The spirit of Earth Day has inhabited Con Edison’s business model for generations. Be it solar farms upstate, electric vehicle charging stations, or offshore wind turbines, Con Edison has supported the transition from fossil fuels to renewables long before it reached critical mass.
In 1970, when the first Earth Day was held, Con Edison debuted its Save-a-Watt program, which encouraged customers to conserve, a shift from utilities’ traditional marketing.
Years later, Con Edison installed a green roof on a training and office facility in Long Island City, and worked with an environmental scientist from Columbia University who conducted research to measure the benefits. More Con Edison substations with green roofs are in the pipeline.
More recently, the company has devised a biodiversity plan, which will be represented with the installation of “soft” shorelines with native vegetation.
To accommodate the growing presence of electric vehicles, Con Edison supports 100 public curbside chargers and nearly 3,000 charge points in privately owned garages and buildings, with a goal of 19,000 by 2025.
The company is also building transmission lines in New York City to carry the increasing amount of renewable energy that will be coming online in the next decade and beyond, including energy from wind turbines.
“The clean energy transition will have an enormous impact on our health, job market, and recreational activities,” said Joe White, distributed generation ombudsman for Con Edison.
To kick off Earth Week and the global call to environmental action and celebration, Con Edison partnered with Earth Day Initiative for Earth Day Festival 2023 at Union Square on Sunday, April 16. Visitors were immersed in stories from community members discussing Con Edison’s milestone achievements.
This Clean Energy Headspace included personal accounts of how the clean energy transition is positively impacting everything from the oysters living along the Hudson to local community bodegas. As a company, the green revolution is at the forefront of everything Con Edison does as they lead the way for clean energy adoption.
Additional opportunities to celebrate Earth Day in New York City include:
- Volunteer with Friends of Governors Island and work with the horticulture team to take care of the island’s 120 acres of green space, helping with projects from invasive plant removal to tree care and general spruce up.
- Help at the Climate Arts Festival at the Queens Botanical Garden
- Learn about the environment while removing invasive plant species with Bronx is Blooming.
- Spend time assisting with arts and crafts, seed planting, escorting groups on a scavenger hunt, sign-in table with the Woodlawn Conservancy.
Learn about Con Edison’s Commitment to Clean Energy and how the company is leading and delivering the transition to the clean energy future.
New Yorkers can learn to save energy and money by taking part in Con Edison’s many different incentive programs. Learn more here.
Make sure to follow Con Edison’s social media channels and stay up to date on the latest news, tips, and information.
