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Starting next October, all heating oil sold in New York City will have to be at least two percent biodiesel.
Mayor Bloomberg just signed the bill, which will effectively reduce the city's petroleum consumption by about 20 million gallons.
More bikes, fewer cars
The city has also been applauded for its rather dramatic transformation recently into a more bike- and pedestrian-friendly place, having added more bike lanes and transformed traffic-heavy areas into pedestrian plazas.
(Although on the flip side, the latest MTA fare increase sure doesn't do much to convert drivers into mass transit users).
Apartment buildings
1,000 Supers is a relatively new initiative that trains superintendents in building efficiency. It's been gaining ground steadily since it was launched just a year ago, and a funding boost earlier this year helped the program train 2,200 NYC supers to manage their buildings with more energy-efficient practices.
A cleaner future
Other efforts still have work to be done, but hold promise for a cleaner, healthier city: the mayor is working to ban outdoor smoking—and for cigarette butts that remain, a recycling program could help keep the city clean.
And to address the city's obesity problem and fixation with sugar, Bloomberg is also pushing to prohibit soda from being purchased with food stamps.
More about biodiesel:
25 Things You Need To Know about Biodiesel
Stock Up on Biodiesel: Now Hundreds of Fueling Stations Across the US
Biodiesel: How It's Made, Environmental Impact, Where to Find a Fueling Station, and More
Can Biodiesel Be Green? The Sustainable Biodiesel Summit
