Student Paper

Breaking Down Urban Organics: Lessons from San Francisco’s Organics Program and Implications for New York City

The current efforts of the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to reduce the volume of organics sent to landfills focus on encouraging people to voluntarily separate their organics from recyclables and other waste. Most notably, in August 2022, DSNY announced that it will offer curbside organics collection throughout Queens between October and December […]

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Following the Money: The Role of Penalties in Encouraging Compliance with Building Performance Standards

In response to growing public concerns about climate change, many American cities have begun to set goals for reducing energy usage, decreasing reliance on non-renewable energy sources, and helping building owners upgrade inefficient properties. To aid in this transition, several jurisdictions have created Building Performance Standards (BPSs). BPSs regulate either greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or

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The Tokyo Emissions Trading Scheme: Lessons from a Pioneering Jurisdiction

In 2010, Tokyo launched a pioneering cap- and-trade program for its buildings known as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Emissions Trading System (ETS). The Tokyo ETS was innovative both for the scope of sources covered – industrial factories, large public buildings, educational institutions, and large commercial buildings – and for being the first local-level ETS in

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Electrifying New York City’s School Bus Fleet: Legal & Policy Considerations

Every year, school bus contractors drive 150,000 New York City children to school in approximately 9,000 diesel buses that harm public health and the environment. Diesel exhaust exposure increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory symptoms, such as asthma. Exhaust and greenhouse gas emissions pollute the air and exacerbate the effects of climate

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Expanding Green Roofs in New York City: Insights from the City of Copenhagen

In New York City, rooftops are a vastly underutilized resource. Occupying thirty times the land area of Central Park, many rooftops in NYC sit empty and unused. On April 20th, 2017, the Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law convened a panel discussion in collaboration with Danish Cleantech Hub to discuss how New

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