20th Anniversary Campaign

Celebrating 20 Years of Urban Green

Urban Green’s 20th Anniversary Campaign celebrates two decades of impactful environmental progress for New York City and will help ensure that we remain on track to get to 80X50 through feasible, fair and equitable means. To get involved or find out more, see below and feel free to contact Theresa Wetzler at tw@urbangreencouncil.org. Our complete list of supporters is here, and you can learn more about our history in our 2021 Annual Report.

Also mark your calendars for our 20th Anniversary Gala on September 29 honoring Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.

What We've Done

We officially began in 2002 as the all-volunteer New York City Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. We’ve come a long way since then, spearheading projects and policy that have had a transformational impact on NYC and beyond:

2007’s PlaNYC, which called for a 30 percent reduction in 2005 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and still drives policy today;
The Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, a suite of legislation which required benchmarking and retrocomissioning for buildings over 50,000 square feet, energy-efficient lighting upgrades and a first-ever energy code for the city;
The Green Codes Task Force, which recommended 111 green changes to laws and regulations affecting buildings in New York. Over 60 have become law;
The Building Resiliency Task Force, convened in 2013 at the request of the City of New York following Superstorm Sandy. 200-plus task force members led by Urban Green made 31 recommendations to improve building resiliency and maximize preparedness for future weather emergencies. 21 have become law;
90 by 50, our 2013 report which demonstrated that reducing emissions by 90 percent is possible using existing technologies, and that the cost is manageable from a citywide perspective;
The Blueprint for Efficiency, which laid the groundwork for NYC’s Local Law 97, the most ambitious carbon reduction law for buildings in the world;
NYC’s All-Electric New Buildings Law, which Urban Green helped shape, phases out fossil fuels in new construction starting in 2024 and is underpinned by findings in our Grid Ready report.

We’re proud of our accomplishments over the years, but we still have so much to do to deliver a safe, equitable and sustainable city for future generations.

What's Ahead

Urban Green is more committed than ever to finding practical solutions that achieve the carbon savings we need for the future we want. Here’s what’s on the horizon:

2022 brings a new Mayor and 35 new council members. We’ve secured a spot on the Mayor Adams’ Transition Committee and met with 11 of the 2022 Council Members. Next, we’re hosting two Local Law 97 briefings exclusive to the 2022 City Council and staff.
We will continue to advocate for flexible compliance options for Local Law 97 that prioritize investment in environmental justice areas with a new capital stream for energy efficiency and carbon reduction.
We will build on our leadership role in retrofitting New York, through our 2022 conference that will examine how we can accelerate electrification across all building sectors.

Campaign Levels and Benefits

*Amounts represent total giving over FY2022

Member Spotlight Video: Once a month, our weekly newsletter (circ. 9k) will feature a special member spotlight video highlighting Steward and Guardian level supporting firms. These short videos (1-2 mins) will highlight members’ sustainability initiatives and success stories.

Newsletter Recognition: Leader, Steward and Guardian Level Supporters will be recognized in our weekly newsletter.

Member Roundtables: Each quarter Urban Green will host a discussion-based event on a technical topic of interest to our community.

Listing in Anniversary Promotional Materials: Placement in 20th Anniversary promotional materials, including 2021 Annual Report and 2022 Gala

Get Involved

Organizational Membership: Organizational members are an influential community of owners, facility managers, architects, engineers, manufacturers and sustainability professionals who publicly support the green building movement.

Gala Sponsorship: Support our work by becoming a sponsor of our 2022 Gala.

Annual Sponsorship: Position your firm among New York's sustainability leaders and gain access to exclusive sponsor benefits.