NYC Looking To Go Greener

New York City already has the lowest per capita emissions of carbon dioxide in the country. We pollute less than 1/3 the national average and approximately 4 metric tons per person less than the enviro-friendly San Francisco. Yet the Mayor and many of us know we can do better. A recent report showed that most of our 58.3 million metric tons comes from the city's buildings, a number that is close to a million. If you have ever looked closely at the New York skyline, then you have probably seen the belches of black smoke being emitted from the rooftops.

The question is, what do we do about it? Bloomberg's goal is to reduce emissions by 30 percent while the city adds an extra million people to the rolls by 2030. The New York Times highlights all these facts and figures along with the question of what to do. Apparently the Mayor is going to present his ideas on Earth Day which is a week from Sunday. Nothing like a little good PR on the holiday, eh?

So far the ideas that have been hinted at are pretty much common sense. Using energy efficient equipment, putting in more trees and replacing city vehicles with hybrids and cleaner burning fuels. There is also talk about implementing congestion pricing that would limit traffic and therefore emissions in the city. There's going to be a conference as well with cities sending representatives from around the world. Stay tuned for Earth Day!