Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter August 2014
 
Welcome to the latest edition of the Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center eNews! Inside, you'll find recent news from EPA and other partners and organizations on environmental policy and issues, new publications, funding opportunities, and events. 
 
News
EPA Regional Administrator Discusses Clean Power Plan at SU-EFC Facilitated Roundtable 

The Regional Administrator for EPA Region 2, Judith Enck, led a dialogue on proposed nationwide carbon emission regulations at a roundtable discussion in Syracuse on July 16. The plan establishes state-specific carbon pollution reduction goals and empowers each state to choose how to meet these goals. Under the plan, New York State would have a goal for reducing carbon emissions by more than 40 percent. SU-EFC Executive Director, Mark Lichtenstein, facilitated the meeting, which was open to the public.  

 


The EPA is responding to critics of its proposed "Waters of the U.S." rule under the Clean Water Act over perceptions that the rule would make traditional farming practices more difficult. The EPA is providing answers on how the proposed rule cuts through red tape to make normal farming practices easier while also ensuring that waters are clean for our health, communities and the economy.  

 

Solarize Syracuse Promotes Solar Energy Through Bulk Purchasing Program

Solarize Syracuse is a grassroots community solar initiative for the City of Syracuse and the Towns of DeWitt, Manlius and Onondaga. The mission of the program is to combine the purchasing power of the community to save money and the planet. A series of workshops will cover how solar works, and how you can save money through the bulk purchasing program. Local community solar experts will answer questions to help residents and business owners decide whether solar energy is a viable option. For a list of upcoming workshops, please visit the Solarize Syracuse website.       

 

Flyer 

Workshops, Trainings & Webinars
Save the Date: 2014 Save the Rain Clean Water Fair 
 

September 6, 2014 | 9am-2pm 

Department of Water Environment Protection  

650 Hiawatha Blvd. W, Syracuse 


Save the date for the 6th Clean Water Fair at the Department of Water Environment Protection! Learn all about Onondaga County's nationally recognized Save the Rain program, learn about Onondaga Lake's recovery and view wildlife from the lake, or take a tour of the state of the art Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant or green infrastructure projects in downtown Syracuse. Additional activities include a bouncy house for kids, rain barrel workshops and raffles, and rain barrel sales.  

   

Save the Date: SyracuseCoE 14th Annual Symposium  
 
Advanced Building Innovations: Integrating Systems for Efficiency, Quality and Resilience
October 15 & 16, 2014
SyracuseCoE Headquarters and Crowne Plaza Hotel

Rising demand for high-performance buildings is driving innovations that improve energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and resilience to intense storms and other disturbances. The 2014 SyracuseCoE Symposium features advances in design, technology, and applications that enhance the effectiveness of building systems, occupant well-being and social-ecological resilience.

NYSAR3 NYS Recycling Conference & Trade Show
 
NYSAR3 NYS Recycling Conference & Trade Show
November 5-7, 2014
Otesaga Resort Hotel, Cooperstown, NY

This year's conference theme focuses on the strengths of collaborating at a regional level and will incorporate presentations, lessons and best practices from neighboring states and the across Northeast region. A pre-conference workshop on textile recycling will take place on Wednesday November 5.

Promoting Recycling Behavior Webinar 
 
Promoting Recycling Behavior: What Works
Thursday, August 20 | 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm EST 

This webinar will summarize the findings from behavioral science with regard to effective strategies for encouraging people to recycle, including recommendations for program design and marketing. The webinar will also share results from a survey conducted in partnership with The George Washington University regarding participants' feedback on bin shape, color and signage.

Tools & Publications
EPA Provides Tool to Help Communities Become More Flood Resilient

The EPA has released a new tool to help communities prepare for, deal with and recover from floods. The Flood Resilience Checklist offers strategies that communities can consider, such as conserving land in flood-prone areas; directing new development to safer areas; and using green infrastructure approaches, such as installing rain gardens, to manage stormwater.  

    

Learn More 

Report on Managing Abandoned and Vacant Property

This report focuses on the reuse of vacant and abandoned property in the city of Saginaw, Michigan. In 2010, the city requested assistance from the EPA to identify options for managing land use and infrastructure in the Green Zone, a neighborhood in northeast Saginaw that has the largest concentration of vacant and abandoned property in the city. This report details the results of EPA's study, and is informative for communities around the country that are facing similar development challenges.  

 

Learn More  

Tools & Publications
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative 2014 Request for Applications

EPA is soliciting applications for grants and/or cooperative agreements to be awarded as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). EPA will award approximately $27.5 million under a request for applications (RFA) for up to 30 projects.

 

Applications are requested for projects within the following three categories:

  • Invasive species control
  • Watershed management implementation
  • Sediment reduction projects in priority watersheds
Deadline: August 25, 2014 

Learn More  

In This Issue
SU-EFC in the Caribbean News 
SU-EFC Leads SMM Training for MAR Leadership Workshop in Cozumel, Mexico  
 

As part of its efforts to build a network of SMM leaders in Latin America, the SU-EFC is leading a training series and assisting with the development community projects focused on sustainable materials management (SMM) for the 2014 Meso-American Reef Leadership (MAR Leadership) Program. The trainings are meant to align with the 2014 umbrella vision of the MAR Leadership program, which is to foster and connect regional integrated materials management systems, prevent environmental pollution, and protect the coral reef system.   

 

About Us
 
The Syracuse Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University facilitates the development of sustainable and resilient communities throughout US EPA Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and eight tribal nations), across the US, and internationally. 
  
Located at the SyracuseCoE Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, Syracuse EFC enhances the administrative and financial capacities of state and local government officials, nonprofit organizations, and private sectors to make change toward improved environmental infrastructure and quality of life.

 

Syracuse EFC Staff


Ana V. Arache

Project Assistant


Lydia Brinkley

Research Assistant


Laura Cardoso  

Program Coordinator

  

Sarnai Davaadagva
Project Assistant 

 

Brad DeFrees

Program Coordinator


Khristopher Dodson

Associate Director


Caitlin Eger

Project Assistant


Kathy Forrest

Budget Administrator

 

Kaira T. Fuentes
Project Assistant  

 

Mark Lichtenstein

Executive Director and

Principal Investigator

 

Lisa Ruggero

Project Assistant

 

Brandon Strouse  

Communications Assistant

 

Lucy Tomkiewicz  

Communications Assistant

 

Mandy Westerdahl

Communications Manager


Kyle Wilkinson

Project Assistant  


Melissa Young

Assistant Director


Please visit our website, efc.syracusecoe.org 

  

 

 

Environmental Finance Center programs and projects are supported in part by funding from USDA-RD and EPA.


In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, sex, and familial status.  

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6582 (TDD).   


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You may also contact us via e-mail at efc@syracusecoe.org.




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