NYCEDC has awarded $7 million to CUNY to build and upgrade green economy workforce training infrastructure across six campuses in all five boroughs, funding new labs, classrooms, specialized training spaces, and equipment aimed at preparing students for climate-focused careers. The investment is expected to benefit more than 5,900 students annually and supports the city’s broader efforts to expand workforce pipelines tied to clean energy, building decarbonization, climate resilience, and sustainable infrastructure.
Rendering of Chazanoff School of Business, via EDC.
The funding will support eight projects across the six campuses. At City Tech in Downtown Brooklyn, the investment includes a new Decarbonization Lab for Sustainable Architecture and Performance Testing, along with upgraded specialized labs for resilient construction, offshore wind, and sustainable building systems. Brooklyn College in Flatbush will expand its biofuel and food sustainability research infrastructure, with new plant growth chambers and biological safety equipment focused in part on duckweed as an emerging resource for biofuels and sustainable food production. Medgar Evers College in Crown Heights will modernize laboratories and classrooms with advanced green technology equipment.
City Tech DeCarb Lab Inspiration Image, via EDC.
Elsewhere, Queensborough Community College in Bayside will construct a net-zero emissions Energy Education Center House with solar panels and advanced HVAC systems, designed to serve about 2,400 students annually. Bronx Community College will renovate and equip dedicated training and convening spaces for careers in building electrification, solar installation, and the skilled trades. The College of Staten Island will create a Collaboratory for Sustainable Business and expand renewable energy, wind power, and smart grid laboratories through its green workforce development program.
The campuses funded through the program are each served by nearby transit. City Tech is close to the Jay Street–MetroTech station; Brooklyn College is served by the Brooklyn College–Flatbush Avenue station; Medgar Evers College is near the Franklin Avenue and Nostrand Avenue stations; Queensborough Community College is accessible via nearby bus connections from Flushing–Main Street; Bronx Community College is near the 181st Street and Burnside Avenue stations; and the College of Staten Island is primarily reached by local and express bus service, including connections from the Staten Island Railway.
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Very cool. This is the future, kids. We have no choice.
$7 Mill-? I don’t know how far that is going
Exactly. They are going to build five different buildings on five different campuses for 7 million?