Jameel Ahmad, Ph.D., civil engineer is full-time faculty at Cooper Union College continuously for the past 36 years; Senior Advisor to Verdant Power, a hydropower company; Professor and Chairman of Civil Engineering at Cooper Union; Director of The Cooper Union Research Foundation; Fellow at the Research Institute for the Study of Man; numerous professional papers in engineering, technology, and management; expert testimony before the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the US Senate; several US patents; awarded several citations for civic duty.
Dimitri Bakhroushin is the Secretary for Correspondence for the Buddhist Council of New York, an assistant to Rev. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki and lay teacher at the New York Buddhist Church. He has served as acting officiant at the New York Buddhist Church, General Secretary of the Buddhist Council of New York, Co-ordinator of the Living Buddhist Masters lectures at Columbia University and Master of Ceremonies at the annual All-Buddhist Vesak Celebration. He is a founding member of the Interfaith Council of Greater New York. His book is "A Buddhist Christian Synthesis: One May Be Both Buddhist and Christian." Contact him at dimitrib@aol.com.Chris Benedict is an Architect in New York City. Her firm, Chris
Benedict, R.A. specializes in the design of energy efficient, durable,
healthy housing projects that are built for the same price as typical
construction. She was the Architect for the first energy efficient gut
rehab project in New York City in 1997. The project was awarded Environmental
Project of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers in 1999. She
currently has twenty more energy efficient multifamily gut rehab projects
under construction in Bedford Stuyvesant and two new energy efficient
apartment buildings under construction on the Lower East side of Manhattan.
Chris teaches in New York City and across the country, has appeared on CNN
and has been published nationally.
She was also chairperson for the
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's
2005 conference: "Building Energy 2005: The Practice of Sustainability... Art, Science, Business!"
March, 2005 at the Boston World Trade Center. In 2005, Chris received the
President's Citation from Cooper Union, her alma mater, for her
ground-breaking work in green building. Chris can be reached at
(212) 477-6016 and Benedictra@aol.com.
Wendy E. Brawer is a New York-based eco-designer with an artist's background. She is creator of the Green Apple Map and the founding director of Green Map System, an award-winning local-global collaborative community media organization with 325 projects in 46 countries. Wendy has taught, spoken and written on eco-design extensively and has lived and worked on the Lower East Side since 1987. She was appointed Designer in Residence at Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in 1997. In 2000, she co-created SolSpherica, Liberty Science Center's solar exhibit, with designer Amelia Amon of Alt.Technica. The Powerful Green Map of NYC charts energy conservation & renewables. Reach Wendy at 212-674-1631 and web@greenmap.org and see greenmap.org. for more on her work.
David Buckner is the President of Solar Energy Systems, Inc. As a founding member, he has been with the company since its inception in 1998. He is a Certified Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Installer recognized by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). As the company's chief installer, he has supervised and installed over 40 solar energy projects resulting in over 300 kilowatts of PV system capacity.
Mark Caserta, NYC policy & advocacy director, NY League of Conservation Voters/NYLCV Education Fund
Dr. Al Cavallo worked on nuclear fusion experiments at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Munich, the French Atomic Energy Commission in Paris and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He has also done research on health risks from occupational exposure to radioactive particulates. At Princeton’s Center for Energy and Environmental Studies he worked on transforming intermittent wind energy to a reliable power source using compressed air energy storage (CAES).
Leigh East is a priestess in the Blue Star tradition (denomination) of Wicca. One of several priestesses in Clover Coven, which meets in and around New Brunswick, NJ, Leigh has written magazine articles on topics ranging from non-burning candle substitutes to physician ethics. Currently a physician, she has studied both engineering and medicine, earning a doctorate in biomedical engineering along with an M.D. She was also one of the early organizers of the Rutgers University Pagan Student Association. On a personal level, she is interested in alternative-fuel vehicles and can occasionally be seen driving an electric car to work.
Tracy Fitz, trained solar installer and director of City Solar/SolarGlobe
Henry Gifford is the president of Gifford Fuel Saving, Inc. His plain-spoken expertise based on both a white collar and blue collar understanding of mechanical systems, including boiler, steam, and hydronic heating systems, water pressure boosting systems, ventilation systems and any other system that is part of a building's energy bill is the result of a career devoted to diagnosing and fixing dysfunctional, wasteful systems in apartment houses in New York City, and designing new systems to avoid performance problems and energy waste. Henry can be reached at (212) 662-2768 and hgiffford@nyc.rr.com (yes, three "f"s). Articles by or about Henry.
Judy Gorman
has just released The Rising of Us All - 18 songs of peace and justice.
This follows her cd, Analog Girl in a Digital World. She lectures on
the Muticultural History of Women & Music / Finding Our Own Voice-All of of
Us. Judy has performed in over ten countries and 48
states at clubs, universities, festivals, and peace and justice events. Artists
she's shared stages with include Ani DiFranco, Richie Havens,
Sweet Honey in the Rock, Pete Seeger, and Odetta.
Born and educated in NYC, Judy earned a BA in literature and a
Master's degree in art history. Before touring full time as a musician, she taught
English in Chinatown, assisted in oral surgery, worked at the Guggenheim
Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art, did construction work, community
organizing and produced radio programs for Pacifica Radio's WBAI, 99.5 FM in
NYC. Her phone number is 718 875 3527. Go to
www.cdbaby.com/judygorman2 to hear Judy's songs & send email.
Toby Hemenway After obtaining a degree in biology from Tufts University, he worked as a researcher in genetics and immunology. Toby’s dissatisfaction with the direction taken by biotechnology led to his interest in the ecological design approach to sustainable landscapes, homes, and workplaces known as permaculture. He spent ten years creating a rural permaculture site in southern Oregon and is now developing urban sustainability resources in Portland, Oregon, and teaching at Portland State University. http://www.patternliteracy.com/
Mark Jacobs lives in Garrison, NY 10524, less than 5 miles from
Indian Point. He has a BA in Philosophy from Clark University and an MAT in
Teaching English, 7-12.
1996-1998 Program Coordinator of Somers Alternative High School,
1998-2000 Director of WESPAC, Westchester People's Action Coalition,
2001- Co-Director and Teacher at Longview School and Homeschooling Center,
Co-Founder of Westchester Citizens Awareness Network,
Co-Founder of Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition,
Candidate for Congress, 2000, Green Party, 19th CD,
Former Board Member of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty,
Chairperson of Westchester Green Party.
E-mail Mark at mjac@bestweb.net.
Katherine Kennedy is a senior attorney in NRDC's energy program. She works to promote energy efficiency and renewable technologies in New York through advocacy, legislative action and administrative litigation. She has also worked in NRDC's urban program on land use and water pollution issues in New York City and in NRDC's citizen enforcement program, bringing citizen lawsuits under federal environmental statutes. Kit is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College. She received the New York County Lawyer's Association Award for Outstanding Public Service in 1993, and in 1999 was awarded a Wasserstein Public Service Fellowship from Harvard Law School.
Dr. Kenneth Kimball is Director of Research at the Appalachian Mountain Club and has degrees in ecology, zoology and botany. His specialties are river ecology, in-stream flow, northeast alpine ecology, endangered species recovery, climate change and eastern mountains, hydroelectric dam relicensing, and windpower siting policy issues.
Richard Klein is currently the CEO and Founder of
Quixotic
Systems Inc., a New York City based solar systems integrator.
Quixotic Systems has built and designed some of New York City’s
largest and most innovative solar systems. Mr. Klein also holds
several U.S. Patents in the domain of solar energy. Leveraging
his background in the extremely demanding New York City real estate
market, Mr. Klein has established (with his brothers) the Klein-Rudd
Alternative Energy Fund, a.k.a. Phoenix Energy Fund, to invest in
Energy Technology companies whose goal is to enhance the effectiveness
of clean energy production while becoming profitable. Richard Klein
is an early stage investor in several of the world’s leading solar
companies (either in the pre-IPO stage and post-IPO stage –
e.g., Q-Cells AG).
Mr. Klein is a New York native and a former
instructor of Mathematics. He holds a BA in Philosophy from Colgate
University and did postgraduate studies in Mathematics and Physics
at Columbia University. He speaks four languages and travels
extensively internationally to meet with entrepreneurs and scientists
who are developing new Clean Technologies.
Charles Komanoff gained renown in the 1970s and 1980s for
deconstructing nuclear power cost escalation as author, researcher
and expert witness. He is currently active in the pedestrian and
cyclist movement in New York City. He is a founding trustee of the
Tri-State Transportation Campaign, the "re-founder" of Transportation
Alternatives, a founder of Right Of Way, and director of the Bridge
Tolls Advocacy Project. His recent reports include Killed by Automobile,
Drowning in Noise and Ending the Oil Age, which can be found
on his website.
He is an originator of Greening a Block,
a project to turn a Lower East Side city block into a showcase of
energy efficiency and renewable energy, and co-author with Jeff Perlman
of Bright Power of its Feasibility Study. Charles has a B.A. from
Harvard in Applied Mathematics and Economics. He lives in lower
Manhattan with his wife and their two sons. Charles can be reached
at (212) 260-5237 and kea@igc.org.
Barbara Lerman-Golomb is Communications Director for the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. She handles outreach, writing, editing, and public speaking responsibilities. Barbara also manages our Greening Synagogues program. She serves on the Commission on Social Action of the Union of Reform Judaism and was a former board member of GreenFaith in New Jersey. Barbara received a B.F.A. in Film/Television and Theatre from New York University and was a recipient of a Nathan Cummings Fellowship enabling her to train to become a Jewish environmental educator. Barbara is a published author, scriptwriter, and educational content designer
Amaris Lunde, co-founder of the Green Energy Buying Club
Aaron Naparstek writes a weekly column on politics, development and urban environmental issues for the New York Press. “The Coming Energy Crisis” was one of the first mainstream media stories to introduce the idea of Peak Oil to the general public. He is the author of Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage, a humorous book of haiku poetry inspired by New York City traffic congestion. He served as a project coordinator for Transportation Alternatives, organizing and working on a number of campaigns including Car-Free Prospect Park and the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Project. He is co-founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group. Naparstek graduated with a BA in history, summa cum laude from Washington University and received a Masters of Science degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Joanne and son Arlo.
Anthony O. Pereira, President & CEO, altPOWER, Inc. Anthony O. Pereira holds a BA in Economics from Fordham University. He has been involved in the construction industry since his early teens, working for his family's concrete construction company. Upon receiving his degree, he did a year of fundraising and activist work with Greenpeace Action in New York City. Later, after 5 years in the New York architecture industry, he began pursuing projects in solar electricity. Over the years he has worked on renewable energy projects throughout the New York Metropolitan area with some of the leading architectural, engineering and construction management firms. Since 1998, Anthony has run successful renewable energy development and construction management businesses, his latest venture being altPOWER, Inc. Anthony can be reached at (212) 206-0547, (212) 206-0893 fax, anthony@altpower.com.
Jeff Perlman of Bright Power, Inc.,
an energy-efficiency and renewable energy consulting company, is one of
the originators of Greening A Block - a project to take an entire city
block and make every building on it more energy efficient with community
support and involvement – and is co-author of its Feasibility Study. He
is co-founder and former co-executive director of Big Apple Solar
Installation Commitment (BASIC), a volunteer organization that teaches
New Yorkers the benefits and practicality of installing and using solar
energy systems on buildings. Jeff has designed, installed and/or obtained
financing for solar and energy-efficiency projects in the New York area.
As co-executive director of BASIC, he organized and promoted well-attended
events about developing solar energy in NYC, made presentations to
numerous audiences around the city, and managed a team of over twenty
volunteers. As a consultant with Capital E he has co-authored several
ground-breaking reports, including, “The Costs and Financial Benefits
of Green Buildings,” the findings of which are referenced in pending
New York City Council green building legislation. A native New Yorker
(he spent his early years in Stuyvesant Town), Jeff holds a degree in
Applied Physics from Yale. He lives in Brooklyn and has an office in
Manhattan. Contact Jeff at (212) 803-5868 and
jperlman@brightpower.biz.
Josh Radoff is a Co-Director of GreenHomeNYC, a local non-profit which promotes sustainable building methods and materials in New York City. In his day job, Josh works as an Energy and Climate Change Analyst for a Washington, DC-based consulting firm, where he researches policy and technology and writes on topics such as greenhouse gas emissions, alternative transportation options, and renewable and advanced power generation for clients like the US Department of Energy, DOE national labs, and various state governments. Josh spent two years teaching high school Physics and Earth Science in Richmond, VA before returning to school to earn masters degrees in Electrical Engineering and Sustainable Energy Engineering from Columbia University and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Josh can be reached at (212) 431-6900 x.204 and jradoff@greenhomenyc.org. Articles by Josh can be found here or here.
John Siciliani joined Community Energy in April 2003 as their Director of NY Sales, and is responsible for generating new sales to commercial and institutional customers in New York City and managing the company¹s partnership with Con Ed Solutions. John has over ten years of experience in the renewable energy field in various capacities - including public policy, business development, and sales and marketing. He is a past President of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association, and has a BA in Economics from the University of Montana.
Steven J. Strong, President of Solar Design Associates, has designed dozens of homes and buildings powered by solar electricity over the last 25 years. His installations include solar energy systems at the White House in Washington, D.C. and at the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta. He is the author of "The Solar Electric House", and articles about him and his work have appeared in over 100 publications. He has been named "Environmental Hero of the Planet" by TIME Magazine (1999) and "Environmental Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Audubon Society (2003).
Samara Swanston, Esq., environmental lawyer, environmental justice activist and executive director of the Greenpoint/Williamsburg Watchperson Project
Dean Zias has been an urban planner with the Pratt Institute's Center for Community Development (PCCD) for 27 years working with community groups in many housing and commercial revitalization projects in low- and moderate-income areas in NYC. For the past 3 years he has served as NYSERDA's partner to co-coordinate the Energy $mart Communities Outreach program in New York City, a program that provides resources, guidance, technical assistance, and financing for buildings and training opportunities, in energy conservation, efficiency, and development in New York. Dean Zias can be reached at Dean Zias, NYC Energy $mart Communities Outreach Coordinator for NYSERDA, 379 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205, (718) 399-4416 phone, (718) 636-3709 fax, dzias@pratt.edu.
Barry Weinbrom is a retired science educator who taught for the NYC Board of Education for 35 years. He is now director of ASAP After School Activity Programs. Through ASAP he brings enrichment programs in science to youngsters ages 4-12. Barry is committed to having youngsters experience their natural curiosity through the wonderful world of science. To that end, he represents programs such as Hands on Science and Green Games. He is also Vice Chair of the Environmental Educators Advisory Council. His phone number is 718-965-9814.
Alnardo Rodriguez and Jake Li teach and organize at Open Road of New York. Open Road was created in 1990 to develop programs and environments with and for young people that promote community, independence and self-respect. These programs are developed in partnership with neighborhood groups in need of new natural, educational, and recreational environments. These new environments create new bonds between people of all ages, who unite to establish a living community resource. Open Road core programs use Participatory Design: a democratic process where people work together as a team to design for their own needs as a community. Participatory Design is used all around the world to design many different things, places, and programs. Open Road shares its successful methods and planning guides with other groups at their gardens and playgrounds, and at the Open Road greenhouse at 420 East 12th Street. You can reach Open Road at OpenRoadnr@aol.com.
Wendy E. Brawer is a New York-based eco-designer with an artist's background. She is creator of the Green Apple Map and the founding director of Green Map System, an award-winning local-global collaborative community media organization with 235+ projects in 39 countries. Wendy has taught, spoken and written on eco-design extensively and has lived and worked on the Lower East Side since 1987. She was appointed Designer in Residence at Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in 1997. In 2000, she co-created SolSpherica, Liberty Science Center's solar exhibit, with designer Amelia Amon of Alt.Technica. Amelia will co-lead Sunday's tour, too. Reach Wendy at 212-674-1631, and see http://greenmap.org/mwd/ for more on her work.
The International Preparedness Network (IPN) is a community organization which provides the skills, information and techniques that can minimize (and in some cases, eliminate entirely) the destructive natural, technological, environmental and civil effects of disasters. The IPN developed a program called "Life-One" that is specifically designed to help address the need of impoverished communities and developing nations to create their own disaster preparedness infrastructure. IPN can be reached at (347) 385-8139 and getrfa@aol.com.
NEN Home Page Other Activities Contact Us