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About Us

The not-for-profit Community Environmental Center (CEC) was founded in 1994 by Richard M. Cherry to address the housing and energy efficiency needs of low- and middle-income communities.

The buildings in these neighborhoods were frequently run-down and unsafe. Residents spent their wages heating poorly insulated rooms in winter or cooling them in summer. Boilers and furnaces often did not function properly, and the resulting damage to the environment was immense.

Clearly there was a need for an organization that could improve the dwellings of New York City’s residents and at the same time benefit the natural world around us.

Since 1994, CEC has grown into the largest not-for-profit energy-conservation organization in New York State and holds the state’s largest contract for weatherization assistance services.

Today CEC is a leader in the burgeoning energy-efficiency field. The company is a major provider of consulting and technical services for green buildings. CEC has expanded its programs to include green jobs training for the new green economy, the salvaging and reuse of building materials, and educating young people about their role in the future of the planet.

The climate crisis is the determining circumstance of our time, and addressing the environmental impact of people’s energy use is fundamental to addressing community health.

With skill, dedication, and foresight, and commitment to environmentally sound public policy, CEC is in a unique position to fulfill that goal.

The CEC Family

Build It Green! NYC

Build It Green!NYC, better known as BIG!NYC, is a program of  Community Environmental Center. Through BIG!NYC, CEC continues to provide New Yorkers with resources to enhance their homes and community environments. BIG!NYC offers all New Yorkers a one-stop home for green building products, resources, and services. By providing an outlet for affordable green building products and services, BIG!NYC prevents waste, improves our environment, creates jobs, and spurs local economic development.

The cornerstone of this program is a 17,500 square feet warehouse in Astoria, Queens. The BIG!NYC Warehouse offers a wide variety of affordable, used and surplus building materials, plus a line of new, reasonably-priced green building supplies.

BIGNYC!: Deconstruction Services

But Build It Green!NYC is not only a source for building supplies. BIG!NYC also provides Deconstruction services.

Deconstruction is the selective and careful dismantling of buildings to maximize re-use and recycling rates. Build It Green! NYC Deconstruction can professionally dismantle anything from a kitchen to a whole house.

Why throw out materials that someone else can use? Deconstruction is your best environmental, and often financial, alternative to the landfill.

CEC encourages all of NYC’s residents, and not-for-profit and commercial businesses not only to shop at, or donate to, the BIG!NYC warehouse, but also to take advantage of its growing line of resources and services.

Please visit the BIG! NYC Web site for more information on services, or to shop for green or recycled building supplies.

Solar One

Since 2003, Solar One and adjacent Stuyvesant Cove Park, which it manages, have been delighting visitors with environmental, educational and arts programs. Situated along the Manhattan side of the East River, at 23rd Street,  Stuy Cove Park is the only park dedicated solely to native plants in Manhattan.

Every summer Solar One hosts many outdoor events, ranging from the pioneering Solar-Powered Dance Festival (and Solar-Powered Film Festival) to the fund-raising gala Revelry by the River, to the huge music and interactive art festival Citysol.

In recent years  Solar One has expanded its educational programs, reaching out to thousands of students, both young and old. In partnership with the NYC public school system, Solar One teaches about energy efficiency, the climate crisis and the natural world around us.

Solar One: Green Career Job Training

Solar One also runs CEC’s Green Career Job Training program, which partners with educational and community organizations throughout the city to train the most vulnerable of New York City’s youth for careers in the green economy.

For more information about Solar One, please visit the Web site: www.solar1.org

Key Staff

Richard M. Cherry, President and CEO

Richard M. Cherry is the founder and President of Community Environmental Center, Inc. (CEC).  He has overseen the expansion of the firm from a Weatherization Program contractor to a firm with in-depth expertise in energy analysis, new technologies and consulting for green building design.  Prior to founding CEC, Mr. Cherry was Executive Vice President and General Counsel and President of Housing Subsidiary Companies at the New York Urban Coalition.  In 2007 Mr.  Cherry received The Purpose Prize, a national award that recognizes leaders who are ushering in a new age of social progress.

Ken Daniels, Director of Finance

Ken Daniels manages all fiscal operations and supporting staff. He is responsible for financial reporting and controls, budgeting, and audit oversight of independent and New York State auditors. Mr. Daniels also advises management on business opportunities in terms of financial impact and general business planning and oversight. He holds an M.B.A in Accounting and is a CMA.

Olga Lucia Souto, Director of Low-Income Program Services

Olga Souto manages day-to-day program operations and supporting staff, and ensures program requirements are implemented in accordance with DHCR and NYSERDA regulations. She coordinates CEC’s in-house contractor team, while overseeing all phases of administrative and on-site work implementation, including audit review, work order preparation, client/contractor coordination, and delivery of work-site materials.

Thelma Arceo, Director of Technical Services

Thelma Arceo administrates energy-efficiency measures for 5+unit residential and commercial buildings, providing auditing, assessment, diagnostic, and construction oversight under the DHCR-funded Weatherization Assistance Program and the NYSERDA-funded Multifamily Performance Program. She holds a Master’s Degree in Energy Engineering and she is a Ph.D. candidate in Energy Management and Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Leroy Anthony, Director of Construction Services

Since CEC’s inception in 1994, Leroy Anthony has been the director of the field teams that insulate, air-seal, perform testing, and weatherize buildings. During those years, CEC has weatherized over one-hundred-thousand units, worked with hundreds of owners and saved millions in energy bills for homeowners and managers.  Mr. Anthony’s skilled and BPI-certified teams include inspectors and blower-door specialists, cellulose insulation technicians, and air-sealers, among others.  Over many years, Mr. Anthony and his managers have created a track record of excellent quality, safety and accountability, as evidenced by CEC’s numerous awards for safety and performance.  Mr. Anthony has BPI certification in shell, heating and building.

Katherine R. Careddu, Director of Corporate Development

Kathy Careddu manages all energy consulting and LEED™ certification for new construction. Ms. Careddu and supporting staff work closely with project teams to analyze energy reduction measures, establish LEED™ goals, provide guidance with regard to credit compliance, and prepare all documentation as required. As External Relations Manager, she maintains relationships with professionals in the green building community to expand CEC’s contribution to the field. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and offers 30 years of experience working with engineers, architects, government departments, and small business.  Ms. Careddu is a LEED AP.

Board of Directors

Richard M. Cherry
President & CEO
Community Environmental Center

Don Elliott
Bryant Burgher Jaffe, LLP

Board Treasurer
Lawrence F. Graham
St. Bartholomew’s Church

Susan Kaplan
President, Building Wrx

Nicholas Lembo
Principal, Monadnock Construction, Inc.

Raymond McGuire
Kauff McGuire & Margolid LLP

Karen Outlaw
Executive Director
Norcross Wildlife Foundation

David Pagan
Southside United Housing, Los Sures, retired

Board Chairman
Gregory Pressman
Partner, Schulte, Roth & Zabel

Corporate Counsel
Schulte, Roth & Zabel