Stony Brook University to anchor NYC climate center on Governor’s Island

Stony Brook University will anchor the New York Climate Exchange on Governor’s Island in New York City. The announcement was made Monday by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and The Trust for Governors Island.

Simons Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies pledged $150 million in combined support for the Stony Brook University-led center. Billed as a “first of its kind,” the center will develop and deploy “dynamic solutions to our global climate crisis, while also acting as a hub for New Yorkers to benefit from the rapidly evolving green economy,” according to a news release from Stony Brook University.

“Today, here in the heart of New York Harbor, we are taking a giant leap toward a cleaner, greener, more prosperous future for every New Yorker with the ‘New York Climate Exchange,’” Adams said in a statement.

“This first-of-its-kind project will make New York City a global leader in developing solutions for climate change while creating thousands of good-paying green jobs for New Yorkers and infusing $1 billion into our city’s economy,” Adams said. “Where some people see challenges, New Yorkers see opportunities, and this team and this project are leading the charge.”

The center will bring together world leaders and climate experts, as well as serve as a green job-training center for New Yorkers who want to build careers in this field.

The center will also partner with other institutions, including the Pratt Institute, Pace University, New York University, the City University of New York, SUNY Maritime College, Brookhaven National Labs and IBM. Together they will aim to address the challenges surrounding climate change, “including research that becomes commercially viable and ideas that lead to immediate action on the local and global levels,” according to Stony Brook University.

“We are honored, excited, and proud to partner with the City of New York to build this historic center that will cement New York City as the world leader on climate change, the most pressing issue of our time,” Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis said in a statement.

“Up until now, the development of climate solutions has been siloed, with world leaders separate from expert scientists separate from the on-the-ground green workforce,” she added. “As an international leader on climate and as the leading public research institution in New York, Stony Brook University will bring stakeholders together from the academic, government and business communities to make the Climate Exchange the center of research, innovation, education and collaboration to address this global crisis.”

The Simons Foundation, together with Simons Foundation International, pledged a total of $100 million as matching gift support for The Exchange – the largest gift to date under Simons Foundation President David Spergel’s leadership and the second-largest in Stony Brook’s history.

“We are honored to partner with Stony Brook and The Exchange,” Simons Foundation President David Spergel said in a statement.

“Our partnership with Stony Brook goes back many years and together we’ve made great progress in both basic and health sciences,” he added. “This enduring relationship is a source of great pride for all of us at the Simons Foundation. Stony Brook has catapulted to the forefront of higher education through its remarkable strength as a research institution and its unequaled focus on equity and access. I cannot think of a more qualified institution to lead this historic fight against climate change — a fight that must be met with innovation, intellect and tenacity.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies donated $50 million to the project, as part of the philanthropy’s commitment to New York City, the fight against climate change, and improving higher education in New York and beyond.

“This great news is 22-years in the making,” Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg LP.

“As a candidate for mayor in 2001, I proposed transforming Governors Island into a park and university campus, and the next year Gov. Pataki and I worked with President Bush to return the island to city and state for $1,” he added.

That’s when, Bloomberg said, his administration “opened a public school on the island and began building an extraordinary public park, but over time it became clear that the city needed greater control of its development. In 2010, we worked with Governor Paterson to cede the island to the city, which allowed us to lay the foundation for fulfilling our original vision of a year-round destination with a university presence that would bring new life and jobs. Now, thanks to Mayor Adams’ leadership, that vision is being fulfilled through a groundbreaking partnership with Stony Brook University that holds so much potential, The New York Climate Exchange. Bloomberg Philanthropies is glad to join Jim and Marilyn Simons and others in supporting it, as part of our global efforts to help cities lead the way in tackling climate change. This is a great day for the island, for New York City’s future, and for the fight against climate change.”

“It is becoming clear year-after-year in New York, and around the world, that the impacts of climate change are real and are here,” Kevin Reed, associate dean for research and associate professor at Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, said in a statement.

“By partnering with communities, industries, governments, and universities, The Exchange will help to accelerate the implementation of urban solutions to these climate impacts through an interactive research ecosystem where community engagement is paramount,” Reed said. “As a climate scientist, I recognize that New Yorkers need solutions to the climate crisis now, and The Exchange will help to make that a reality.”

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in collaboration with MNLA, Buro Happold, and Langan Engineering conceived the design and operations of The Exchange. The center is intended to serve as a model for sustainability with a net zero center that complements the natural landscape of Governors Island and the urban landscape of New York City.

“It is a tremendous honor to design a new kind of campus: one that not only sets the stage for our post-carbon world, but also centers a compelling new public realm for all New Yorkers,” Colin Koop, SOM design partner, said in a statement.

“Our design embodies this stewardship by weaving sinuous mass timber pavilions through the rolling landscape of the park and reusing the historic building fabric of Governors Island,” Koop added. “Together, these spaces will cultivate advances in climate research and pilot new technologies that can be deployed across the city, and eventually the world. We look forward to working with the Governors Island Trust, Stony Brook University, and our team of design and engineering collaborators to bring this important project to life.”

The Exchange will include a 400,000-square-foot interactive “living laboratory” with green-designed building space, including research labs, classroom space, exhibits, greenhouses, mitigation technologies, and housing facilities.

Officials say it will include all-electric buildings for the entire campus with on-site solar electrical generation and battery storage meeting 100% of energy demand with net-positive capability to serve the local grid. And 100% of non-potable water demand will be met with rainwater or treated wastewater. In addition, 95% of waste will be diverted from landfills, making this one of the first sites in the U.S. to achieve true-zero waste certification. Also featured is a climate-resilient design including new buildings raised to 18 feet, with no basements and living shorelines. All new and renovated buildings will meet “Living Building Challenge” standards, and will be the first buildings in the city to achieve this certification.

A research and technology accelerator will serve to source and nurture ideas, projects, and new ventures that aim to the climate crisis.

The center will also include a citizens advisory council, composed of key local stakeholders to ensure that partners’ and neighbors’ voices are heard and amplified as it looks to jointly develop and implement new climate solutions, including those that affect low-income communities of color.

Stony Brook University formed international partnerships with academic partners outside of New York City, research foundations and social justice organizations to create The Exchange.

For these kinds of partnerships – locally and nationally – the potential for collaboration brings promise.

“Brookhaven Lab researchers have played key roles in designing and conducting landmark climate studies from the Arctic to the Amazon for the U.S. Department of Energy,” Brookhaven National Laboratory Interim Director Jack Anderson said in a statement. “We’re excited at the prospect of collaborating with other researchers through the New York Climate Exchange as part of this new, important initiative focused on developing the next generation of climate experts and creating equitable climate solutions.”

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