NYPA and CANALS Sustainability Champions Help Keep NY Energy Clean and Green
Kerry-Jane King and Alexandra Leader drive sustainability at NYPA and Canals.
People use the word sustainability a lot. When that happens, often a word can lose meaning; it becomes a label generically applied in conversation when convenient. But for some, that word represents both a comprehensive philosophy and a practical approach to addressing the urgent and complex issues of our day. New York Power Authority (NYPA) Sustainability Senior Director Kerry-Jane King and Sustainability Program Manager Alexandra Leader, Ph.D., use the word sustainability a lot. That’s not surprising. It is literally in their job titles. But when they use it, it carries profound meaning for both NYPA and its stakeholders.
“Sustainability is central to the New York Power Authority’s mission as a state power organization created to serve the public good,” explains King. “At NYPA, we are integrating sustainability into planning and decision-making so that it informs everything we do.” King’s department handles a broad range of sustainability topics as well as sustainability planning, performance management, and reporting.
King has held several different roles at NYPA, including working with customers, communities, and internally with NYPA facilities. She partnered with manufacturers and customers across the state to develop and demonstrate some of the first light- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, including patrol vehicles, school buses and transit buses, which won EPA Clean Air Excellence Awards and are now being manufactured and deployed on a large scale. She also worked with New York City community organizations to implement emissions reduction strategies in local communities, including everything from a truck stop electrification pilot, to green roofs, solar trash compactors and community shuttles.
In the meantime, in her hometown of Hastings on Hudson, New York, King chaired the Village Conservation Commission, and with a team of residents on the Commission developed a leading Green Building Code as well as many other initiatives relating to transportation, land, and waste, including a plastic bag and Styrofoam ban which won an EPA Green Champion Award.
In 2012, when King turned her focus to sustainability at NYPA and started to work on building and fleet decarbonization and electrification, waste management and ecosystem stewardship, she really hit her stride.
“What I love about sustainability is that it brings everything together. It involves both strategic thinking and the practical application of ideas to address pressing environmental and social issues. That combination is very rewarding and fulfilling on many different levels.”
Leader began her NYPA career during the pandemic, in February 2020. Holding a Ph.D. in sustainability, Leader’s studies centered on critical materials in clean energy technologies, including supply chain vulnerabilities and environmental lifecycle impacts. As a program manager at NYPA, Leader concentrates her energies on supply chain sustainability and waste reduction. But her sustainability responsibilities extend into other areas as well.
“I examine what we’re buying and who we’re buying it from and how products are being disposed of. Ultimately, we hope to improve our impacts along the entire value chain through sustainable procurement criteria and circular economy strategies. On the social side of the equation, NYPA has a longstanding and mature supplier diversity program run by its Supplier Relationship Management team. We partner with our peer utilities through the Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance and our sister New York State entities via the GreenNY Council to work together to make a greater impact. And that’s just a part of what we do every day.”
Both King and Leader point to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and New York State Executive Order 22 (EO22) to guide their work. The Climate Act establishes ambitious goals for addressing climate change, and EO22 directs state entities to lead by example and adopt a sustainability and decarbonization program. With a broad and comprehensive scope, EO22 covers a wide variety of sustainability topics including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, climate resilience, green procurement, waste reduction, promoting biodiversity, and lowering impacts on disadvantaged communities.
“The state developed EO22 so that state agencies and authorities could lead by example in implementing key elements of the Climate Act,” adds King. “NYPA’s VISION2030 strategic plan and sustainability goals are very much informed by and support the Climate Act and EO22. NYPA is a member of the Climate Action Council and a co-lead of the GreenNY Council and is responsible for supporting the Climate Act and overseeing implementation of EO22 along with other state entities.”
Given the changes in the state and world since NYPA conceived VISION2030, NYPA is looking to refresh VISION2030 to better reflect the evolving sustainability landscape and adhere closely to state priorities.
King explains, “The obvious challenge for us is integrating sustainability thinking into every part of the organization. We’re working across departments to increase collaboration around sustainability. That way we ensure that sustainability is top of mind and not an afterthought.”
King and Leader see the relationship between NYPA and Canals and their stakeholders across the state as a win-win for all. Leader explains that “New York State is a leader in sustainability. We have the State’s EO22 requirements that help drive our work.” King adds, “New York State and NYPA are champions of sustainability and are demonstrating leadership in programming to address climate change and sustainability more broadly. That alignment does more than simply advance our own sustainability goals, it provides a blueprint for our partners and community stakeholders and helps us help them to achieve their goals.”
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