In the 21st century, global warming has grown into a societal threat that puts almost all aspects of life at risk; rising sea levels to more frequent and intense storms increased drought and increases in extinction rates. With this crisis in mind, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that Governors Island would be made into a center of advocacy for a “cleaner, greener, more prosperous future for every New Yorker” in a post from the Governors Island blog, a sanctuary of climate research and development: The New York Climate Exchange.
State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook has been selected to lead the revolutionary transformation of Governors Island, a small 172-acre island in New York Harbor, just south of Manhattan Island and a quick 400-yards from Brooklyn across the Buttermilk Channel. The island is operated primarily by the National Parks Service under the jurisdiction of the aforementioned Trust for Governors Island. With a rich local, native, world, military, commerce, and political history, the island has been at the center of culture for centuries — and will continue to be as it is transformed into an innovative climate research and exploration facility.
The Exchange will be designed and run by SUNY Stony Brook as a state-of-the-art science, research, fine art, performance, and natural public complex; featuring student housing, innovative research facilities, restored-historic theaters, and water-side walkways, all using the most recent developments in renewable energy, reused materials, water recycling, living buildings, and landfill diversion techniques, helmed by New York City’s renowned Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of One World Trade Center, The Burj Khalifa, the Smithsonian, part of JFK Airport, and more.
According to its new website, the Exchange is “a first-of-its-kind, cross-sector nonprofit organization dedicated to climate research, solution development, education, workforce training, and public programs on Governors Island.” The project consists of multiple programs devoted to different disciplines like environmental justice and inclusion, energy, water, and food systems, and sustainable urban environments. Organizations like the Waterfront Alliance, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Museum of the City of New York, Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), along with many different schools like New York University, the University of Oxford, Rochester Institute of Technology, the Pratt Institute, Duke University, and many corporate partners like IBM, Boston Consulting Group, Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, and Boston Consulting Group will all be participating in this ground-breaking collaborative effort.
Construction on the project is slated to begin in 2025 and be completed by 2028, although delays can be expected for such a monumental project in the heart of New York City. While some raise concerns for the existing aspects of the island, from the natural environment to the historic buildings and grounds, the project is working to preserve the history of Governor Island’s Historic District and South Island Park along with the restoration of heritage buildings like Liggett Hall and the Fort Jay Theater.
The project has overall had a great reception from environmentalists, architects, civil engineers, historians, and citizens alike. As students at Stevens, the “Innovation University,” this project shows the developments in many different disciplines that make Stevens the school it is. To close, Mayor Adams offered some inspiring words about the project: “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. Where some people see challenges, New Yorkers see opportunities, and this team and this project are leading the charge.”
