March 5, 2010 — The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The question: Is there a way to reduce our co-op or condo's energy bill in a green, Earth-friendly way?

Sure, you can install solar panels, and some intrepid co-ops and condos are experimenting with geothermal cooling and heating. As we wean ourselves away from coal and oil — and we've kind of got to; neither one of those will last forever — our electrical future will probably be a combination of those new technologies and others, including wind energy. And while you're doubtlessly envisioning those giant turbines generally placed out in bays or isolated fields, you've got realize those are just the first generation. Just as TV satellite dishes went from six-feet across to pizza-sized, so, too, are rooftop wind turbines. See for yourself — we're not just tilting at windmills. Read More »

Check out environmentally friendly lighting, energy-efficient construction materials and many things you wouldn't even have expected could go green! Read More »

Oct. 28, 2009 — "Going green" has become an accepted and even mainstream part of apartment buildings — with co-op / condo boards and savvy managing agents playing major roles in the movement. Boards not only have the ability to make a positive impact in their common areas, but to the Earth itself, and has a responsibility to educate and encourage shareholders and unit-owners to conserve resources.

John R. Math, owner of the 21-year-old real estate and property management firm Associated Property Management in Lake Worth, Fla., is a clear-eyed rationalist who offers experienced, practical tips on how boards can have that sort of impact while, sometimes quickly, sometimes in the long run, saving money. Read More »

Nov. 2, 2009 — I am a property-management member of the Green Building Initiative Committee of the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, which represents building supers and others. The union's Thomas Shortman Fund is sponsoring this environmental-training initiative — called "1 Year: 1,000 Supers" — in an effort to train at least 1,000 supers and handypersons to be greener and thus bring energy and cost savings to your building and reduce your carbon footprint.

My company, Midboro Management, has enrolled 12 of our supers into one of the initiative's first classes, and I'm writing this weekly account to walk board members and others through this smart, practical and free initiative. Read More »

Aug. 24, 2009 — Like the eco-superhero Captain Planet and his Planeteers, a real-life "super" hero may soon help save the Earth. When carbon footprints stomp, when noxious gas comes knockin' and when green starts to fade to black, two serious New York organizations are stepping in to form their own Eco-Justice League of America.

Plainly put, they plan to train 1,000 building superintendents in everyday environmentalism, with generally easy-to-implement and, bottom-line, money-saving techniques: Replacing a single incandescent lighting fixture with a high-efficiency fixture can save at least $120 per fixture per year, for example, according to one study that also calculates that fixing a leaky toilet can save $730 a year. And the cost of this training? Free. Read More »

Nov. 18, 2009 — Property manager Michael J. Wolfe (second from right in photo) of Midboro Management is a member of the Green Building Initiative Committee of the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ. Along with 12 supers from buildings he manages, Wolfe is himself taking the free weekly class in environmental training to lower energy use and cost. This is the third of five weekly reports.

Day 3 – November 5, 2009: The class was a little tired today as many of the supers stayed up to watch the Yankees win their 27th World Series. I'm happy for New York, though it's a little painful for this Mets fan. That said, today we visited a building to conduct a hands-on seminar. Read More »

Nov. 11, 2009 — Michael J. Wolfe of Midboro Management is a property-management member of the Green Building Initiative Committee of the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ. Along with 12 supers from buildings he manages, Wolfe is himself taking the free weekly class in environmental training to lower energy use and cost. This is the second of five weekly reports.

Day 2 – Thursday, October 29, 2009. Today was an illuminating day as the morning began with "Lighting, Electricity and Plug Loads." It may not sound exciting, but it was. After all, today marked the 130th anniversary of the light bulb! We discussed lighting sensors, types of lighting and master metering vs. submetering. Read More »

June 17, 2009 — Co-op, condo, quite responsive / How does your garden grow? / With vegetables and herbal dells / And a specific set of house rules governing the use of the space, all in a row.

With newly minted gardening buffs following the lead of First Lady Michelle Obama, vegetable patches are sprouting in more yards than at any time since the days of World War II "victory gardens." And that's as true among urban co-ops and condos as it is anywhere. "There's a passion, I think, for greening up the city little by little," says Kevin McManus, board president of a 48-unit prewar co-op at 242 E. 87th Street in Manhattan, where fresh fruit and herbs grow in the back yard. "In the city, every inch of space is at a premium," he notes. "So why not create a communal space we can all enjoy and use, and that adds value to the building?" Read More »

June 8, 2009 — Recognizing what a challenge it an be to get your building to go green, a nonprofit, volunteer organization called GreenHome NYC is trying to make it easier for co-ops and condos to be more environmentally friendly. The group has started a program dubbed House Calls, in which volunteers visit your building to give basic information on green options. Read More »

April 22, 2009 — New York City Council today introduced environmental legislation that, if passed, will mandate some of the most sweeping upgrades to buildings since the fire and safety regulations of the previous century.

Most affected by the proposals are buildings of 50,000 square feet or more, which will be required to conduct an energy audit every decade, with results triggering proscribed upgrades.

Habitatmag.com in conjunction with PropertyShark.com has compiled a list of all city cooperatives and condominium buildings of that size, totally approximately 2,200 buildings. Click here to see if your building is on the list.

The bills specify that upgrades will be required only if they are projected to pay for themselves in energy savings within seven years. The city plans to establish a $16 million fund with federal stimulus money to provide loans to property owners for upgrades. Read More »