Move Over, Chicago — Environmentalists Paint NY as the Windy City

By SEAN EGAN

Environmental groups from around New York took to the steps of City Hall on Thursday to call on Mayor Bill de Blasio to consider off-shore wind turbines to complete his goal of having all city operations be powered with renewable energy.

The theme of the rally was that of gratitude to the mayor and his plan of action against climate change.

“The mayor is helping lead the way for large cities on climate change, for the country, and for the world,” said Dan Sherrell, the rally organizer and Sierra Club representative.

Activists from groups such as the Sierra Club, NYPIRG, Sane Energy Project, and Brooklyn for Peace, waved signs saying things like, “de Blasio, blow us away,” and “de Blasio, be the wind beneath out wings,” and bore windmill props to put pressure on de Blasio to take the next step in his promise to convert 100 percent of city operations to renewable energy and cut climate pollution in NYC by 80 percent by 2050.

Mayor de Blasio’s OneNYC plan was released last April, and sets a large and general goal of bringing 800,000 New Yorkers out of poverty, cutting the city’s carbon emissions, improving air quality, creating jobs, and drastically cutting the city’s waste.

“Environmental and economic sustainability must go hand in hand – and OneNYC is the blueprint to ensure they do,” said Mayor de Blasio when he announced the plan. “We are laying out specific goals to make sure that as we build a stronger, more resilient city, we are also creating a more equitable one.”

Speakers at the rally presented wind energy as a major step in achieving many of the goals in de Blasio’s plan.

“New York City and New York State are going to start to reap the massive benefits of offshore wind power,” said Sherrell. “Those include improved air quality, long term job creation across a wide variety of sectors, lower more predictable energy costs, and the opportunity to invest our energy dollars locally.”

Director of the Office of Sustainability Nilda Mesa attended the rally to receive a letter signed by all of the environmental groups taking part in this project, urging him to consider offshore wind.

“Right now only 2 percent of the city’s electrical grid comes from renewable sources,” said Mesa at the rally. “So we want to improve that. We need more enthusiasm continuing to push the state and the feds to get New York City renewable energy.”

Councilman Ben Kallos, a strong supporter of sustainable energy in the city, also spoke at the rally.

“The answer to 100 percent renewable energy is blowing in the wind,” said Kallos before leading the crowd in a rendition of the Bob Dylan song, Blowin’ in the Wind.