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Program Incubation Unit

Photo of a fuel tank on empty

There's a clear opportunity to initiate education, development, and investment in analysis and siting of new biodiesel (BD) refining and distribution for New York City. See Energy Security & Programs for more information

The CUCE-NYC program-incubation unit directly supports the efforts of the three program areas: Nutrition & Health, Urban Environment, and Family & Youth Development. The unit's priorities are:

  • To maintain and develop existing and outside-funded initiatives consistent with CUCE-NYC program goals
  • To explore and develop programs for eventual placement in existing Program Areas after 1 to 2 years of development, or for continuation as outside-funded efforts.

Program commitments for the Incubation Unit receive funding for the following initiatives:

  • A New York City-focused grant (through May 2008) is helping to demonstrate the use of heating oil blended with biodiesel (BD) in multi-family buildings. This is supported with funding from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and is complemented by a related grant (also NYSERDA) with Extension staff working with Brookhaven National Labs to educate building owners using #6 heating oil (a heavy residual oil) as to the potential for BD blended heating oil that is cleaner to burn and lower in pollutants. Extension's biofuel-based education includes work to develop a bio-based industry connecting New York City markets with producers with growers and Extension colleagues in the Mid-Hudson and throughout New York State.
  • A food-security program of Extension education that supports Farmers' Markets in and around New York City and includes demonstration farming and regional production that is small-scale and sustainable. This work impacts school food programs, community-supported agriculture (CSAs) and emergency food programs throughout the New York region.
  • NY MarketMaker nymarketmaker.cornell.edu is part of a growing national network of State websites supported by each land-grant institutions that provides a web-based tool linking agricultural producers and retail food actors: the New York site has over 2,200 agricultural producers registered and is supported with funding from the New York Farm Viability Institute.