Upper Green Side

Man this polluted air thing ain’t going away! And rightly so because it happens to be a huge deal. A huge, unclean, unsafe, global warming causing, and hugely worrisome deal.

A recently released report by the Environmental Defense Fund shows that just 1% of New York City’s buildings, those burning the dirtiest grades of heating oil, are responsible for 87% of the city’s heating oil soot pollution.

Pollution, in the form of soot, produced by burning No. 4 or 6 oil, some 1,000 tons of every year, endangers the health of all New Yorkers. It is also responsible for creating a rain of toxic soot that aggravates asthma, increases the risk of cancer, exacerbates respiratory illnesses and can cause premature death.

9,000 buildings, give or take, many in the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods such as the Upper East Side, use this unrefined sludge. Switching to No. 2 heating oil, sustainable bio-diesel, or natural gas can cut soot pollution by 95% and saves lives.

Check out this interactive map to find out exactly which buildings in NYC are burning dirty fuel.

Take action now: Send an e-mail to Mayor Bloomberg supporting a transition to cleaner burning heating fuels!