NYC Schools Make Gains on Composting but Lag Behind on Food Waste, Comptroller Finds

 

Recommends More Centralized Approach to Boost Effectiveness of and Participation in Programs 

A review by the Office of the New York City Comptroller released today found that while the public school system has made progress in composting food, only about one-third of waste is currently collected and diverted from landfill. The review offered a series of recommendations for New York City Public Schools to maximize composting by centralizing its program and setting clear targets.

“Providing nearly a million meals to New York City public school students every day is a massive and often underappreciated undertaking by city government,” said New York City Comptroller Mark Levine. “But the scale of that effort makes it even more important to get food waste right. With a more centralized approach to data collection, program assessment, and communication, we can cut emissions, strengthen sustainability efforts in our schools, and potentially save money in the school food budget.”

NYC Schools provides guidance on preventing waste through its food prevention plan, among other resources, which aim to improve sustainability practices in schools. These include strategies like batch cooking, meant to reduce leftovers which may need to be discarded, the “offer vs. serve” method, allowing students to select only some of the food offered, and guidance for school food managers and mandatorily appointed sustainability coordinators, who respectively train kitchen staff and engage students and staff. NYC Schools has made progress in reducing waste, but a review by the Comptroller’s Office identified areas for the initiatives to improve.

Key Takeaways:

• Zero Waste Schools Program Has Improved Participation. The number of schools reportedly participating in the Zero Waste Schools program increased from 725 in FY17 to all 1,715 schools in FY24. The amount of compostable waste collected nearly quadrupled over that same period of time, increasing from 6,278 to 24,477 tons.

• Limited Capture of Compostable Material. Food scraps made up about one-third of all waste generated by schools in FY23. Yet only 37% of those scraps were captured for composting. Additionally, 28% of compostable materials (food scraps, food-soiled paper and compostable packaging, and yard waste) in one analysis were contaminated — meaning they included materials unsuitable for composting, such as paper and plastics — far exceeding the City’s overall organics contamination rate of 4%.

• Food Donation Programs Lacked Clear Goals. In FY25, only 4% of the system’s 1,319 school buildings donated food to outside organizations, despite State legislation that permits and encourages schools to establish means for donating unused food that cannot be saved for future school meals. In contrast, 59% of schools during the 2025 school year said they had a food sharing table for the purpose of collecting food to be donated.

• No Aggregate Measure of Success. Whereas the report was able to obtain some data on food waste reduction practices, NYC Schools does not collect or analyze schools’ effectiveness at minimizing food waste on an aggregate level.

• Staffing, Training and Communication Shortfalls. In order to better understand the causes of these systemic issues in food waste prevention programs, the Comptroller’s Office review team conducted a survey of public schools. The results pointed to shortfalls in adequate staffing and training, as well as knowledge of where to find guidance on program implementation.

To improve their food waste prevention efforts, the review urged NYC Schools to pursue the following recommendations:

• Set Clear Program Goals. Establish system-wide targets for participation in composting, food donation and other programs established to reduce food waste.

• Broaden Data Collection. Compile system–wide data to support the assessment of progress against such targets.

• Comprehensively Assess Program Success. Conduct, and publish the results of, centralized assessment of progress – by school and by program – identify barriers to progress, and develop strategies for improvement.

• Develop system-wide training and outreach programs to: Increase participation in all of food waste reduction programs; Encourage information and idea sharing, and create opportunities for collaboration, amongst sustainability coordinators across the school system; Improve the percentage of food waste that is captured as potential compost, and; Reduce contamination to ensure that what is captured is compostable.

• Identify and Support Schools with Lagging Implementation. Identify schools that do not have appointed sustainability coordinators, ensure these positions are filled and provide strong support to the new coordinators.

You can read the Comptroller’s full report here: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/review-of-schools-food-donation-and-composting-efforts/ 

NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli: Audit Identifies Improvements Needed by NYC DOB to Help Ensure Building Owners Achieve Climate Mobilization Act Goals

 

An audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found that while the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) made efforts to ensure compliance by private building owners with the city’s Climate Mobilization Act (CMA), its hands-off approach to monitoring its service providers’ outreach efforts and building owner compliance with certain requirements provided no assurance that owners would be in compliance with requirements to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the mandated deadlines. The audit covered the period from November 2019 to June 2025.

“New York state and the City of New York are leaders in combating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” DiNapoli said. “Despite these efforts, my audit found the oversight and monitoring by the New York City Department of Buildings to track compliance with the city’s Climate Mobilization Act needed significant improvement to ensure that its important policy goals are achieved. I’m pleased that, under the new administration, the agency agreed with most of our recommendations and has reported already moving forward with implementing them.”

New York City enacted the CMA in 2019 to reduce GHG emissions by establishing building emissions limits and reducing emissions from the city’s largest buildings by 40% by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. DOB is required to establish and engage in outreach and education efforts to inform private building owners of CMA requirements, and relies in part on third party service providers to ensure compliance with the Act.

The New York City Department of Finance compiles a Covered Building List identifying the buildings required to comply with the Act. As of April 2024, the list contained 27,976 buildings, which are placed by DOB into one of six compliance pathways. The audit examined buildings in the first compliance pathway, which contained 13,269 buildings and required owners to submit their 2024 GHG emissions report by May 1, 2025, and each year thereafter.

DiNapoli’s audit found that DOB reported sending outreach letters to 602 private building owners, but only 150 of these (25%) were listed on the Covered Building List, providing no assurance that all covered building owners were made aware of the Act’s requirements. Also, DOB’s phone call log revealed that only 8% of the buildings covered by the first compliance period had been contacted. DOB officials cited staffing limitations.

Covered building owners must annually measure their energy consumption by inputting their energy and water usage data into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager online benchmarking tool, which calculates a building’s annual GHG emissions.

Auditors reviewed data for a random sample of 151 covered buildings and found that 13 of the 151 (9%) were above the carbon emissions limits for the first reporting period, which could result in penalties of nearly $2 million absent remedial action. There was no documentation that DOB contacted the owners of five of these 13 buildings to advise them on how to reduce their carbon emissions. DOB officials said they rely on their contracted service provider and the Help Center for most outreach efforts, but did not provide evidence that it took steps to ensure these efforts were effective.

Auditors examined DOB’s phone logs and determined that 631 building owners were referred to the service provider. From a sample of 53 of these owners, 43% were still at risk of not meeting the requirements, with an estimated potential penalty of $2.4 million. DOB officials indicated that they do not follow up on referrals made to their service provider.

DOB’s service provider maintains a website that includes a sustainability map, allowing users to search for any building address within New York City to access information about its energy usage, verify compliance status, and review penalty projections. Building owners that may be fined in 2025 for not meeting 2024 requirements are highlighted in red on the website.

Auditors selected a sample of 46 buildings with projected penalties of $13,392,900 and found that 23 (50%) were not contacted by DOB according to its phone log. For the 23 buildings DOB did contact, only 12 were referred to the service provider for further assistance. DOB did not follow up on all buildings at risk of non-compliance, and did not ensure the owners were made aware of the requirements and available resources.

DOB officials questioned the reliability of the data found on their service provider’s website, but did not explain why they allowed the posting of unreliable data by the vendor they rely on for outreach, reflecting another indication of inadequate monitoring.

The law also requires covered buildings to post DOB-issued energy efficiency labels in publicly visible areas. Auditors found that 13 (24%) out of a sample of 55 buildings did not have the required labels posted. Of the 42 buildings that had labels posted, 31% were not displayed in a conspicuous area visible to the public.

DiNapoli’s audit included several recommendations, including that DOB:

• Contact building owners, especially those in jeopardy of not meeting the CMA’s GHG emissions requirements, document this contact and inform them of the requirements and available resources such as education and referrals for financing.
• Create a system to track DOB referrals to the service provider and use it to maintain information about services and assistance provided to the building owners, and follow up on buildings that are in jeopardy of not meeting GHG emissions requirements.
• Inform building owners of the CMA’s requirements for posting the energy efficiency labels, and inspect buildings to verify that they are posted as required.

DOB generally agreed with the audit recommendations, but indicated that the timing of the audit overlapped with their build-out of outreach and implementation efforts, and that their engagement rate with covered properties has significantly improved.

Audit

New York City Department of Buildings: Implementation of Selected Aspects of the Climate Mobilization Act

Related Audits

Public Service Commission/New York State Energy Research and Development Authority: Climate Act Goals - Planning, Procurements, and Progress Tracking (2022-S-4)

Mayor Mamdani, NYC Children Open Seven Formerly Vacant Early Childhood Education Centers

Atlantic Avenue center among seven sites opening this fall, adding 240 3-K seats to meet community demand     

Administration to add about 450 more 3-K seats at community-based sites in first phase of expansion   

Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels and New York City children cut through “red tape” at a formerly vacant early child childhood education center in Downtown Brooklyn, marking its official opening ahead of the fall term.   

  

The Atlantic Avenue center is one of seven previously vacant sites that will open this fall, creating about 240 new 3-K seats citywide. The openings follow last week’s announcement that the city would activate long-unused facilities to meet persistent demand for early childhood education.   

  

The Mayor also announced today the City will add roughly 450 3-K seats at community-based organizations this fall, the first phase of a broader expansion aimed at making 3-K truly universal.   

  

“No family should have to cross borough lines for child care when the space exists right on their block,” said Mayor Mamdani. “For years, these classrooms sat empty while parents were told to wait. Today we’re opening doors – and we’re proving that this city can meet the urgency of working families with action, not excuses.”  

  

“When families can learn, grow and connect within their own communities, children begin their educational journey feeling secure, supported and set up for success,” said Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. “I am proud to expand access to these critically-needed programs for nearly 700 kids across the City, ensuring New York’s Cutest have the strong start they deserve.”

 

As part of its push toward universal child care, the Mamdani administration is prioritizing neighborhoods where demand outpaces supply. Additional center-based seats will be announced after the City completes its review of responses to a Request for Information (RFI) issued earlier this year, along with planned expansions to family child care networks.   

  

Since taking office, Mayor Mamdani has moved to expand access to child care across the five boroughs. On day eight of the administration, the Mayor partnered with Governor Kathy Hochul to secure funding for child care. Soon after, the City opened a long-vacant center on the Upper East Side to meet local demand, followed by a broader 3-K expansion in March and the launch of the City's first free, on-site child care pilot program for municipal workers. 

Governor Hochul Announces More Than $21 Million to Make the Dream of Homeownership a Reality for More Than 70 Families

First Tranche of Governor’s Groundbreaking MOVE-IN NY Program Will Create Over 70 Factory-Built Starter Homes in Onondaga and Erie Counties

Prefabricated Starter Homes Constructed in a Fraction of the Time at Nearly Half the Cost

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the first round of awards for her innovative MOVE-IN NY program. More than $21 million was awarded to create 72 new homes in the City of Syracuse and the Town of Tonawanda. The Greater Syracuse Land Bank was awarded $15,730,000 for 52 homes and the Town of Tonawanda was awarded $6,050,000 for 20 homes.

The MOVE-IN NY program harnesses the benefits of prefabricated homes to quickly build more affordable starter homes in communities throughout New York. The program is supported by $50 million that the Governor secured in the FY 2025-26 Enacted State Budget. The factory-built homes used in the MOVE-IN NY program can be built quickly and economically, at a large scale. Referred to as “CrossMods,” these homes resemble traditionally constructed single-family homes and can be integrated in all types of housing markets including urban, suburban and rural communities.

“To make homeownership a reality for more New Yorkers, my administration is harnessing a variety of resources to create new homeownership opportunities across the state,” Governor Hochul said. “Innovative new programs like MOVE-IN complement our traditional homeownership initiatives and we look forward to seeing this investment make the dream of owning a home a reality for more families and individuals.”

The funds, which were awarded through a competitive process, will be used to purchase and site over 70 prefabricated CrossMod homes through the MOVE-IN NY program, which is administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). The homes are expected to be sited this summer and will be sold for less than the cost of construction to low and moderate income homebuyers.

CrossMods are built to the Federal HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Code and meet design guidelines approved by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which enables homebuyers to access conventional mortgages.

Throughout New York, smaller, more affordable homes — often referred to as “starter homes” — have become increasingly scarce, preventing young individuals and families from becoming first-time homeowners and older New Yorkers from downsizing. In recent years, construction costs, materials and interest rates have skyrocketed, making the typical cost to construct a small, single-family home in New York upwards of $450,000 or more.

As part of her 2025 State of the State, Governor Hochul proposed using innovative approaches to homebuilding to catalyze the construction of starter homes and help create more opportunities for affordable homeownership. In 2025 New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) successfully piloted the MOVE-IN NY program with the creation of three new starter homes in the cities of Schenectady and Syracuse, as well as the Town of Newcomb. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,500-square-foot homes, which include a porch and a garage, were manufactured in a factory and then sited on vacant land owned by local land banks. The homes were constructed and sited within six months — which is up to three times faster — and for half the cost of comparably sized homes built using traditional construction methods.

The program was subsequently expanded statewide through an open competitive Request for Applications issued in the Fall of 2025 that encouraged interested local governments, land banks, non-profit housing developers and home manufacturers to apply to participate.

In December 2025 Governor Hochul signed the Land-Home Property Act into law, creating a formal statutory procedure for classifying a manufactured home as real property. The new law takes effect at the end of this year and will allow manufactured homeowners to convert their title from personal property (known as chattel) to real property, which helps eliminate barriers to financing and improves access to traditional mortgages.

As part of her 2026 State of the State, Governor Hochul proposed additional funding to support further expansion of the MOVE-IN NY program as well as the continued exploration of innovative emerging factory-built and modular construction technologies. This investment will help New York build new affordable homes more quickly and economically throughout the state and remain a leader in using innovative approaches to homebuilding

Governor Hochul’s Housing Agenda

Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York’s housing crisis and making the State more affordable and livable for all New Yorkers. Since FY23, the Governor has worked to increase housing supply to make housing more affordable by launching a $25 billion five-year comprehensive Housing Plan, enacted the most significant housing deal in decades and implemented new protections for renters and homeowners. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, HCR has created new programs that jumpstart development of affordable and mixed-income homes — for both renters and homebuyers. These include the Pro-Housing Community Program, which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. More than 410 communities throughout the state have been certified Pro-Housing.

As part of Governor Hochul’s 2026 State of the State, the Governor proposed her “Let Them Build” agenda, a series of landmark reforms to speed up housing and infrastructure development and lower costs. This initiative will spur a series of common-sense reforms to New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have significant environmental impacts, but for too long have been caught up in red tape and subject to lengthy delays.

The FY27 Executive Budget completes the Governor’s current five-year Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. More than 80,000 affordable homes have been created or preserved to date. The Executive Budget also invests $250 million in capital funding to accelerate the construction of thousands of new affordable homes. 

161st Street BID - Celebrate Earth Day With Us This Friday 🌱🎶

Hello everyone, 



We’re excited to invite you to join us this Friday for a special Earth Day celebration right here on 161! 



We’ll be hosting a live performance by the Underground Horns, bringing great energy, music, and community to kick off the weekend. 



Join us from 4-6PM at Lou Gehrig Plaza for the festivities. 



As part of the celebration, we’ll also be hosting a plant giveaway from our partners at Future of Mosholu Parkland. So stop by, grab a plant, and take a little piece of Earth Day home with you 



We hope to see you there!



Best, 

161st Street BID

DEC ANNOUNCES $6 MILLION IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY IMPACT GRANTS AWARDED TO 32 COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

 

Additional $7 Million in Funding Now Available to Address Environmental Concerns in Environmental Justice Areas

In celebration of Earth Week, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced approximately $6 million in Environmental Justice Community Impact Grants to 32 community-based organizations to help improve the well-being of those most vulnerable to climate and pollution impacts. The grants support projects addressing environmental issues, harms, and health hazards, build community consensus, set priorities, and improve public outreach and education. In addition to the awards announced today, $7 million in new funding is now available for qualifying applicants to build upon the progress being made to create a more healthy, equitable future. 

“For two decades, DEC’s Environmental Justice grant programs have delivered real outcomes in support of a healthier, more sustainable future for people all across New York,” Commissioner Lefton said. “The awards we are announcing today, through Governor Hochul leadership, support organizations that are working tirelessly to lift up their communities and advance an environmental justice. We look forward to many more years of providing necessary resources to grantees and their partners to improve environmental outcomes across the state.”

Celebrating 20 years of grantmaking, DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) awarded a total of more than $25 million in funding for 289 projects since 2006. Approximately $17 million to date supported the successful Community Impact Grant program and the hundreds of projects that are prioritizing the disproportionate health, safety, and economic burdens of the state’s most disadvantaged communities. This week DEC made a record $7 million available to support the next round of applicants. For full details about the grant opportunity, including project eligibility requirements, scoring criteria, and informative webinar details, please visit DEC’s website. 

The most recent round of Community Impact Grants included $6 million for 32 projects. The most recent awardees are listed below. 

Long Island

Friends of Science East Inc. $200,000: Empowering Environmental Innovation through Education. The project will build a transformative education center at Wardenclyffe to inspire exploration, sustainability, and STEM learning, preserving Nikola Tesla's legacy while empowering disadvantaged communities with innovative environmental and green energy programs. 

Unkechaug Nation Community Care $200,000: Roots of Resilience. This project will restore 52 acres of Unkechaug land through native plant revival, water protection, and Indigenous wellness to strengthen ecological health and community healing. 

New York City

Fort Greene Park Conservancy Inc. $200,000: Green Team. The Green Team is a year-round program that offers teens paid, hands-on training, youth-led research, and mentorship, culminating in green infrastructure projects that implement solutions to environmental challenges in Fort Greene Park. 

Gowanus Canal Conservancy Inc. $200,000: Strengthening Stewards: Expanding K-12 Student and Teacher Environmental Education in Gowanus. Gowanus Canal Conservancy will expand its K-12 Environmental Education Programs, enhancing access for underserved students in Brooklyn, through hands-on learning, teacher training, and a new all-season classroom, fostering future environmental stewards. 

Human Impacts Institute $200,000: Creative Climate Communications Lab x Voices for Change. The Creative Climate Communications Lab x Voices for Change inspires climate action in Brooklyn by using creative communication, cultural storytelling, social norms, and trusted local voices to overcome information biases and make climate solutions more relatable and accessible. 

Isabahlia Ladies of Elegance Foundation $165,000: Protecting Lives and Nurturing Tomorrow for New York City Residents (PLANT Impact): Powell Garden Pavilion Impact in Brownsville. Isabahlia Ladies of Elegance Foundation will build a 2,000-sqft solar-paneled pavilion in Brownsville, Brooklyn, to provide year-round urban farming, food education, and resilient indoor space for youth and elders in a high-poverty, food-insecure area. 

Loisaida Inc. $200,000: Mobilization for a Healthy Indoors. Mobilization for a Healthy Indoors aims to improve air quality and avoid associated health risks in New York City’s Lower East Side by training and empowering residents to understand, monitor, and identify hazards, both inside and outside their homes. 

Neighbors Helping Neighbors Inc. $194,736: Healthy Homes, Healthy Families. The project will help identify and address indoor air quality issues and improve related health outcomes for tenants in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. 

Outstanding Renewal Enterprises Inc. $100,000: Continuing Horticulture Training for Youth Program. The program will employ local youth to care for neighborhood green spaces and conduct yard waste research, gathering data to guide the design and operation of a future compost site at East River Park. 

The Bronx is Blooming $200,000: Grow, Revitalize, Engage, Educate, Nurture (GREEN): Building Capacity for Consistent Environmental Stewardship in Bronx Parks and Green Spaces. The Bronx is Blooming will expand GREEN, its community engagement, environmental education, and stewardship program to deliver more consistent care for green spaces, build community capacity, train youth leaders, and improve environmental health. 

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance $200,000: Lots of Volunteer Effort in VCP (LOVE VCP). VCPA's LOVE VCP project has four parts: stewardship events, weekly volunteer crews, training "Vital Volunteers" who adopt park areas, and citizen science using iNaturalist to track plant species and support restoration of natural areas across the park. 

We Stay/Nos Quedamos Inc. $200,000: Rooted in Self Determination - Cumulative Impacts of Environmental Public Health Education and Community Programming. This project is a multi-year capacity-building and research initiative assessing how youth-led environmental justice programming advances community self-determination in Melrose Commons.

Hudson Valley

Energy Justice Law and Policy Center $200,000: New Rochelle Youth Green Infrastructure Training Program and Nature Based Solutions Pilot. The center will train 60 New Rochelle youth (16-25) with paid opportunities to design, install, and steward street trees and modular rain garden sites in disadvantaged communities, reducing flooding and heat, creating youth stewards, building green jobs skills, and creating a replicable nature-based solutions model. 

Fareground Community Kitchen $100,000: From Waste to Nourishment: Listening, Learning, and Sharing Food in Beacon. Fareground will conduct a community survey, food waste education, and public events at its Beacon engagement sites, while expanding food rescue and composting to reduce waste, improve food access, and support community and environmental health. 

Groundwork Hudson Valley $198,838: The Orchard Street Open Space Improvement and Climate Risk Mitigation Initiative. A small garden on a vacant lot owned by Groundwork Hudson Valley in a highly underserved area of Southwest Yonkers will be the base for community research, outreach programs, and demonstration projects to increase access to open space and reduce climate risks. 

Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Inc. $173,705: Seeds of Resilience: Climate Solutions at Downing Park Urban Farm. The project will expand food access and climate resilience in Newburgh by building a year-round greenhouse, remediating urban soils, and training the next generation of urban farmers through a paid internship program. 

Outdoor Promise Inc. $200,000: Breathe Newburgh: Building Community Power Through Air Quality Research and Bilingual Storytelling. Outdoor Promise will expand air quality monitoring in Newburgh's Environmental Justice neighborhoods and build lasting bilingual media capacity to share timely, culturally relevant environmental health information that empowers community action. 

Poughkeepsie Farm Project $200,000: Poughkeepsie Earth Cycle Project. The project will turn food waste into compost to nourish City of Poughkeepsie gardens, support youth jobs, and promote environmental justice through education, community engagement, and increased access to fresh, local food.  

Capital District

Friends of Hudson Youth Inc. $200,000: Oakdale Lake Water Quality Improvement Project. Phase III of the Oakdale Lake Project will advance long-term water quality improvements and community science to reduce phosphorus and support safe, equitable access to this vital public resource. 

Media Alliance Inc. $200,000: Rooting and Growing Urban Climate Resilience at the Sanctuary. The project supports Media Alliance staff to increase outreach and education around new infrastructure projects across our campus, integrating community, biology, health, art, and land-tending initiatives. 

Radix Ecological Sustainability Center $200,000: Albany Biocultural Diversity and Equity Project. Radix will develop a guide to biodiversity/biocultural diversity restoration in environmental justice communities, focusing on strategies and protocols for community involvement in the management and restoration of vacant spaces. 

Mohawk Valley

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties $200,000: THRIVE: (To Heal and Revitalize an Innovative Vibrant Economy) Greenprint Roots. This project will be a community-first environmental education program, built on engagement, seeking to improve the health and well-being of the Cornhill community’s residents by addressing the environmental and social toxin issues through education, community engagement activities, and intergenerational teamwork.

Central New York

Atlantic States Legal Foundation Inc. $130,987: Growing community-driven resilience: Urban forestry, restoration, and food forests in Fulton, NY. The project will greatly enhance and build urban forestry and greening efforts in Fulton through installing a public tree nursery, planting a food forest, restoring habitat and views in a park, and various forms of outreach and education including a student forest and garden intern program. These efforts will help mitigate past environmental harms in the Fulton area. 

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cortland $200,000: Blocks in Bloom. Blocks in Bloom will plant front yard flower, pollinator, and/or vegetable gardens on 20 Cortland downtown blocks to reduce heat, improve soil health, boost pollinators, and strengthen community bonds.

Southern Tier

Center for Community Transportation Inc. $196,908: Connecting Health and Mobility: Evaluating the Public Health Impacts of Micro-Mobility and Multi-Modal Transit in Tompkins County. The Center for Community Transportation (Ithaca Carshare, Bikeshare & BikeWalk Tompkins), in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension, is researching how micro-mobility and multi-modal transit options benefit public health in Tompkins County. 

Volunteers Improving Neighborhood $200,000: Expanding Access to Urban Gardening in Food Deserts. This project will construct two new community gardens in Greater Binghamton, maintain and expand existing community gardens, address lead soil in home gardening for New Americans, and boost educational programming for healthier communities. 

Finger Lakes

Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services $180,271: Improving Air Quality in Multifamily, Refugee Dwelling Kitchens in Rochester's 14,613 Environmental Justice Neighborhoods. This project will perform seven days of continuous air quality monitoring of 100 kitchens in rental properties housing refugee and asylum-seeking families within zip code 14613. 

Western New York

Clean Air Coalition of Western New York $198,945: Buffalo Neighborhood Hubs Project (BNHP). This project will increase resiliency in Buffalo by developing neighborhood hubs to train residents with disaster preparedness and pollution prevention skills and connect residents with weatherization upgrades, workforce training, and outdoor air monitoring. 

Fillmore Forward Inc. $200,000: Roots to Rise: Cultivating Food, Finance & Futures in East Buffalo. Roots to Rise is a community-led effort to transform neglected space into an inclusive garden that fosters health, connection, and opportunity advancing public health, food access, and resilience in East Buffalo. 

Massachusetts Avenue Project Inc. $184,500: Buffalo Food Justice Project. The Buffalo Food Justice Project will expand healthy food access, create 120 youth jobs in sustainable agriculture, and promote safe soil, water, and urban growing practices while advocating for municipal policies supporting climate and food justice. 

North Tonawanda Botanical Garden $198,119: North Tonawanda Botanical Garden Organization Native Plant/Habitat Restoration and Grant Writing Capacity Building Project. North Tonawanda Botanical Garden Organization is restoring Botanical Garden lawn area to native plant communities, requiring intern support for site-specific propagation and planting. Growing NTBGO's capacity leverages funds for education, restoration, and propagation in the greenhouse. 

Providence Farm Collective Corp. $199,862: Empowering Community Organization Farms for Fresh Food Access. Providence Farm Collective will offer farmland access and training to farmers from Disadvantaged Communities in Buffalo. This project will support Community Organization Farms for 150 farmers to meet the demand for farmland and fresh food access in Western New York.

About DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice

DEC supports a wide variety of projects including environmental education for residents to bring the community together and learn. OEJ has also funded green jobs training that prepares youth to enter the green jobs economy. Projects that focus on habitat restoration have restored biodiversity and created green and blue spaces that communities can access free of pollution. DEC has also sponsored air monitoring and pollution mitigation projects that provide data that is used to make policy decisions for New York.

To see the full list of historical OEJ funded projects, please visit Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) Grant Awards: Beginning 2006 | State of New York

Funding for DEC’s Community Impact Grant program is provided by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), a critical resource for environmental programs such as environmental justice, land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, recreation access, and water quality improvement projects. For the 2026–27 fiscal year, Governor Hochul's Executive Budget once again sustains the EPF at the historic funding level of $425 million. 

For more information about DEC’s Environmental Justice Grant Programs, please visit DEC’s website.

Mamdani Administration Announces New Bus Lanes, Infrastructure Upgrades Along Linden Boulevard to Deliver Faster Buses, Safer Streets in Brooklyn High-crash Corridor

 

Redesign of Linden Boulevard between Fountain Avenue and Conduit Avenue will speed up buses and improve reliability for 60,000 daily riders

 

Project will improve safety and reconnect neighborhoods with new bus boarding islands, expanded pedestrian medians and crossings    

Rendering of a redesigned Linden Boulevard, at Crescent Street, in East New York, Brooklyn. Credit: NYC DOT   

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn today announced plans to install new bus lanes and safety upgrades along Linden Boulevard, one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous corridors, from Fountain Avenue to Conduit Avenue in East New York.

The project will deliver faster, more reliable buses for 60,000 daily riders, while improving access to nearby subway lines and reconnecting neighborhoods long divided by the boulevard. Along this stretch, one person is injured in a traffic crash every four days, on average.

“This project will deliver faster, more reliable buses for the 60,000 New Yorkers who rely on them every day — parents getting their kids to school, workers trying to clock in on time, families picking up groceries on the way home,” said Mayor Mamdani. “And redesigning this historically dangerous corridor will make it safer for everyone who has to cross it. When we make our buses faster and our streets safer, we’re making a clear choice about the kind of city we want to be: one that puts people first.”

“Faster buses and safer streets are what New Yorkers deserve,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson. “These improvements will not only ensure quicker commutes and safer conditions for residents, but they will also better connect neighborhoods, bringing real-life improvements to the entire area.”

“Mayor Mamdani has tasked us with delivering fast buses for New Yorkers and our redesign of Linden Boulevard will help deliver on this promise for so many residents in East New York, where these buses are a lifeline to connect to jobs, healthcare appointments and so much more. With the nearest subway a far walk away, residents here must cross ten lanes of vehicle traffic just to board buses that end up stuck in traffic, behind double-parked cars — that is going to change under the Mamdani administration,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. “The proposal will help bring much-needed safety and order to Linden Boulevard, deliver faster buses for tens of thousands of New Yorkers and better connect neighborhoods long divided by this wide roadway.”

“Linden Boulevard is a critical corridor for this community, and since the beginning of the Jewel Streets Neighborhood Planning process, residents have been clear that safer, more well-connected streets must be a priority,” said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Dina Levy. “As the City plans for future affordable housing growth along Linden, we have to invest in the infrastructure that makes neighborhoods work for people who live there today. This project responds to community priorities and will make Linden Boulevard safer, more active and better able to support the neighborhood’s future.”

“Dedicated bus lanes keep buses moving and projects like the proposed redesign of Linden Boulevard are gamechangers to improve safety and bus service for riders,” said MTA NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “It’s a win for everyone using the roads — safer for pedestrians, bus operators, bus riders and motorists, and with connections to six bus routes and six subway lines, it strengthens the transit network overall.”

Beginning in late 2026, NYC DOT will install eight new bus boarding islands, which will also serve as pedestrian refuge islands and shorten crossing distances. The agency will add two new signalized intersections at Pine Street and Emerald Street to reduce gaps between crosswalks and better connect East New York and the Jewel Streets area. Five slip lanes will be closed or redesigned to improve safety and support bus operations.

The project will benefit riders on six routes: B13, B14, B15, B20, BM5 and Q8. Faster and more reliable service will improve connections to the A, C, J, Z, L and 3 subway lines, as well as to JFK Airport, Brookdale Hospital and Gateway Center.

Along the Linden corridor, 54% of residents commute via public transportation and 57% of households do not have access to a private vehicle. The nearest subway station is more than a half-mile away.

Between 2021 and 2025, the corridor recorded 443 traffic injuries, including 15 severe injuries and one fatality. Linden Boulevard is designated a Vision Zero Priority Corridor, meaning it ranks among the highest in Brooklyn for pedestrian deaths and serious injuries per mile.

The redesign aligns with the community vision outlined in the City’s Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan, led by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which calls for a safer, more active corridor with new housing, businesses and community services. It also complements NYC DOT’s ongoing work to reimagine the Conduit corridor, for which NYC DOT is hosting a second round of public workshops beginning this week.

NYC DOT expects to complete the Linden Boulevard redesign in 2027.