On Monday, July 17, The New York Climate Exchange (“The Exchange”) hosted a Day on Governors Island event that invited partner organizations and elected officials to visit the island, tour the site that will soon be home to the world-leading climate solutions center, and learn more about The Exchange’s mission, vision, and anticipated programming. As part of The Exchange’s robust partner network, Stony Brook University participated alongside over 80 representatives from elected official offices and partner organizations from across New York City and the country.
The Day on Governors Island event marked an important step in The Exchange’s commitment to uniting its many stakeholders, including offering the opportunity for elected officials and their teams to meet with partners and learn more about The Exchange’s ambitious goals.
Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis and Kevin Reed, associate dean for research and associate professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), provided remarks to the event guests in the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Arts Center. Other speakers included Clare Newman, president and CEO of The Trust for Governors Island; and Maria Torres-Springer, deputy mayor for Housing, Economic, and Workforce Development.
“We are all here because we recognize that an urgent global issue like climate change cannot be met with a fragmented response. The stakes are too high, and the problem is too complex,” McInnis said. “Combating climate change requires interdisciplinary and cross-sectional action. It demands that we rethink a more sustainable and scalable solution that leverages innovation, research, human understanding, and, of course, collaboration.”
McInnis added that the event was “the first of many where we will be engaging directly with our leaders at all levels of government as we make this vision a reality, and we are glad to see many elected officials and staff attending on their behalf.”
The Exchange’s physical presence on Governors Island will be home to research, education and public programming. It will be a model of sustainability, using renewable energy and zero-waste technologies to achieve net-zero and net-positive goals for energy and water.
During the Day on Governors Island event, guests toured the grounds where construction will begin in 2025. Andrew Winters, director of development for The Exchange, along with Sarah Krautheim, senior vice president of public affairs for The Trust for Governors Island, led a tour for attendees and provided a first-hand look at how the grounds will be transformed.
This spring, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and The Trust for Governors Island announced The Exchange as a first-of-its kind not-for-profit organization. The Exchange is a network of climate experts, researchers, educators, business leaders and community organizations dedicated to tackling the effects of climate change on New York City and beyond. Partners from technology, finance, academia, research, government, public health and environmental justice have joined together in an unprecedented model to identify and scale climate change solutions.
In addition to Stony Brook University, The Exchange’s partners include Boston Consulting Group (BCG), The City University of New York (CUNY), Duke University, Georgia Tech, Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), IBM, Moody’s, New York University, Pace University, Pratt Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), SUNY Maritime College, University of Oxford, University of Washington and more than 36 local community partners.
Great news!!