What can New York City do to protect its drinking water supply and its recreational waters in the coming decades? How is that supply affected by climate change, and what must we do to adapt? Join us for a deep dive into NYC’s complex water systems, which powerfully illustrate our city’s dependency on – and symbiotic relationship to – its larger regional environment and economy.

Al Appleton, former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection
Paul Gallay, President of Riverkeeper
Stacy Levy, environmental artist
Jim Dwyer (moderator), New York Times reporter
Please note that due to a scheduling conflict, Timon McPhearson is no longer able to participate.

This is the third program in our new series, New York’s Future in a Changing Climate, which explores the challenges and opportunities presented in the Museum’s Future City Lab, the interactive third gallery in the New York at Its Core exhibition. To view all of the programs in the series, click here. 

About the Speakers: 
Al Appleton is an international environmental and infrastructure consultant, Senior Fellow at The Cooper Union Institute for Sustainable Design, and Adjunct Associate Professor at The Cooper Union. He has interlocking expertise in water resource and water utility management, infrastructure economics, and public finance, land use and landscape preservation, and the economics of sustainable development. Previously, Mr. Appleton served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Director of the New York City Water and Sewer system.

Jim Dwyer has spent most of his professional life covering the city as a reporter, columnist and author. He joined the Times in May 2001 after stints at the Daily News, New York Newsday and several papers in northern New Jersey. His work for the Times has included coverage of 9/11, the Iraq War, the 2004 presidential campaign and law enforcement surveillance of political activities. He has written the About New York column since 2007. The winner of the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for commentary and a co-recipient of the 1992 Pulitzer for breaking news, Dwyer is also the author or co-author of six books.

Paul Gallay is the President of Riverkeeper, working to protect the Hudson River and the drinking water supplies for nine million New Yorkers. An attorney and educator, Gallay has dedicated himself to the environmental movement since 1987, when he left the private practice of law and went to work for the New York State Attorney General. In 1990, Gallay began a ten-year stint at New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, where he brought hundreds of corporate and government polluters to justice. 

Stacy Levy collaborates directly with natural processes like tides, erosion, plant growth, wind direction and rain. She creates large-scale sculpture installations to show the presence of nature in the city. Her projects often float on urban rivers and lakes, or are embedded into parking lots and streets. Many of her recent projects utilize storm water runoff, to make rainwater an asset to the site. Her works have been shown at Documenta 11, Mass MoCA, & Wave Hill. She has recently been on two winning teams for rainwater infrastructure design: Soak it up Design Awardfrom the Philadelphia Water Department, and the Green Infrastructure Challenge for DC Water, Washington DC.
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Before and after the program, speak with representatives from Earth Day Initiative to find out how you can green your lifestyle through simple, impactful changes. Join Earth Day Initiative’s “Do Just 1 Thing” campaign to support clean energy in your community and save money on utilities every month. Click here to learn how you can sign up and get an additional $10 off your next bill!