeders or brokers that are licensed with the USDA and do not have recent USDA violations. In addition, Shake A Paw must remove all false and misleading advertising about selling the “healthiest” and “best of the best puppies,” and using the “most trusted breeders” from their website and will modify their contract and sales documents to remove deceptive language and conform with the law. Shake A Paw must also provide consumers with all notices and disclosures required by law, including statements certifying the health of the puppies they sell, the breeder’s information, and vaccine information. 

Beginning in December 2024, Shake A Paw will be banned from selling dogs when a New York law banning retail sales of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores takes effect. The law mandates that pet stores will only be able to offer shelter adoption services for these animals in an effort to combat abusive breeders and puppy mills. 

“For too long, pet stores have deceptively marketed and sold sick commercially bred puppies, passing them off as heathy pets from high-quality breeders. In this cruel and unconscionable business model, pet stores and out-of-state puppy mills profit, while families are left emotionally and financially drained caring for a puppy with painful, chronic or fatal illnesses or deformities,” said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO. “We thank Attorney General James for holding Shake a Paw accountable for the pain they have caused so many New Yorkers.” 

Attorney General James urges New Yorkers who have been the victim of pet retailers using similar deceptive or fraudulent practices to file a complaint online.

The Attorney General’s Office would like to thank: Dr. Julie Fixman, DVM; Dr. Diane Levitan, DVM; Kathleen Summers, Director of Outreach and Research of the Humane Society of the United States Stop Puppy Mills Campaign, ASPCA; and Investigator Matthew Roper of the Nassau County SPCA for their assistance in this investigation. 

DEC Announces Completion of Projects to Replace Harmful Greenhouse Gas Refrigerants in Disadvantaged Communites

 

Climate-Friendly Refrigeration Alternatives Help Implement Climate Action Council’s Scoping Plan Recommendations to Reduce Building Emissions

Buffalo and Islandia Stores Serve as Training Locations for Green Workforce Development Opportunities  

Photos of Commercial Coolers from Projects Here 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the completion of two projects that successfully demonstrate the use of sustainable refrigerants in grocery stores as a replacement for climate-altering greenhouse gas refrigerants. The projects at an ALDI in Buffalo, Erie County, and a Walgreens in Islandia, Suffolk County, are models for future commercial sustainable refrigeration transitions in supermarkets and drugstores in disadvantaged communities.  

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “New York State continues to advance efforts to help reduce climate-altering greenhouse gases and strengthen community resilience. These retailers in Buffalo and Islandia will help bring New York closer to realizing the Climate Act’s ambitious emission reduction requirements. I applaud ALDI and Walgreens’ proactive approach to advance sustainable refrigeration in communities that are most vulnerable to environmental pollution. These projects are models for other food retailers statewide to work with DEC to reduce the pollution contributing to climate change.” 

Buildings contribute 32 percent of statewide greenhouse gas emissions in New York—the most of all sectors. The Climate Action Council Scoping Plan recommends phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are extremely potent greenhouse gases, to advance emission reductions in this sector. The demonstration projects undertaken by Walgreens and ALDI will help guide a statewide transition away from HFCs while informing policy development and programming, and help New York reach its emission reduction requirements. By modeling a successful project and exemplifying its benefits, the State hopes to encourage businesses across New York to transition to natural refrigeration systems. In addition, by using these locations as training sites, the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) will be able to facilitate workforce development and help support the widespread adoption of climate-friendly technologies.   

 

The projects are supported by the State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and were completed through a partnership with NASRC and the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I). The EPF is a critical resource for climate mitigation and other programs such as land acquisition, farmland protection, environmental justice, invasive species prevention and eradication, recreation access, and water quality improvement. In the 2024-25 Executive Budget, Governor Hochul kept funding for the EPF at $400 million, the highest-ever level of funding in the program's history. 

 

The Buffalo ALDI and Islandia Walgreens upgraded from synthetic HFC refrigerants to systems that use natural alternatives. HFCs are often used in refrigeration and cooling and can have hundreds to thousands of times higher global warming potentials than natural refrigerants, meaning HFCs have a significant impact on climate change. 

 

NYSP2I will conduct research and monitoring to compare pre- and post-installation efficiency and emissions data for ALDI. Sustainability considerations will also be monitored and analyzed by Walgreens, including the ability to achieve required temperatures, energy efficiency, maintenance, and ultimately total emission comparisons between equipment types. These studies are expected to be completed in 2024. 

 

The projects will help demonstrate New York’s efforts to address the upfront cost barriers of technology adoption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure food security. NASRC will also coordinate free technician training events at both sites to increase opportunities for the local technician workforce to learn about natural refrigerant equipment and systems. 

 

Consistent with New York’s landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), New York State adopted regulations in 2020 that limit HFCs in new equipment. These projects support the Climate Act requirements to reduce statewide emissions 85 percent by 2050 and ensure at least 35 percent of benefits, with a goal of 40 percent, are directed to disadvantaged communities. 

 

In December 2023, DEC released proposed regulations to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerants, foams, and aerosol propellants. The draft regulation includes prohibitions, reporting, and other requirements regarding the sale, use, and supply of HFCs and new products and systems that contain HFCs to help achieve the required statewide greenhouse gas emission limits. Public comments on the draft regulations are being accepted until March 19, 2024.

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan 

New York State's nation-leading climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues to foster a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation’s most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is advancing a suite of efforts – including the New York Cap-and-Invest program (NYCI) and other complementary policies – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. New York is also on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economywide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York's unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $40 billion in 64 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, nearly $3 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 170,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector as of 2022 and over 3,000 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the State be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York’s climate action with 400 registered and more than 100 certified Climate Smart Communities, nearly 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State’s largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the State to help target air pollution and combat climate change.