Viewing NYC Articles Categorized Under Environment

[VIDEO] How This Historic Army Terminal Became NYC's $100 Million Climate Hub

2026-10-01T12:00:00-04:00

The video highlights the transformation of the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal into a $100 million climate innovation hub, managed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). Originally constructed in 1918 as the largest military supply depot in the US, the 95-acre complex now hosts hundreds of companies working on green technologies. Nicole Spina, VP of Climate Innovation at NYCEDC, explains the city's commitment to addressing climate change through this initiative. Startups like PopWheels, co-founded by David Hammer, are developing fire-safe e-bike battery swapping stations to prevent dangerous fires among delivery workers. Cast Carbon is growing building materials from organic waste to reduce construction emissions. Additionally, Clip, led by CEO Som Ray, creates super-affordable e-bike upgrade platforms. Mira Intel, founded by Danielle Nicholson, utilizes AI-powered drones for proactive infrastructure inspection, drawing inspiration from events like the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse to manage aging infrastructure. Alex Mitchell, SVP at BATWorks/LACI, emphasizes the campus's potential as a climate hub, leveraging its scale and existing industrial activity for decarbonization efforts. The facility includes wet labs, prototyping floors, coworking spaces, and event halls, with a temporary home already open for programming as the larger facility is constructed.

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[VIDEO] The Wild Solution to New York's Sewer System Problem

2026-06-19T12:00:00-04:00

This video delves into New York City's extensive sewer system, which handles an astounding 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater daily across all five boroughs. From the city's early days of outhouses and rudimentary sewers in the 1600s, driven by concerns over diseases like cholera, to its complex modern network, the system has evolved significantly. The documentary highlights the critical work of facilities like the Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility in Brooklyn, which processes wastewater through various stages including screening out non-flushable items like wipes and grease, and even converting sludge into green energy for local homes. However, the system faces immense challenges from aging infrastructure, severe storms causing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) that dump billions of gallons of untreated sewage into local waterways, and blockages from 'fatbergs' formed by grease and wipes. Innovative solutions, such as the implementation of green roofs like Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages that absorb stormwater runoff, are being pursued to mitigate these issues. Public awareness campaigns, like FatbergFreeNYC, also encourage residents to help protect the vital urban infrastructure by properly disposing of waste.

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[VIDEO] Inside New York City's Forgotten Coast

2026-05-06T12:00:00-04:00

This video explores Edgemere, a working-class community on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, known for its vulnerability to coastal flooding from both Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. A decade after promises were made to fortify the area following Superstorm Sandy in 2012, residents express frustration over the lack of progress in flood mitigation efforts, contrasting it with significant investments in areas like Lower Manhattan's "Big U" project. Historically, urban planner Robert Moses envisioned the Rockaways as a place for the city's poor, leading to public housing projects and numerous empty lots today. The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (NYC HPD) acknowledges the delays and challenges in implementing the "Resilient Edgemere" plan, particularly the dropped project to raise the shoreline along the bay. Despite these setbacks and the constant threat of flooding, residents like Jackie Rogers, who cultivates "The Garden by the Bay", and Baba Ndnanani, who survived Sandy by sleeping on his refrigerator, remain determined to stay, highlighting the deep community attachment and the socio-economic factors that prevent many from relocating.

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[WATCH] Can You Swim In NYC's Rivers?

2026-04-19T12:00:00-04:00

The video explores the long-held belief among New Yorkers that swimming in the East River is dangerous and unhealthy. The host, Jack Coyne, investigates the historical context of New York Harbor's pollution, detailing how, after colonization, overharvesting of oysters and the dumping of human waste and industrial refuse rendered the waters lifeless by the mid-1900s. While the Clean Water Act of the 1970s led to improvements, a significant sewage problem persists due to the city's combined sewer system, which overflows untreated sewage and stormwater into the harbor during heavy rain. Coyne joins the Billion Oyster Project, an organization working to restore a billion oysters to New York Harbor to naturally filter its waters, to conduct water quality tests, showing that the water can be clean on clear days but becomes unsafe after rainfall. He also meets with Urban Swim, which organizes safe open-water swimming events, demonstrating that with proper precautions and support, swimming in these waters is possible and is becoming a powerful form of environmental advocacy.

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[VIDEO] An Oyster Revolution is Happening in NYC

2026-03-25T12:00:00-04:00

New York City is undergoing a massive revival of its historic oyster industry, transforming from a culinary powerhouse in the 1800s into a modern hub for sustainable aquaculture and environmental restoration. While pollution and development once decimated the local oyster population, today dozens of farms across Long Island are utilizing innovative techniques—like specialized algae reactors and vertical integration—to bring these bivalves back to local plates. Simultaneously, nonprofits like the Billion Oyster Project are working to install billions of oysters in New York Harbor to filter the water, protect shorelines from erosion, and create vital habitats for marine life. While the oysters in the harbor aren't safe to eat due to water quality, this blue food transformation is booming, supported by significant state investment and a growing seafood market, marking a sustainable comeback for one of the city's original unsung heroes.

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[REPOST] [WATCH] How Oyster Beds Can Rebuild New York Harbor

2026-03-20T12:00:00-04:00

New York Harbor was a haven of incredible underwater biodiversity—until centuries of pollution turned it into a cesspool. Today, an alliance of architects, restaurateurs, scientists, and high school students is working to restore the harbor and protect the city from climate change. At the heart of the effort is a tiny creature with an outsized talent for cleanup: the extraordinary oyster.

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[VIDEO] Can New York City Survive Massive Flooding?

2026-01-24T12:00:00-05:00

New York City is a coastal city, surrounded by water on all sides. In 2012, Superstorm Sandy overwhelmed the city with deadly flooding. Since then, the city has designed new ways to defend itself against rising seas and the next major storm.

With 520 miles of shoreline and no coastal protection, engineers and urban planners are tackling the problem with urgency and creativity. Can their visions and innovations make New York City a safe place to live for centuries to come?

As Climate Week NYC begins in September, The WNET Group brings you Forces of Nature, a special collection exploring issues affecting our natural world and sustainability with community leaders, experts, artists and viewers like you.

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[WATCH] Urban Kayaking | Exploring a Polluted Industrial River in NYC

2025-04-01T12:00:00-04:00

Join me as I paddle along a new area of the Hutchinson River that I've never been to before. I started this journey in Mount Vernon, NY, but made my way south into the Bronx and was surrounded by industry and pollution. I knew this river was toxic, but I was surprised to see just how bad it was and to see what appeared to be some active polluting while I was on the water. Despite the river's poor condition, I saw signs of wildlife everywhere and was still able to see the beauty of nature among the urban landscape.

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[REPOST] Discover New York City's Historic Role in Founding Earth Day

2024-12-22T12:00:00-05:00

In 1970, the Earth Day movement found its voice in New York City when Columbia University students organized and volunteered, responding to the environmental awareness of their day.

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[WATCH] How Oyster Beds Can Rebuild New York Harbor

2024-12-13T12:00:00-05:00

New York Harbor was a haven of incredible underwater biodiversity—until centuries of pollution turned it into a cesspool. Today, an alliance of architects, restaurateurs, scientists, and high school students is working to restore the harbor and protect the city from climate change. At the heart of the effort is a tiny creature with an outsized talent for cleanup: the extraordinary oyster.

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