Focus on Air Quality
Push to Make City Buildings 'Healthier'

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

A coalition of city unions and environmental groups is pushing for workplace changes that not only would reduce greenhouse gases but would also improve the job conditions for city employees.

JIM TUCCIARELLI: 'Reinforce infrastructure.'

The Apollo Alliance, which held a national meeting that was due to conclude Feb. 27 in Washington, D.C., is advocating changes to at least 100 city buildings that would increase their energy efficiency and make them healthier places to work. The group is also pushing for all newly constructed schools to meet nationally recognized environmental standards, and hopes that the move towards green technology will stimulate job growth.

'Improves Air Quality'

"When a building is environmentally friendly," said Kate Pfordresher, acting director of the Urban Agenda, which convenes the city's Apollo Alliance chapter, "it not only reduces greenhouse gases, it also improves the air quality for the people who work in the buildings."

Advocates point to the new Administration for Children's Services building which was built according to environmental conservation principles. The building has saved thousands of dollars on its energy bills.

ED OTT: A constructive advocacy role.

A geo-thermal energy plant is located inside the ACS building and the air quality is better than in most other city buildings because of clean heating and air-conditioning systems. Retro-fitting old buildings would not bring all the same benefits as newly built "green" buildings, but advocates say replacing boilers, windows, elevators and peeling paint will save money in the long run and improve working conditions.

"There is no question they will be healthier places to work," said Ms. Pfordresher.

Working With Mayor

In December, Mayor Bloomberg announced an ambitious effort to plan for the city's population growth and the aging of its infrastructure through the year 2030. Members of the labor coalition are working with the Mayor's Sustainability Advisory Board to propose upgrades to the transportation and water system, relieve over-crowded schools, and prepare for increased housing demands. The Mayor has emphasized environmental concerns throughout this process, and the Alliance hopes to get the city to agree to the retro-fitting as part of its overall plan.

"This is a chance for the government to use capital money it is already allocating to do a couple of things at once" said Ed Ott, the executive director of the AFL-CIO New York City Central Labor Council, chair of the city Apollo Alliance and a member of the Mayor's Sustainability Board. "We think it fuses nicely with seeding an industry to allow some of the businesses to move within 500 miles of the city and possibly bring some manufacturing jobs to the city." He added that public investment could encourage the private sector to adopt the green technologies, and stimulate the industry further.

The Mayor's 2030 proposals indicate the need for an upgrade of the city's water and sewer systems, and Jim Tucciarelli, the president of Local 1320 of District Council 37, has been a vocal proponent of improvements.

'Move City Forward'

"Besides worrying about what happens in 2030, we need to get the whole city into the 21st Century," he said. "Staten Island still has septic tanks. No one wants to see feces in the streets because someone had an overflow."

Mr. Tucciarelli said that cost over-runs on a new concrete waste treatment center had meant scaling back on upgrades to other treatment facilities. The city's combined sewer systems and limited capacity means that when there are big storms, the city has to discharge sewage into the rivers.

"The entire infrastructure needs to be reinforced," Mr. Tucciarelli said, "for the general well-being of the public, and to make sure that workers dealing with aging plants and equipment are not working in dangerous conditions."

Some environmental changes in the schools have already begun to improve working conditions. Last fall a state law went into effect that mandates the use of less-toxic cleaning supplies.

Custodian Concerns

"The benefits are healthier schools for children, and also for the custodians who work with the products," said Stephen Boese, the New York State director for the Healthy Schools Network, whose sponsors include DC 37's parent union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Mr. Boese said that conventional cleaning products are respiratory irritants that can aggravate asthma conditions, and that studies have found higher incidences of respiratory disease among custodial workers. Researchers also believe that the chemicals have long-term health implications, and suspect them of being agents of cancers and neurological damage.

Advocates are also hoping that the city's $13 billion school construction project will follow strict environmental codes. Local Law 86, passed in 2005 and effective as of this January, requires that all new city construction, including schools, follow strict guidelines set by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Mayor is allowed to set up his own standards, as long as they comply with the law overall, and the School Construction Authority is in the process of proposing a new set of guidelines.

In the Dark

"Our concern is that it is a closed process," said Mr. Boese. "We can't say if it's good or bad, and it is frustrating that we don't know what's going on."

Mr. Ott said the Alliance was pushing to have the healthy schools placed first in the worst asthma districts in the city. He said labor unions found common ground with environmental justice groups, mostly located in communities of color, which advocate for community job growth that is environmentally sound.

"That's the piece of the movement we're comfortable with," Mr. Ott said. "The reason we began Apollo is we wanted to be working with an environmental and labor component that was for something and not just against something."