What is your primary role at your company?
I am the Director of Con Edison’s Manhattan Corporate Affairs team. My group is responsible for building and strengthening relationships with elected officials, community boards, nonprofit organizations and key corporate stakeholders across Manhattan. The members of my team ensure that communities across Manhattan are informed about Con Edison’s clean energy, reliability and energy efficiency initiatives. We also provide updates on ongoing construction projects and company policies that affect the public.
Can you share any sustainability initiatives currently running at your company?
Con Edison is playing a pivotal role in New York’s clean energy transition and our sustainability priorities are tied both to Con Edison’s own facilities as well as to the services we provide for all New Yorkers. One area I am particularly excited about is the focus on decarbonizing the company’s steam system. Con Edison has the largest district steam system in the country and many of NYC’s iconic buildings in Manhattan are powered by steam. We have developed a plan to decarbonize the steam system by using short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies which allows us the adaptability to utilize future technologies as they are developed. Everything from energy efficiency programs to waste heat recovery to energy storage is being considered. It is hard not to be inspired by all the innovation that is taking place.
How does your company foster community engagement or social responsibility, and how does Hudson River Park fit into those efforts?
Con Edison is committed to supporting the communities we serve and work in throughout New York City and Westchester. Engagement at the most basic level starts with the crews performing work on our streets daily to deliver electric, gas, and steam service to New Yorkers. We also place a huge emphasis on partnering with nonprofits in our service territory. Our focus is on programming centered on climate change adaptation and mitigation, clean energy and technology careers, and social justice. This partnership shows up in a myriad of ways from information and resource sharing to charitable grants. Volunteering at Hudson River Park has been a great way for Con Edison to encourage our employees to actively take part in our efforts to work with the community, while performing work that contributes to environmental stewardship of New York City.
Have you had the chance to volunteer at Hudson River Park, and if so what was your experience like?
As a lifelong New Yorker, I am always happy to give back to the communities that helped shaped me. Volunteering with Hudson River Park has left me with cherished memories of working with colleagues to add value to New York City. It has also been an opportunity to learn about vegetation management. While weeding I have been able to share best practices and learn tips that have been applicable to my home garden. One particularly notable experience involved working with my team to clean up marine debris near the Gansevoort Peninsula. You learn a lot about New Yorkers by observing the trash that washes up on our shorelines. It was also eye-opening to have additional insight into the effort the park places on coastal management. It was possibly the most physical exercise we have undertaken together as a team and one of the most rewarding.