Nearly a decade ago, dozens of volunteers fanned out across New York City wearing backpacks with instruments to measure air pollutants. Unlike the few stationary rooftop monitors installed at the time, they took measurements near eye level and followed routes typical of an older adult’s day or a child’s walk to school.
The study revealed a surprising new finding: just 1% of New York City’s buildings were spewing more soot into the air than all the city’s cars and trucks combined.
EDF worked with then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg on a program called Clean Heat, which uses private financing to help building owners convert to cleaner fuel.
Four thousand buildings made the upgrade and now, New Yorkers breathe visibly cleaner air.