Leading towards a Greener Future
Earlier this summer, Vlada Kenniff, NYCHA’s Vice President of Energy and Sustainability, was a panelist at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Women in Green Conference. We caught up with Vlada recently to find out more about her NYCHA career and the sustainability and energy work underway at NYCHA.
At the conference it was mentioned that you became interested in sustainability when you immigrated to the United States. Can you talk a bit about that?
When we were immigrating to the U.S., my family passed the Aral Sea, which until recently was the fourth largest lake in the world. It is now almost entirely gone due to man-made activities. So, it’s been clear to me since a very young age that humans are capable of massive environmental changes and that climate change is real.
Upon arriving in the U.S. (five people: five bags, as my father likes to say about the sum of our belongings) we could only afford to live in places that lacked basic things like cooking gas, which heightened my appreciation for energy and resource conservation and also decent housing. I have a distinct memory of my mom being crafty and turning an iron upside down to make a meal.
What role do you think women play in promoting sustainability?
Women are playing a major leadership role in guiding sustainability initiatives all over the world. Throughout my 15 years in sustainability, I’ve had many women sponsors and role models, and I try to be one to the women in my field. Having become a mom three months ago, I’m also reminded how complex the world is for a working woman. It’s become even more important for me to make sure we continue to improve the homes of NYCHA families.
Can you talk about your career journey so far?
I joined the NYC Department of Environmental Protection after grad school, where my roles in water-related environmental policy involved extensive work with NYCHA. So it is no surprise I ended up here three-and-a-half years ago. My first job at NYCHA was Director of Sustainability Programs, where I spent two years before being asked to manage the Office of Mold Assessment and Remediation. In that role, I worked on the strategy for meeting our mold-related Baez commitments and on finalizing the HUD Agreement Action Plan. Now, as the head of Energy and Sustainability, I focus on implementing NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda to create healthy, comfortable, and resilient homes.
What kind of progress is being made on the Sustainability Agenda?
My team and I put together a detailed update every year on Earth Day. Most notably, we’ve been able to finance approximately $300 million in energy and water efficiency projects, begun moving forward on many capital and operational waste management improvements, and launched community shared solar installations that train and employ NYCHA residents while providing revenue to those developments. My first guiding principle in all of these projects is to improve residents’ quality of life – everything else is secondary.
What are the major priorities your department is working on right now, and what do you anticipate will be the focus in the coming year or two?
My goal is to synchronize the Sustainability Agenda with the HUD Agreement pillars and align all of our sustainability initiatives to continue to improve waste management and heating, and eliminate mold and lead. We’ll remain focused on leveraging green building solutions and any funding opportunities to drive down utility costs and de-carbonize NYCHA.
How do you think the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the sustainability agenda? The pandemic amplified the need for an even greater focus on building systems. Residents are spending more time indoors and their apartments need to be healthy. Most of NYCHA’s underlying building systems – plumbing, ventilation, electrical, heating, waste management – have not received the necessary level of investment over the years, so there is a greater urgency to get these systems fixed.
