Powering Progress Together: Collaborative Pathways to Decarbonization

New York’s climate goals are creating new opportunities to accelerate building decarbonization across the city. Delivering meaningful emissions reductions depends on partnerships that can bridge ownership, engineering, operations, funding, and public policy. Hosted by Vornado Realty Trust and VHB, this Climate Week NYC conversation will explore how collaborative approaches can help bring complex decarbonization projects from concept to implementation. Using the PENN 1 waste heat recovery project as a case study, the discussion will examine how leaders across the real estate, engineering, technology, and public sectors worked together to advance one of New York City's notable building performance initiatives. Panelists from Vornado, VHB, JB&B, Trane, and NYSERDA will share lessons learned from navigating project development, stakeholder alignment, technical integration, and implementation challenges. The conversation will highlight the relationships, decision-making processes, and strategies that helped transform a bold sustainability goal into a completed project. Attendees will leave with practical insights into how cross-sector collaboration can accelerate decarbonization efforts, reduce implementation barriers, and help shape a more sustainable future for the built environment.