Costa Constantinides represents the New York City Council’s 22nd District, which includes his native Astoria, as well as Rikers Island, parts of Jackson Heights, Woodside, and East Elmhurst. As chair of the Environmental Protection Committee since 2015, he has been committed to fighting the effects of climate change and keeping it from forever changing New York City’s landscape.
The son of a Greek-Cypriot immigrant and an education activist, Costa grew up immersed in the diverse fabric of Astoria. When he was elected in 2013 with more than 65% of the vote, Costa became the first Greek-Cypriot-American to hold a New York City office. He was elected to his second term in 2017 with 97% of the vote.
Sustainability, resiliency, and air quality have been among Costa’s top environmental issues long before he was sworn in. Growing up in western Queens meant seeing power plants go up in Astoria and Long Island City — often next to public housing — despite unified opposition from the community. As a volunteer after Sandy struck the area in 2012, Costa also saw first-hand what the storm did to the most vulnerable citizens.
In April 2019, Costa led the effort to pass the Climate Mobilization Act, the largest carbon emissions reduction ever mandated by any city in the world.
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