Sep. 22, 2023 By Iryna Shkurhan
Queens’ first ever Climate Expo, sponsored by Borough President Donovan Richards, launched on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at Queens Borough Hall as one of the many events scheduled for Climate Week NYC.
Over a dozen environmental organizations set up tables across the Helen Marshall Cultural Center’s atrium in Kew Gardens to share resources, spread environmental surveys and promote climate-related job opportunities – all with the goal of taking action to address the effects of climate change.
The expo was centered around an expert-led panel on Local Law 97, a law passed in 2019 with the goal of making the city carbon-neutral by 2050 through a dramatic reduction in building emissions. Starting in 2024, buildings larger than 25,000 square feet, which is approximately the size of a five-unit building, will be fined by the city for failing to comply with new standards for greenhouse gas emissions.