Local Political Entities

We have received letters of support for the feasibility study from:

• Manhattan Community Board #3
• NYC Economic Development Corporation
• U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez
• NYS Senator Martin Connor
• NYC Councilwoman Margarita Lopez

Community Partners

We intend to harness the energy of established community institutions to maximize tenant and landlord participation in the project, to heighten its impact on the community and to develop relationships for follow-on projects on other blocks throughout the Lower East Side. Community organizations already involved include:

• Neighborhood Energy Network (NEN), a Lower East Side-based endeavor to encourage environmentally sound, community-based approaches to meeting New York City’s energy needs. NEN’s volunteer network will host forums to help educate the community about Greening A Block.
• Open Road of New York, a Lower East Side-based organization that educates and trains youth to care for the community’s natural, physical and human environment. Students from Open Road will work with NEN.
• The East River Environmental Coalition (EREC), which contested the Con Ed East River Power Plant expansion in both the New York State certification proceeding and the political arena during 2000-02, and fought to establish the environmental mitigation fund. EREC members formally endorsed this project at a meeting on Jan. 29, 2005.

Our Funders

Special thanks to the organizations that have provided the resources to bring the project this far:

• The Common Sense Fund
• The Energy Foundation
• Enterprise
• The Surdna Foundation