In September 2007, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced the convening of an 18-member sustainability commission that will seek to create a plan for reducing the agency's ecological footprint by Earth Day 2008.

Join Pratt Environmental Systems Management faculty members, Eva Hanhardt and Ron Shiffman for a conference call presentation and discussion of the MTA's new "Greening Intitiative."

For the first 30 minutes, Eva and Ron will be joined by representatives from the MTA as well as from the recently named Sustainability Commission, who will describe the initiative's goals and timetable.

In the second half of the call, participants will be free to ask questions, make comments, and most importantly suggest ideas relating to possible ways in which Pratt research might be helpful to the MTA.

Background on the MTA "Greening Initiaitve"
The MTA Sustainability Commission will develop a master set of recommendations that will help reduce the ecological footprint of MTA operations and capital programs and minimize the impact of the MTA on ecosystems in the MTA region and Northeast Corridor. The commission will cast a wide net, looking at everything from energy use and waste management to transit-oriented development and green, high-performance buildings. Part of the commission's mission will be to identify sustainability initiatives that have both environmental benefits and financial benefits. These financial benefits can take a number of forms, including cost savings from the use of new technologies or revenue from an agency's green venture. The Commission will attempt to answer a number of questions about the MTA and sustainability, including:

• What targets and goals should be set for reducing the MTA's ecological footprint - CO₂, other greenhouse gas emissions, water, waste, consumption of materials?
• What strategies should be employed to achieve these goals?
• As the nation and world experiment with carbon trading or carbon taxes, what role should the MTA play and how can it capitalize on the massive carbon savings the MTA produces by operating its public transportation network?
• What role can the MTA play in promoting smart-growth strategies and transit-oriented development?
• How does the MTA work with its state and local partners to harmonize its sustainability agenda with the sustainability goals of the municipalities in and around its 5,000-square-mile service territory?

Eva Hanhardt is a City and Environmental Planning Consultant and has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at Pratt Institute since 1997 and since 2004 the Coordinator of the Pratt Institute Environmental Management Systems Program. Eva has long been an active member of NYC's environmental planning community. At the New York City Department of Environmental Protection she directed a Unit that assisted businesses in environmental compliance, pollution prevention and sustainable development practices. In that capacity, she served on several EPA and State Department of Environmental Conservation Advisory Boards and Task Forces. As Director of the Greenpoint/Williamsburg Environmental Benefits Program she supported the development of one of the earliest Community GIS systems and worked closely with NYC Environmental Justice organizations. Currently she is on the Board of several environmental organizations including New Partners for Community Revitalization (a Brownfield remediation and redevelopment non-profit),Urban Agenda (the parent organization for the NY Appollo project which fosters the development of Environmental "green collar" jobs), Green Ground Zero , The NYC Dept. of Health Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, and the Sallan Foundation Roundtable for a High Performance City.

At Pratt, Eva teaches the Introduction to Principles and Practices of Planning course which is required for all students in the Graduate Planning Program and is coordinator of the Environmental Systems Management Program, The EMS Program offers an overview of Environmental issues from law to economics to the principles of sustainability and short 5 week courses on specific topics including: affordable high performance building both new and rehab; LEED certification; life cycle analysis; sustainability indicators, Environmental Impact Assessment, and solid waste, water and energy management systems and alternatives.

Ron Shiffman is a city planner with 40 years of experience providing program and organizational development assistance to community-based groups in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Trained as an architect and urban planner, he is an expert in the areas of financial packaging, innovative community-based financing, real estate development, and community-based planning. He has had extensive experience bringing together private and public sector sponsors of housing and related community development projects. In 1964, Ron Shiffman co-founded the Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development [PICCED].

Mr. Shiffman was an executive committee member of the International Research and Exchange for Development (IRED) and is the immediate past president of the Salzburg Congress on Urban Planning and Development. Since 1996 he has lectured extensively on Sustainable Development and Brownfield revitalization strategies.

In addition to his former role as director of PICCED, he is a tenured professor at Pratt Institute's School of Architecture. He has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners [AICP] since May 1985 and in April 2002 became a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners.