Amsterdam High School Students Recognized for Winning Designs in State’s Drive EV Downtown Bumper Sticker Contest

For Immediate Release: 06/17/2022

Contact: Alex Chiaravalle | Alex.Chiaravalle@nypa.gov | (914 681-6806

 

New York Power Authority Competition Promoted Electric Vehicle Driving and Importance of Reducing Transportation Sector’s Carbon Footprint

 

Stickers Will Be Distributed at Community Events Throughout New York State

 

ALBANY—The New York Power Authority (NYPA) today recognized two Amsterdam High School students who created the winning designs in the “DRIve EV Downtown” bumper sticker contest to promote electric vehicle (EV) driving in New York State. The top vote-getting design will be printed and distributed at NYPA community events around the state.

“NYPA is committed to making electric vehicles easy to own and operate in New York State,” said NYPA Interim President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. “We are thankful to these youth for sharing their talents to help us spread the word in a fun and creative way about an important issue that is bringing us closer to a cleaner and greener energy future. Driving electric will help New York State achieve its ambitious clean energy goals and reduce pollutants along our highways and in our cities.”

 

The two sophomores—Anthony Serrano and Amani Rivera—participated in a STEM workshop through the Fulton Montgomery Community College Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) to learn about clean energy, electricity generation and electric vehicles, and then worked with Amsterdam local company, Sticker Mule, to design a bumper sticker to encourage more New Yorkers to drive electric and plug in to NYPA’s EVolve NY electric vehicle charging network. The curriculum, which was developed by NYPA’s Environmental Justice department, is being shared with similar groups throughout the state.

“New York is a hub of electric vehicle implementation and deployment, thanks to a host of innovative organizations, and forward-thinking individuals driving investments in clean energy,” said Congressman Paul Tonko. “It is truly inspiring to see students from our Capital Region using their immeasurable talents and creativity to encourage solutions to our most pressing climate issues. By joining in the push to electrify our transportation, we open the doors of opportunity and build a better, healthier, brighter future for all. I commend these Amsterdam High School students, who worked on these designs as part of Fulton Montgomery Community College’s Science and Technology Entry Program along with the New York Power Authority and Sticker Mule, and congratulate them on their achievement.”

 

The winning design was chosen by NYPA’s Environmental Justice department (which ran the program and developed the curriculum), its EVolve NY program leads, and its communications team. The bumper sticker will be shared at NYPA events that promote its EVolve NY program and EV driving and charging across New York State. EVolve NY is a nation-leading public fast-charging network across New York State, operated by NYPA, that makes it easier for more New Yorkers to charge faster, go further and drive cleaner. 

 

“Sticker Mule was honored to be chosen by the New York Power Authority to work with the students from the Amsterdam High School STEM program and assist them in designing bumper stickers to bring awareness to the important role electrification can play in helping New Yorkers protect our environment,” said Sticker Mule Co-founder and CEO Anthony Constantino. “Congratulations to Amani and Anthony for designing the winning bumper stickers."

 

The contest was sponsored by NYPA’s EVolve NY fast-charging network team, which installed Amsterdam’s Church Street charging hub last fall as one of dozens of high-speed chargers in key locations across the state to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles. Amsterdam included the chargers as part of its ongoing efforts through the Department of State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative to spur economic development.

 

Senator Michelle Hinchey said,“Shifting to electric vehicles is a must for us to reduce climate-damaging emissions, and it’s great to see our next generation championing the environmental benefits of EV adoption in New York State. Congratulations to ‘DRIve EV Downtown’ bumper sticker contest winners Anthony and Amani, and thank you for lending your creativity to help promote a more sustainable future!”

 

Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, long standing member of the NYS Assembly Committee on Energy said, “Electric vehicles are an important step forward in achieving our goal of creating more sustainable, vibrant communities and will help us build a clean energy economy in New York State. Our young contest winners, right here in the Mohawk Valley, are not only helping promote the use of electric vehicles, but also educating drivers about the benefits. Congratulations Anthony and Amani for your award-winning bumper sticker designs!”

 

Amsterdam Mayor Michael Cinquanti said, “Talented students of technology from Amsterdam High School combined with the world-class sticker design and manufacturing capabilities of Sticker Mule certainly created the perfect partnership to make sure these award-winning electric vehicle advocacy messages are seen by and stick with the millions of motorists who travel throughout our State. Thank you NYPA for sponsoring this outstanding program!”

 

“It has been a pleasure to review the inspired work submitted by Amsterdam’s talented young people,” said NYPA VP of Environmental Justice Lisa Payne Wansley. “Realizing New York’s clean energy future necessitates engaging and collaborating with local communities. These thoughtful sticker designs highlight the benefits of such collaboration, and we are excited to use them to help promote EV driving and other programs that advance New York’s ambitious climate goals.”

 

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New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan
New York State's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.

 

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