It’s a Bird, it’s a Plane, it’s Energy Savings for New York!

Superheroes are all the rage these days. Whether at the theater or on our TV screens, we are surrounded by stories of powerful men and women working to make the world a better place.

And what would a good superhero be without a thriving metropolis to defend? If you want a great setting for your hero, look no further than New York. Known by a variety of names in the comics (Gotham, etc.), New York is where heroes go to prove themselves and save the day.

But what if I were to tell you that superheroes are not only real, they are being placed in public and private organizations around New York this summer to work towards making our city and state more energy efficient?

This summer, EDF Climate Corps – a fellowship program run by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) that embeds trained graduate students in companies, cities, schools, and public institutions across the U.S. to accelerate clean energy projects – will place 33 fellows throughout New York to help meet the ambitious energy goals set by Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo. The size of this cohort is unprecedented – it’s almost a quarter of the entire Climate Corps’ fellows 2016 class –  and will provide hands-on support for a variety of building-level projects, such as on-site distributed power generation (e.g. rooftop solar and energy storage), energy efficiency upgrades, and commercial demand response.

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Yes, while they may seem outwardly unassuming, like Clark Kent or Diana Prince, the men and women of EDF Climate Corps are actually a secret weapon with a daunting but necessary task.

Their mission? To help companies and the government achieve established goals to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050, and the Governor’s state-level target to draw half of the state’s power from renewable energy sources by 2031.

To meet these ambitious targets, both the public and private sectors need to mobilize, identify, and execute broad scale solutions that improve building performance and implementation of distributed energy resources. EDF Climate Corps is providing critical boots-on-the-ground support that will ultimately help accelerate and execute on New York’s clean energy goals. The deployment of fellows in multiple sectors will help building owners and operators turn smart energy policy into reality.

In addition to working with commercial real estate companies, such as Shorenstein Properties, and other green, iconic buildings, Climate Corps will have a strong presence in the public sector. Seventeen fellows will be working with city agencies, including the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, NYC Department of Education, and New York City Housing Authority.

So, you see? Superheroes do walk among us, and they are helping make New York a national leader in clean energy policy.