Report From RIOC President Leslie Torres - Roosevelt Island Environmentally Friendly Green Initiatives Include Fuel Cell, AVAC Recycling Integration, Hybrid Electric Buses, Wireless Parking Meters, Motorgate LED Lighting, Solar Power, Electric Car Charging Stations & More

You Tube Video Of Parking Garage LED Lighting

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Lesie Torres sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents. 

A few weeks ago, as I was preparing to interview with NY1 News about the new fuel cell technology at the Octagon, the city’s first residential LEED certified building, I found myself thinking about all of Roosevelt Island’s green initiatives.

The fact is, environmentally friendly and sustainable innovation has been a major focus of Roosevelt Island’s development since the start. Today, we remain committed to identifying ways to harness innovation to make Roosevelt Island a great place to live, work and visit.

Green initiatives on the island started with the concept of making this a car-free Island. While that vision hasn’t been realized, we have managed to keep many cars and trucks off the roads through our sanitation and public transit infrastructure systems. We are building on these initiatives with new efforts, such as electric vehicle charging stations, smart parking, and bicycle sharing. And we are exploring other ways to green the island.

Since 1975, the Automated Vacuum Collection System (“AVAC”) has been transporting the majority of Roosevelt Island’s solid waste through tubes connecting the residential buildings to a sanitation facility located by the Roosevelt Island Bridge. Because of this system, we are able to reduce the number of NYC Department of Sanitation trucks that ride our street by 18 trucks a month.

Now, we are exploring new technologies that will allow for the integration of source-separated (recycled) and commercial waste into the system. Additionally, it might be possible for access points to be located in key areas of the district, eliminating the need for curb-side pickup. CUNY’s Urban Transportation Research Center for Region 2 has been awarded a grant from NYSERDA to investigate the feasibility of integrating such a system into the Island’s facility.

After AVAC, the next big green development on the Island was the Tram, which has been in operation since May, 1976. The old tram was replaced last year by a significantly more energy efficient system. The new tram, according to the tram’s developer, is estimated to consume 60 watts per hour to transport each passenger from one side to the other, the equivalent of using a light bulb for an hour.

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation has also provided “green” buses for island transit for many years. Our current fleet of hybrid-electric buses utilizes ultra-low-sulfur-fuel that reduces the emissions of dangerous particulate matter by 90 percent, nitrous oxide by 40 percent and greenhouse gases by 30 percent.

For residents and visitors driving on the island, we are employing innovation to put the “quick” back in quick trips by helping people avoid having to circle the streets looking for a parking spot. Over the next few months, data from sensors embedded in the street will begin providing occupancy information for parking spaces. Technologies such as dynamic street signs and mobile applications will use the information from the parking sensors to alert drivers to available spaces — creating greener streets by reducing congestion and emissions. To make an even greater dent in car emission, we are developing a new pilot program to provide car charging stations at the Motorgate garage.

There are additional green programs planned for Motorgate. We have submitted an application with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to include the Motorgate Garage in the Solar 100 program, which seeks to install solar panels across the State. If selected, Motorgate is projected to produce 300 kilowatts of energy, approximately 33% of RIOC’s annual usage.

Also, this past week RIOC’s Engineering Department visited the Hudson River Park Trust management office to discuss their LED lighting conversion plan. They are in the process of converting all facilities (garage, office and street lighting) to LED, and we at RIOC are considering making the move too. With an estimated 15 year life for LED bulbs, the long term cost savings is quite substantial, and LED bulbs are also great for the environment because they use substantially less energy than traditional bulbs.

For those who wish to enjoy the spectacular waterfront views without being dependent on a vehicle, the best ways are walking and bicycling. Efforts to facilitate bicycle sharing are currently being planned.

Finally, we are also working to make our green spaces – our lawns, parks and sports fields – more environmentally friendly and safer for residents, including children and pets. Starting this spring, we will be using organic lawn products throughout the island that are phosphorous free and free of other ingredients deemed hazardous by the US EPA.

With all our green programs, Roosevelt Island might be one of, if not the most environmentally friendly neighborhood in New York City. And that’s great news for all the island residents and businesses.

Until next time,

Leslie Torres

A version of the RIOC President's column also appears on RIOC's web site and the March 24, 2011 Main Street WIRE.