Environment DEC
From the October 2007 issue
A "Greenprint" for New's York's Environmental Future
Environmental sustainability principles, like those used in the design of DEC's headquarters building, must be practiced throughout New York
Editor's note: After months of consultations, DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis recently expressed his agency's priorities for protecting New York's environment in the following message.
When I became Commissioner, the first thing I did was read DEC's original mission statement:
"To conserve, improve, and protect New York's natural resources and environment, and control water, air, and land pollution, in order to enhance the health, safety and welfare of the people of the state and their overall economic and social well being."
That mission is as relevant today as it was when established by law with the department's creation in 1972. It is a mission that fully embraces the elements of sustainability-the simultaneous pursuit of environmental quality, public health, economic prosperity and social well-being, including environmental justice and the empowerment of individuals to participate in environmental decisions that affect their lives.
The pursuit of sustainability is a journey as much as a destination, and will require the efforts of people and organizations far beyond a single environmental agency. But DEC has a broad and powerful mission, and its activities have great potential to achieve progress toward sustainability in New York. The priorities outlined below were selected in recognition of this great potential, and my aim is to integrate these across all of DEC's divisions and programs.
Combatting Climate Change
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Encourage low-carbon design technologies
- Elevate climate change awareness, research and adaptation ability
- Foster carbon sequestration and sustainable forestry
- Lead state agencies' efforts to tackle climate change
Fostering Green and Healthy Communities
- Use DEC's program areas to encourage smart growth
- Clean up contaminated land, especially in urban centers
- Reduce local waste generation and increase recycling
- Promote community greening and urban forestry
- Preserve open space and working landscapes
Connecting New Yorkers to Nature
- Promote environmental education and outdoor experiences for all age groups
- Increase participation in hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and trapping
- Provide state-of-the-art facilities and high-quality and unique outdoor experiences
- Preserve and provide access to green space close to where people live, work and play
Building a Toxic-Free Future
- Reduce waste and use of toxics
- Promote green alternatives and technologies
- Support alternatives to the use of hazardous pesticides
- Promote product stewardship
- Enhance public access to information on toxics
Safeguarding New York's Unique Natural Assets
- Conserve, protect and restore watersheds
- Apply state-of-the-art management techniques, including ecosystem-based management
- Ensure sufficient water management infrastructure for New York's future
- Promote sound land use and planning, especially in and around forest preserves
- Add unique and valuable ecosystems to forest preserves
- Protect biodiversity and unique ecosystems across New York
Each of these priorities is interrelated and cuts across DEC programs. Each builds on DEC's overall mission, as well as building on projects that have been a part of DEC's work for many years. At the same time, each also responds to emerging environmental concerns such as global warming, dwindling open space, contamination that is impeding economic redevelopment, the need for a strong prevention ethic in materials and chemicals management, and the imperative to use a holistic approach in natural resource management.
In the coming weeks, I and my staff will begin to develop detailed initiatives for each of these policy objectives. With the help of my dedicated staff and an engaged and informed public, we can live up to DEC's critically important mission and leave a lasting legacy for generations of New Yorkers to come.
