NEW YORK - Columbia University's Earth Institute, the Urban Studies Concentration at the School of International and Public Affairs, the Master of Public Administration program in Environmental Science Policy and the Master of Science program in Sustainability Management invite the public to attend New York City as a Sustainable City, a panel discussion to be held on April 7 from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. in the Faculty Room in Low Library on Columbia University's Morningside Campus.

New York City is, to the surprise of many, one of the most energy-efficient places in the United States with the energy consumption and carbon dioxide output of New Yorkers being one-quarter of the national average, and the city on target to meet a number of sustainability goals in the next 20 years, including planting one million new trees (of which more than 300,000 have been planted in the last three years) and converting an entire fleet of over 10,000 taxicabs to fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrids. But with close to 20 million people living in the tri-state area, the continued sustainability of such an environment is still a constant concern.

The panel, moderated by Executive Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University and Director, M.S. Sustainability Management, Steve Cohen and will feature Director of the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability for the New York City Mayor's Office, Cas Holloway, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection David Bragdon, Director of the CUNY Institute of Sustainable Cities Bill Solecki,; and Founder of the Center for Urban Research and Policy and Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University Ester Fuchs. The University invites the public to come listen to the panel's participants as they discuss both signs of progress and deficiencies in the effort of make New York City a sustainable city, touching on government initiatives in this area as well as the role of the private sector.

Though issues of sustainability are being recognized on an increasingly global scale, it is local actions that will likely provide many of the solutions to these large-scale problems. Find out from the panel's speakers, decision-makers and experts in urban sustainability, how New York City can play a large leadership role in this transformation.

If you have questions about the panel or would like to RSVP, please contact Andrea Schecter at aschecter@ei.columbia.edu or 212-851-0772.

Contact: Columbia Univ. School of Int'l & Public Affairs, 420 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10027

Source: Columbia University