Residents from eight cities around the country answered an online survey question in August to make their concerns and needs known when it comes to impacts of global warming such as more extreme storms, heat, sea level rise, flooding, drought, and wildfires. The survey was promoted via Facebook to communities of color in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Albuquerque, Tucson and Los Angeles.

EPA Holds ‘Clean Power’ Hearings; Poll Finds Climate Change To Be A Hot Topic For Minority Voters.

June 2014

May 2014

April 2014

March 2014

February 2014

January 2014

November 2013

Written by Cydnie Melson, Green For All College Ambassador 

GFA College Ambassadors Cydnie Melson and Vicky Valera

On Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 9am- 1pm, I, along with my fellow Ambassador Vicky Valera, organized an awesome community activity for Clark Atlanta University students. We collaborated with the Miss Women’s Leadership Council of Clark Atlanta University and presented the event, “Farming Atlanta.” We arrived at 8:30 a.m. at the Clark Atlanta University campus student center to welcome our fellow students and get ready for the day’s activities. After meeting at the student center we walked to a nearby community farm. We walked so that we could reduce the carbon footprint of our event. Every little bit helps.

Entrepreneur: Kelvin Francis
Matched Coach: Paul Thallner

Entrepreneur: Carla Mays
Matched Coach: Maureen Miller

Entrepreneur: Howard Jean-Denis
Matched Coach: Nancy James

Entrepreneur: Demetrius Hunter

Matched Coach: Mike Curtis

Entrepreneur: Torin Kexel
Matched Mentor: Jim Golden

Entrepreneur: Dave Room
Matched Mentor: Greg LaSalle

Entrepreneur: Veronica O. Davis & Chanceé Lundy
Matched Coach: Cathleen Szebrat

Entrepreneur: Sarah Alexander
Matched Coach: Margaret (Maggie) French

Entrepreneur: Sarah McEachern
Matched Mento: Dave Rayburn

Entrepreneur: Joanna De Leon
Matched Coach: Heather Markel

Entrepreneur: Markese Bryant
Matched Coach: Mary Riley

Entrepreneur: Susie Blackburn
Matched Coach: Nancy Paul

Entrepreneur: Cathy Kumar
Matched Coach: Teri Conrad

Entrepreneur: Garry Harris
Matched Coach: Ed Rankin

Entrepreneur: Kandea Mosley
Matched Mentor: Carelyn Yancel Torres Rivera

Entrepreneur: Will & Stacee Nichols
Matched Mentor: Nikki Payne

Entrepreneur: Khary Dvorak-Ewell
Matched Coach: Faith Halter

Entrepreneur: Courtney Tellefsen
Matched Mentor: Scott Uelner

Entrepreneur: Gabriel Mandujano
Matched Coach: Cathy Carmody

Entrepreneur: Delicia Gunn
Matched Mentor: Stephen Bonnaire

Entrepreneur: Corey Thompson
Matched Coach: James E. Persing

Entrepreneur: Lisa Curtis
Matched Coach: Mary Miller

Entrepreneur: Eric Mathis
Matched Coach: Charles Feltman

Entrepreneur: Julie Koppen

Matched Mentor: Shannon Gilbertson

Entrepreneur: Kwabena Nkromo
Matched Coach: Cornelia Shipley

Entrepreneur: Barbara Lee Parks
Matched Coach: Vivian Padua

People sometimes confuse the terms green job and green-collar job. ‘Green job’ refers to any job that contributes to preserving or enhancing environmental quality.

Check out these great websites that post and list green jobs. You might see a lot of green job listings that require advance degrees, but all of these sites list green-collar jobs as well.

October 2013

By Maritza Martinez

What if you could not only vote for who your representatives are, but also how they legislate? In Brazil and the United Kingdom, you can. And the idea is catching on in cities across the U.S.—including New York, Chicago, and Buffalo. These cities are beginning to incorporate participatory budgeting into some aspects of city management. Participatory budgeting allows community members to make real decisions about how money is spent in their city. In participatory budgeting, residents identify spending priorities, develop specific spending proposals, vote on which proposals to fund, and work with the city to implement the top proposals.

September 2013

Written by Zakiya Harris
Green For All Business Accelerator Program Manager

The National Urban League has empowered generations of civil rights leaders to further justice and improve education and housing. Now it’s about to empower minority-owned businesses to improve the economic opportunities in their communities. 

Written by Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez, Senior Associate of Green For All

Performing operations and maintenance on green infrastructure projects in the Northeast Ohio area has the potential to create 219 jobs and over $23 million in economic activity. These jobs not only represent substantial local economic development activity, they also preserve the long-term health and performance of new green infrastructure projects, and can offer valuable career entry points to people with barriers to employment. 

Written by Makaila Frisina, Green For All Communications Intern

The four words that I’ve heard grumble from my dad’s mouth and mine the most this summer break have been, “It is so hot!” It’s not just us; it really is getting warmer every year. Last year was the hottest year on record in the United States. Record-breaking temperatures aren’t the only climate change events that we’re witnessing. Wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes and carbon pollution have contributed to a decline in public health and the health of our planet. 

Tim Carryer has always loved the outdoors—he’s spent time traveling in Alaska, and scuba diving off the coast of Massachusetts. The pollution and environmental degradation he saw while spending time in nature always disturbed him. But he never really thought of himself as an environmental advocate, until recently. 

August 2013

“I am the Green Economy” Blog Series

Written by: Maritessa Bravo Ares

Rain or shine, Jennifer McPike moves swiftly from door to door with a clipboard in hand in some of San Francisco’s underserved and neglected neighborhoods.  As an Environment Now Crew Leader, she and her team are on a mission. Their goal is to reach out to as many San Francisco residents as they can to teach them about the city’s Zero Waste Campaign, an effort to reduce waste heading to landfills while increasing access to recycling and composting.  Jennifer’s job is more than just making sure she and her crew target every home on her list.  It’s about transforming a community – one home, one business, and one person at a time. 

Written by Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez, Senior Associate for Green For All

What would happen if every time a roadway was built or renovated, new green infrastructure that added green spaces and soaked up rainwater was also installed? What if every time a new road is planned, we also planned to include lush tree canopies that naturally lower temperatures? Well, the city of Tucson is no longer asking these questions—they are finding the answers. The city’s Green Streets policy requires that stormwater-harvesting features, such as vegetated streetside basins, be integrated into all publicly-funded roadway development and re-development projects. City officials believe that this will reduce demand on precious potable water supplies for landscape irrigation, increase shade along roadways, enhance the urban forest, reduce flooding, and cut back on water pollution. The adoption of this innovative policy is a lesson in the power of grassroots movement building. 

By Karen Monahan, Green For All Fellow and Environmental Justice Organizer at Sierra Club

Environmental Justice issues are linked to many other injustices. Polluting industries are more likely to be located in communities of color and low-income communities. Folks who are impacted by these pollution sites often suffer from many illnesses, including asthma. Asthma is the number one reason students miss school. Link that to test scores and drop out rates. Many of these same folks do not have healthcare. Folks still have to eat and have shelter regardless of whether or not they have an education. When one doesn’t have the proper training or education to make a living wage, it leads to low-income jobs (if they are available), social services (which are being cut) or maybe a life of crime, which can lead to incarceration or even death. Environmental Justice is one way to tackle a variety of injustice issues. 

In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit, Kareem Dale was working in Houston as a project manager for a construction company. It was a good job, but he sometimes wondered if there was something else out there—something more gratifying. 

July 2013

Written by Julian Mocine-McQueen
Director of Education and Outreach, Green For All 

This past week, I joined 600 (mostly) young leaders from around the globe for phase one of Global Power Shift (GPS). Held on the campus of Istanbul Technological University in Turkey, GPS was convened by 350.org. In the face of ever-rising CO2  levels and continued failure from most governments to act, GPS is a massive worldwide push to shift power toward solutions and away from the fossil fuel economy. More than just a gathering of climate activists, GPS phase one was designed to allow national allies, neighboring countries and entire regions to sit down together and plan phase two. Phase two will launch over the next several months and will be comprised of countless coordinated campaigns and actions. I was proud to represent the United States and Green For All at this incredible gathering. 

Andrew Butcher
GTECH Strategies
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Written by: Kaori Tsukada, Program Associate

When Andrew Butcher saw vacant lots, he also saw the potential to make them the heart of a community revitalization strategy. Vacant lots are empty parcels of land that pose a number of challenges – the appearance of disuse can attract illegal dumping, decrease property values in the surrounding area, and lead to general disrepair as well as significant costs for both neighbors and the municipality. In urban areas that house disadvantaged populations, lack of resources can lead to more vacant lots and blight designation. 

By Maritza Martinez

Green For All Fellow Hakim Cunningham feels that “service work is one of the highest calling a man can undertake in his lifetime.”  He is the director of organizing at the Boston Workers Alliance, a community organization led by unemployed and underemployed workers fighting for employment rights. 

Kaori Tsukada 

Nate Dais never imagined that he’d be designing and constructing park trails—or that he’d enjoy it so much. A few years ago, he was working at a job that didn’t pay enough, and when the economic downturn came, he hit a wall; there were no jobs available. With no way out, he did what he had to do to make ends meet. When he heard about a training program his cousin was doing, it opened a door. Dais knew he wanted to transform his life. 

Disponible en español. Available in Spanish

Amery Romero’s family has lived in Truchas, New Mexico for generations. Since the 1600s, they’ve farmed and raised cattle in the area. But over the past few decades, more and more of Truchas’ residents have streamed out of the town, leaving to work at the nearby Los Alamos National Laboratory, or heading to Santa Fe in search of jobs. 

Traducido por Marta Donayre

Disponible en ingles. Available in English.

La familia de Amery Romero ha vivido en Truchas, Nuevo México, por generaciones. Desde los 1600s, ellos han criado ganado en al área. Pero durante las últimas décadas, más y más de los residentes de Truchas han dejado el pueblo para ir a trabajar en el Laboratorio Nacional Los Álamos, o a Santa Fe en búsqueda de empleo. 

Escrito Por Maritza Martínez, Traducido por Marta Donayre

Disponible en ingles. Available in English.

Se habla mucho sobre la resiliencia de la comunidad, ¿Pero qué quiere decir eso en realidad? ¿Cómo podemos asegurarnos que nuestras comunidades están preparadas para sobrevivir –no solo en cara de los desastres causados por el cambio climático, pero durante las bajas de la economía, o cualquier otra cosa que aparezca? 

By Maritza Martinez

Disponible en español. Available in Spanish.

There’s a lot of talk about community resilience, but what does it really mean?  How can we make sure our communities are ready to survive—not only in the face of disasters wrought by climate change, but during economic downturns and whatever else may come our way? 

Written by Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez
Senior Associate, Green For All

In our recent report, Staying Green and Growing Jobs: Green Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance as Career Pathway Stepping Stones, we profile seven organizations that are linking members from disadvantaged communities to opportunities in the green sector.  These groups are diverse with respect to the populations they serve, the skills they teach, and the types of work they perform, but all of them recognize that green infrastructure has the potential to transform communities. 

Written by Maritza Martinez Fellowship Program Manager, Green For All

Last week, I joined Green For All’s Director of Education and Outreach, Julian Mocine-McQueen on a trip to Buffalo to meet with the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York. Our goal was to bring together allies from around the city to explore how we could collaborate.

Written by Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez
Senior Associate, Green For All

In our recent report, Staying Green and Growing Jobs: Green Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance as Career Pathway Stepping Stones, we profile seven organizations that are linking members from disadvantaged communities to opportunities in the green sector.  These groups are diverse with respect to the populations they serve, the skills they teach, and the types of work they perform, but all of them recognize that green infrastructure has the potential to transform communities. 

By Maritza Martinez After spending four months in Southeast Asia, Dana Frasz returned to the U.S., a country where more than one in five children don’t know where their next meal will come from. Yet she watched as institutions from colleges to restaurants to farms throw perfectly good food into our landfills. It was a jarring contrast after seeing so much poverty and hunger overseas. Seeing leftover food poured into the trash in her college dining hall sparked Frasz into action. 

Earlier this month, Green For All partnered with the University of Phoenix to host a Green Business Academy in Los Angeles. The Academy is designed to give skilled business professionals and green entrepreneurs the tools they need to grow and succeed. During the daylong workshop, business leaders networked, learned about running and funding green businesses from other entrepreneurs and industry leaders, and gained skills in working with government agencies. 

Written by Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez
Senior Associate, Green For All

In our recent report, Staying Green and Growing Jobs: Green Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance as Career Pathway Stepping Stones, we profile seven organizations that are linking members from disadvantaged communities to opportunities in the green sector. These groups are diverse with respect to the populations they serve, the skills they teach, and the types of work they perform, but all of them recognize that green infrastructure has the potential to transform communities.

Disponible en ingles. Available in English.

Escrito por Kaori Tsukada, Traducido por Marta Donayre

El hijo de Diana tenía cuatro años cuando comenzó a tener fuertes migrañas, eczema, y mala salud. Durante cinco años los doctores batallaron para diagnosticar y tratar su condición, y descubrieron que era debida a una sensibilidad extrema a preservativos y aditivos en su comida.

Disponible en español. Available in Spanish.

La Tauna Tortillas
Tucson, Arizona

Written by: Kaori Tsukada

Photo credit:
Tim Fuller, photographer
www.timfuller.com

Diana’s son was four years old when he started to suffer from severe migraines, eczema, and poor health. For five years, doctors struggled to diagnose and treat his condition, which they finally found was due to extreme sensitivity to preservatives and additives in his food. 

Written by Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez 

Senior Associate, Green For All

In our recent report, Staying Green and Growing Jobs: Green Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance as Career Pathway Stepping Stones, we profile seven organizations that are linking members from disadvantaged communities to opportunities in the green sector. These groups are diverse with respect to the populations they serve, the skills they teach, and the types of work they perform, but all of them recognize that green infrastructure has the potential to transform communities. 

In Howard County, Maryland, the READY (Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth) program is changing lives while keeping local water clean and healthy. The organization works to create good green jobs for youth while reducing stormwater runoff and improving watershed health. READY trains young adults in the design and installation of green stormwater systems. Crew members install rain gardens on institutional properties including schools, congregational grounds, and large properties held by non-profit organizations. 

Written by Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez
Senior Associate, Green For All

In our recent report, Staying Green and Growing Jobs: Green Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance as Career Pathway Stepping Stones, we profile seven organizations that are linking members from disadvantaged communities to opportunities in the green sector. These groups are diverse with respect to the populations they serve, the skills they teach, and the types of work they perform, but all of them recognize that green infrastructure has the potential to transform communities. 

By Maritza Martinez

When Green For All Fellow Ashara Ekundayo moved to the Bay Area from Denver in 2010, she brought her passion for creative place-making, a track record of community organizing, and an expertise in execution. Three years later, she is serving as a catalyst and connector through her work as Co-Founder and Director of External Affairs at Hub Oakland. 

From coast to coast, last week folks turned out and tuned in to celebrate Earth Day and support a more sustainable future. 

Written by Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez
Senior Associate, Green For All

Improving the social conditions of disadvantaged communities is no easy task.  For years, workforce development programs have been helping members of these communities gain access to employment opportunities by preparing them for the workplace and providing them with the skills they need to succeed. 

When Generation Water’s CEO Marcus Castain started the organization, his goal was to develop the next generation of leaders for the green economy who can combine technical best practices and business skills to solve complex sustainability challenges.  Five years later, Generation Water has employed and trained more than 250 youth and adults, installed 125 rain gardens, and conducted over 240 water audits and irrigation surveys for clients in the Los Angeles area including the Department of Water, Los Angeles Unified School District, the Metropolitan Water District, and the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, among others. 

Written by: Eric Mathis, Green For All Fellow

“The U.S. medical system, as currently set up, rewards cardiac surgeons at a much greater rate than it does programs for avoiding weight gain or controlling high blood pressure. About 5% or less of the U.S. budget on health care is spent on prevention, according to Don Wright of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Most of the rest is spent on treatment.”[1]

Written by Maritza Martinez, Fellowship Program Manager

Last year, all eyes were on Occupy Oakland as protestors exposed economic injustice and challenged the status quo across the country.  Though the issues they brought to light are still relevant, they are no longer in the global spotlight. But the movement has continued in many ways and the inspiration it provided lives on in the work of many around the world. 

Written by Shamar A. Bibbins
Director of National Partnerships, Green For All 

As a college sophomore in the mid 1990’s, I eagerly accepted a field-study assignment with a local environmental organization where I helped execute public engagement efforts around New York State’s newly established recycling laws in public housing projects. As anyone who has ever done community outreach will tell you, there is always a swinging pendulum of public response, from great appreciation to deep agitation. However, it was the response of a young mother, not much older than myself, that changed the trajectory of my studies and eventually my career. 

Restoring the environment and developing youth: crew installing a rain garden
Credit: Donald Tsusaki | Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

The operations and maintenance (O&M) of green infrastructure represents a significant opportunity to create entry-level jobs in the green sector for individuals from disadvantaged communities.  In the coming years, thousands of new green infrastructure projects will be installed throughout the country. They will require a workforce trained to maintain and monitor the projects.  Green For All’s new report, Staying Green and Growing Jobs, reveals that water utilities investing in green infrastructure can outsource O&M work to workforce development programs that train individuals in green infrastructure – in fact, some already do.  Operations and maintenance work gives disadvantaged community members access to jobs and career on-ramps while performing the O&M work required by water utilities. 

Written by: Maritza Martinez, Fellowship Program Manager

KI EcoCenter youth entrepreneurs and Green For All Fellow Imhotep Adisa with their rain barrel prototype

In many communities around the world, people are struggling for basic access to clean water. Here in the United States, many of us see water as an unlimited resource that we take for granted. But the truth is that much of our country’s water infrastructure is decaying, including in places like Indianapolis, where both unemployment and sewage overflow plague communities. But today, intergenerational entrepreneurship is creating solutions to both problems.  

Traducido por Marta Donayre

Disponible en ingles. Available in English.

¿Alguna vez ha llegado a un punto en su vida cuando se da cuenta que necesita cambiar algo? Eso fue lo que le pasó a Mark Davis. El manejaba una exitosa compañía en Washington D.C., cuando comenzó a pensar sobre la importancia de la energía limpia para el medio ambiente. Entonces, en 2009, él comenzó una nueva empresa dedicada a la energía solar: WDC Solar. Él escogió la energía limpia porque sintió que era la cosa correcta que se debía hacer. 

Disponible en español. Available in Spanish.

Have you ever come to a point in life when you realized that you needed to make a change? That’s what happened to Mark Davis. He was running a successful information company in Washington, D.C., when he started to think about the environment and the importance of clean energy. So in 2009, he started a new company dedicated to solar power: WDC Solar. He got into the clean energy industry because he felt it was the right thing to do. 

By Maritza Martinez

KI Eco Center youth entrepreneurs assemble a rain barrel prototype.

Access to clean water is vital for a healthy life. We tend to think about water scarcity issues as a crisis only in developing nations. But we have a water crisis right here in the U.S., too. We have crumbling and inefficient water infrastructure.  We waste 1.5 trillion gallons of water each year just because of broken water mains. Thirty-six states are expected to suffer from water shortages in the next five years alone.  We urgently need to address these problems. 

Twenty-four year-old Aisha never anticipated that she’d be leading her own environmental remediation company. Though she’d always been interested in environmental issues, she was largely unaware of the fact that many residents in her hometown of Baltimore faced serious health risks from living in homes and buildings contaminated with toxic substances like asbestos, mold, and lead. 

Written by: Maritessa Bravo Ares, Program Assistant and Khary Dvorak-Ewell, Senior Associate, Business Engagement

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy recently released a report that confirmed a fact many small business groups already know to be true: small businesses are leading the nation’s economic recovery. Green For All is one of the groups that has seen this first-hand. We have worked for years to support small green businesses with the skills and resources needed to create new jobs while improving our environment. We know from experience that small businesses are America’s principal drivers on the road to economic recovery. It is these businesses that are, time and time again, the most capable at fostering local community resilience in times of economic hardship. 

Green For All Fellow Eric Mathis makes sustainability possible in the coalfields

How do you actually build a healthy community?  Green For All Fellow Eric Mathis believes economic diversification is a critical piece of the answer. As we have seen across the country, having a local economy rely on one industry can be devastating.  With this in mind, in his community of Williamson, West Virginia, Mathis led the installation 48 solar panels (11.27 kilowatts of clean power) on the roof of a local health clinic—right in the heart of the coalfields.  The solar panels are not only bringing renewable energy and savings to the clinic but they serve as a pilot project for a future that includes better health and good jobs for local residents. 

When Mark Davis started his career, he didn’t know that he would one day become a key player in America’s growing green economy. 

Written by Ursula Ible, Green For All Ambassador

FAMU College Ambassador Ursula Ible: Front right

This past weekend, February 17, 2013, I joined the “Forward on Climate” rally at the National Mall in Washington DC. Organized and supported by organizations including the Green For All, Sierra Club, 350.org, and the Hip Hop Caucus, the rally involved over 40,000 demonstrators, including families, youth leaders, organizers, and a multitude of local and national orgs and groups. There were many guest speakers, including Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Van Jones, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Reverend Lennox Yearwood, and Bill Mckibben. 

Written by Luis Perales, Green For All Fellow

Disponible en español. Available in Spanish.  

Tierra Y Libertad Organization planting trees with fifth graders at a Tucson, AZ school.

After witnessing from afar the people power associated with the Forward on Climate Change Rally held on Sunday, February 17, 2013, I’m reminded of the tremendous work at hand in the state of Arizona in general and the Tucson Metropolitan Area in particular.  As a long time organizer with the grassroots organization, Tierra Y Libertad, who has worked on issues and campaigns related to culturally appropriate public health services, immigrant rights, educational equity, and barrio sustainability, I recognize the need to bring together individuals and organizers from across sectors to create a new brand of positive social change. 

Written by Juan Reynosa, Green For All Fellow 

Disponible en español. Available in Spanish.

Project Feed the Hood, a program of the Southwest Organizing Project, at the opening day of the International District Community Garden in Albuquerque, NM

Here in New Mexico it’s been an interesting past few years, climately speaking. We’ve witnessed a change in seasons, temperatures, and precipitation.  As these changes have become progressively more severe, so have their impacts. 

Escrito por Luis Perales, Asociado Green For All, Traducido por Marta Donayre

Disponible en ingles. Available in English.

Después de ver a la distancia el poder del pueblo asociado con la concentración Forward on Climate Change, realizado el domingo 17 de febrero de 2013, recordé el tremendo trabajo adelante del Estado de Arizona en general, particularmente el Área Metropolitana de Tucson. Como un organizador con la organización Tierra Y Libertad por muchos años, y habiendo trabajado en asuntos y campañas culturalmente apropiadas relacionadas a servicios de salud pública, derechos de inmigrantes, equidad educacional, y barrios sostenibles, reconozco la necesidad de juntar a individuos y organizadores de varios sectores y crear una nueva marca de cambio social positivo. 

Escrito por Juan Reynosa, Asociado Green For All, Traducido por: Marta Donayre

Disponible en ingles. Available in English.

Hablando climatológicamente, aquí en Nuevo México las cosas han estado interesantes estos últimos años. Hemos visto un cambio de estaciones, temperaturas, y precipitación. A lo que estos cambios se vuelven progresivamente más severos, sus impactos también lo son. 

Written by: Camila Thorndike, Board of Directors
Watershed Management Group

While “water is life” borders on cliché, we too rarely hear about how our economy also depends on carefully managing this critical resource.  Yet desert dwellers know it in our bones: no water, no Tucson, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Denver, or LA.  The federal budget debates challenge us to voice our priorities. While we may have dodged a bullet on the fiscal cliff, by delaying sequestration until March 1 the Administration and Congress must come up with approximately $85 billion in cuts for the FY 2013 federal budget.  If Congress slashes funding for job training and investment in infrastructure improvements that help communities withstand climate change, they will dry up a rising groundswell for a water-wise future. Not one of us can afford that outcome. America’s aging and stressed water infrastructure is falling apart. Fortunately, a sufficient financial commitment from Congress to manage stormwater and preserve water quality across the country could generate 1.9 million jobs and over $265 billion in economic activity.  Public infrastructure investment in our most precious resource is a ready solution to our ecological and jobs crisis. 

Written by: Kim R. Noble, Program Associate

When 24-year-old Aisha Dorsey enrolled in a Baltimore job training program, she never expected that it would lead her to launch her own business. 

Written by: Dave Room, Green For All Fellow

For the past two years, I have been working on project that evolved out of the Green For All Fellowship. Through my Green For All term of service I gained insight as to how to communicate the importance of community stories, how to develop them, and how to teach community storytelling to youth and climate justice activists. And with this experience I founded Pacha’s Pajamas, the first and only full-length Children’s Pop Musical. Each song has an eco-message for kids and a call to action. 

Written by: Maritza Martinez, Fellowship Program Manager

“Everyday, Bronx activists make lemonade out of lemons” Green For All Fellow and BLK Projek founder Tanya Fields told a reporter for a recent article. She was not only referring to a recent snub from TedxManhattan, but also to the state of food access in her neighborhood. 

Written by: Michael Katz, Senior Associate

An alarming number of injuries to recycling workers: The dirty and dangerous job of sorting and recovering recycled materials in Alameda County is performed by a mostly immigrant and largely female workforce. The workers are exposed to a host of dangers including contaminated hypodermic syringes, animal carcasses and feces, heavy dust and a host of sharp objects that cause injuries. On June 19, 2012, a waste worker in another part of the Davis Street facility was crushed to death – caused by Waste Management’s failure to follow safety laws, according to Cal-OSHA that fined the company more than $50,000 and issued two “Serious” citations for ignoring the law. The company is refusing to pay the fines and is trying to appeal the citations.

Written by: Julian Mocine-McQueen, Campaign and Partnerships Manager

Today, you can hear the songs on classic rock radio: “Time Has Come Today” by the Chambers Brothers, “Say It Out Loud (I’m black and I’m proud)” by James Brown, or Nina Simone’s “I Wish I Knew (How it Would Feel to be Free). But when they were first released, these songs—and many more—defined the civil rights era. They not only gave the movement a soundtrack, but provided inspiration to thousands who were risking life and limb to demand justice for all. 

Written by: Shamar Bibbins, Senior Political Associate

Last week, Green For All’s Business Engagement Strategies program and our 2011 Mentoring Program Graduate, Volt Energy, were honored at the “2013 Black Green Mingle” pre-inauguration reception at CAPITALE of D.C.  The reception fostered networking opportunities among minority-serving institutions, businesses, government and environmental organizations committed to strategies that derive environmental and economic opportunities for people of color and low-income communities. 

Editor’s Note: This blog was written by Invest, who, together with Silent C, won last year’s Dream Reborn Music Contest for their song “7 Billion” This year’s contest begins on January 22. Find out more about the contest (and how you can enter) here: http://gfa.fchq.ca/the-dream-reborn-song-competition-are-you-next/

by Invest

When I was a child, I thought the things I was witnessing in Oakland, California —from the drug dealing to the prostitution— was the way things were supposed to be. I felt that the world was always like this and there was no reason to try to change it. I was raised in a neighborhood called Brookfield which is located in Deep East Oakland. Growing up, we were all poor kids with dreams of being successful but without any real-life role models to show us the way. Born into poverty, we naturally developed a strong desire to provide for ourselves and our families by any means necessary. Like many kids in my community, I thought my path to success was playing basketball or hustling on the streets. 

Written by: Khary Dvorak-Ewell, Senior Associate - Business Engagement

Gilbert Campbell and Antonio Francis, owners of Volt Energy, photographed with President Obama at the White House. (Photo retrieved from: http://volt-energy.com/page/volt-energy-invited-to-white-house-for-president-obamas-energy-talk)

Green For All is continuing its thriving partnerships with Accenture and the International Coach Federation (ICF) to offer the 2013 Business Mentoring and Coaching Program for Green Entrepreneurs. The Mentoring and Coaching Program pairs experienced executives and certified coaches with green entrepreneurs across the U.S. who are looking to expand their businesses and create green jobs. 

By Markese Bryant, co-founder Fight for Light

Green For All is mourning the loss of one of our movement’s most promising young leaders. On December 27th, Green For All College Ambassador Brianna Ford was killed in a car accident in Oakland. 

Written by: Yeama Sow

Editors Note: Yeama Sow is a Green For All fellow from Class 5 (2011-2012). In October, she joined USAID-IFESH and the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia to establish a reading department at the Teaching College in Harare! She is also implementing her fellows project there.  Her project, Read and Eat, is an effort to improve literacy while educating children and families about healthy eating and increasing access to fresh food in Nashville, TN.  Below is an update about her work in Chiro, Ethiopia. 

Written by: Maritza Martinez, Fellowship Program Manager

As we face increasing extreme weather and deep economic challenges, more and more people are beginning to feel a sense of urgency about community resilience strategies. The ability of local communities to survive and thrive through challenging times is important—not only in the face of climate change, but in the face of economic crises and divisive politics.  Unfortunately, people of color have found themselves up against these hardships for many generations.  As a result, Green For All fellows from low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have deep insights to share when it comes to developing and implementing resilience strategies. 

Last week, Green For All partnered with University of Phoenix to host a workshop designed to give San Francisco Bay Area small businesses the tools they need to grow and succeed.

Written by: Julian Mocine-McQueen, Campaign and Partnerships Manager

In a way it’s hard to believe. But in 1988—when scientists were sounding the first warnings about climate change—the nation of South Africa was still legally divided. Black South Africans couldn’t move freely—they had to carry passes, they were relegated to desolate Bantustan reservations, their leaders were murdered by the police like Steve Biko, or locked away like Nelson Mandela. 

Growing the green economy is an important path toward economic recovery for all Americans – but particularly for communities of color and those most affected by the economic downturn. Federal investment in green infrastructure; job training for careers in clean industries; and, enforcement in environmental protection for neighborhoods overburdened by pollution, feed two birds with one hand – create jobs and build clean, healthy communities. Instead of cutting vital programs that are essential to growing our economy - especially for the nation's most vulnerable - Congress should enact a balanced budget that calls for corporations and wealthy Americans to pay their fair share; prioritizes job creation; and opposes cuts to programs that protect clean air and water and a sustainable energy future.

TAKE ACTION

• Speak Out About What’s at Stake – Let your local media know how the proposed cuts would affect local job training programs and infrastructure projects. Share success stories about workers who have benefitted from job training programs or green businesses who have hired workers through these programs. Download background document here. Download talking points here.
• Spread the Word – Educate your network regarding the impact of the “fiscal cliff”. Congress should enact a budget deal that supports vital programs that protect clean air and water and that build a sustainable energy future.  For information on proposed cuts to conservation and environment programs, click here. 
• Join the National Skills Coalition in its “Save Our Skills Campaign,” which includes state-level resources on the impact of sequestration on workforce programs, and broader actions to protect the Workforce Investment Act and other key workforce development programs.
• Hold your Congressional Leaders Accountable. Congress should vote YES on:
  1. Job creation strategies that invest in infrastructure, boost renewable energy production, and trains workers for jobs in the green economy.
  2. Ending the Bush tax cuts for families earning more than $250,000 annually. Ending the Bush tax cuts for families earning over $250,000 would generate close to one trillion dollars. This revenue should be reinvested back into our economy to fix roads, bridges, sewer systems and other vital infrastructure.

Brittany Stallworth, Green For All College Ambassador, was recently awarded the Brower Youth Award for her environmental leadership at Howard University during her term of service with Green For All.  The Brower Youth Award is an internationally recognized award for Youth leaders in the environmental movement. Although her term of service is over, she's still on her grind! Brittany shined at the awards and inspired the entire room with her message of hope and call to action.   She is finishing up her work at Howard University and will soon graduate with a degree in Environmental Science. She continues to be a leader on the campus around issues of sustainability and the green economy  Check out a video below highlighting her leadership and some of the activities she was involved in while acting as a Green For All Ambassador.

Last week, Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. honored the City’s Environmental Program Coordinator and former Green For All Ambassador Alicia Crudup with a “Jackson’s Best” award. The Forest, MS native was recognized for “going above and beyond the call of duty” for the City’s recent summer Environmental Camp. 

The 2012 Coaching Class

Green for All has partnered with Accenture for our second Business Mentorship Program. Below, learn more about Accenture’s mentors and the Green For All entrepreneurs that they will be working with.

The 2011 Mentorship Class

For decades, Mexico’s Cruz Azul cement company operated as a traditional capitalist organization—and suffered from constant strife as dissatisfied workers battled its owners. In 1929, with the global economy tanking, Cruz Azul laid off most of its employees and sold the shell of the business to another company. Eventually, the state took over the failing business and reorganized it, giving workers the chance to purchase it and form a worker-owned cooperative. Today, the company is still owned by its employees—and it is thriving as a result. 

Written by: Maritza Martinez, Fellowship Program Manager

Village de l’Est is a community that suffers from environmental racism.  The predominantly Vietnamese neighborhood in New Orleans has been a targeted site for landfills, as well as numerous auto junkyards and dumpsites. The neighborhood’s residents have been fighting this kind of dumping since the early 1900s, when flood zones and wetlands were frequently polluted by these practices. 

Written by: Maritza Martinez, Fellows Program Manager

What does home mean to you? If home is a place where you can connect with like-minded people and have time to reflect and eat great food, join us at the first annual Homecoming at Sankofa Gardens, October  18-21.  After eight years of growing fresh, healthy food, hosting a seasonal neighborhood farm stand, and serving as a hub for culture and creativity, Sankofa Gardens is inviting you to come home to Shreveport, Louisiana.  The four-day Sankofa Gardens retreat focuses on art and culture, and will bring together community builders, educators, food growers, artists, and visionaries who want to deepen their connection to the land, their neighbors, and themselves. 

Written by: Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez, Senior Associate

Disponible en español. Available in Spanish.

Ninety percent of Latino voters overwhelmingly agree that we can protect the environment and create jobs at the same time.  That was one of the key findings from a poll of 500 Latino California voters that was shared at last night’s California League of Conservation Voters Community Forum,”California Latinos and the Environment.”  The survey, by Tulchin Research showed that California Latinos strongly support cleaner and safer sources of energy, specifically: energy conservation, renewable energy, energy efficiency and natural gas.

Escrito por: Álvaro Sánchez Sánchez, Asociado Senior, Traducido por: Marta Donayre

Disponible en ingles. Available in English.

Noventa por ciento de los votantes latinos vigorosamente concuerdan con que podemos proteger el medio ambiente y crear empleos al mismo tiempo. Ese es uno de los resultados clave de una encuesta de 500 electores latinos de California, que fue compartido anoche en el Foro Comunitario del California League of Conservation Voters, “California y el Medio Ambiente”. La encuesta, hecha por el Tulchin Research, muestra que los latinos de California apoyan fuertemente fuentes de energía más limpias y seguras, específicamente la conservación de energía, energía renovable, eficiencia energética, y gas natural. 

Written by: Vien Truong and Phong-Chau Nguyen, The Greenlining Institute

On Sept. 30, California Gov. Jerry Brown took a big step toward giving all Californians access to clean energy and green jobs by signing SB 535 and AB 1532 into law.  These bills will invest hundreds of millions of dollars to provide clean energy to disadvantaged communities, support small businesses and create jobs in the environmental sector.  Brown’s signing of these two bills represents a major victory for environmental policy and community advocates, who have spent years working to bring relief to polluted and economically disadvantaged communities. 

Last fall, students at DeAnza college won a huge victory for clean air and for their own wallets: The Eco-Pass, which provides students with almost free public transportation.  Student leaders took time with Green For All to share the secrets of their success and we’re sharing them with you in our latest tool, “How to Bring the Eco-Pass to Your Campus." 

Written by: Julian Mocine-McQueen, Campaign and Partnerships Manager

What do a food justice organization, the Memphis Bus Riders Union, an organization of and for homeless residents of Memphis, and a disability rights advocacy organization have in common? They are all working tirelessly to transform Memphis, Tennessee into the thriving and self-sustaining city they know it can be. 

Apprenticeships are programs that provide on-the-job training for trades.  Federal guidelines ensure that apprenticeships include enough training and instruction.  Contact your state or regional apprenticeship offices and ask them about green-collar apprenticeships.This is the US Department of Labor’s web page about apprenticeships in energy: http://www.careervoyages.gov/energy-apprenticeshipws.cfmThis website that links you to state apprenticeship websites where you can search for apprenticeship opportunities:  http://www.doleta.gov/OA/sainformation.cfmThis website has contact information for the US Department of Labor’s Regional Offices of Apprenticeship:  http://www.doleta.gov/OA/regdirlist.cfm

YouthBuild USA is a network of 226 local YouthBuild programs.  In these programs, low-income young people ages 16–24 work toward their high school diploma or equivalency while learning job skills by building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people. YouthBuild places a strong emphasis on leadership development and community service.

One-Stop Career Centers are regional service organizations that help you assess your skills, explore your career options, and apply for apprenticeships and jobs.  These centers are all over the United States.  Contact your local One-Stop Career Center and ask them how they can link you to trainings and opportunities for green-collar jobs.  This website lets you search One-Stop Career Centers by location:  http://www.servicelocator.org

Labor Union Apprenticeships generally offer higher wages and standards than those that aren’t union-run.  Admission to these apprenticeships is competitive.  Easing this bottleneck is one of the reasons Green For All works so hard to create more good union jobs.  Historically, unions have been one of the few places where everyday people can move into dignified, middle-class careers.  Contact your local trade unions and ask them about apprenticeship programs related to clean energy and construction.  Encourage them to support green-collar programs for people with little access to education.This is a website for the AFL-CIO’s Building & Construction Trades Department: www.buildingtrades.org

Community Colleges are excellent sources of job training and education.  Contact your local community college and ask if it has green jobs training programs or related classes.  This website lists all community colleges by state and links to their individual websites:  http://www.utexas.edu/world/comcol/state/

Training Programs for Youth are also great ways to prepare for a green-collar career!  If you are 16-25 years old (give or take), check out these programs:

The Corps Network website is the hub for all ‘Service and Conservation Corps’ programs nationwide.   These Corps serve as work training programs for youth ages 16-25.http://www.nascc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81:corps-by-state&catid=35:the-corps&Itemid=61 

Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people prepare for careers, earn high school diplomas or GEDs, and find and keep good jobs.  Job Corps does not yet offer a wealth of green-collar training, but many local Job Corps centers are looking to add green-collar jobs training.   Ask your local center if it provides such training.  If it doesn’t, encourage it to start.

http://www.jobcorps.gov/centers.aspx

Sector-Specific Trainings and Certifications are often listed through the websites of national sector-specific organizations.

Certified Job Training Programs are approved by your local Workforce Investment Board and funded by the federal government’s ‘Workforce Investment Act of 1998.’  Not all of these training programs are related to clean energy and conservation, but some are.  This website lets you search for these government-approved training programs by region:  www.careeronestop.org/WiaProviderSearch.asp

Pre-Apprenticeship Programs provide life skills, basic construction skills, and OSHA safety training in addition to academic preparation for the entry exams required to enter apprenticeship programs.  There are no national or local standards on what program can call itself a “pre-apprenticeship program,” so do your homework.  Make sure the any program you enter will offer you the skills and training you seek.  Pre-apprenticeship programs vary greatly.  Community-based groups, community colleges and training partnerships are just some of the many types of organizations that offer apprenticeship preparation.  Do a quick google search for “pre-apprenticeship,” plus your state or region.

GFA Fellow Naomi Davis and her colleague Zahra Fair

Written by: Maritza Martinez, Fellowship Academy Manager

Last week we had the opportunity to meet 1,200 amazing Prince fans at his Welcome 2 Chicago tour.  Prince was incredible on stage, touring with his largest band ever, which consisted of 20 pieces, including 11 horn players, three backup singers and two guitarists.  The Purple One surprised the crowds of nearly 20,000 each night with special guests Jennifer Hudson and Janelle Monae. 

Written by: Mimi Torres

I just finished the 2012 Climate Ride—a 5-day, 320-mile bike ride through California. The aim of the ride is to fight climate change by raising awareness—and funds—for groups like Green For All and East Bay Bicycle Coalition, the beneficiaries of my ride. 

Written by: Kaori Tsukada, Program Associate

At a community meeting in Richmond on Monday, residents packed the room to voice their concerns about pollution from the nearby Chevron oil refinery and the massive fire on August 6 that sent 15,000 residents to seek medical treatment.

Even before the meeting began, a stack of comment cards handed out by city staff grew into a sizable pile, and continued to grow throughout the evening.

For an hour, regulator after regulator, investigator after investigator from Contra Costa County, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, and Contra Costa Health Services outlined their jurisdictions and stressed that they are focusing their efforts on investigating the fire.  Each one repeated that they have been a constant presence on the scene, and that they will remain so until they find the truth.

After presentations from investigating agencies, Chevron’s representative stood up to give an update on what the company has been working on to address problems that arose during the fire. She promised community members that the company is working with transit authorities to ensure that if there is another disaster in the future, transit will be available even if BART shuts down, and an evacuation scheme will be in place for emergencies.  She showed a map marked with three spots where Chevron plans to install more air quality monitors within the city. She claimed Chevron is looking to invest more into the community and businesses in Richmond, and add programs that would bring economic development to the city.

However, residents have lost faith in Chevron’s ability to keep its promises.  Chevron’s statement that it is committed to the health of the residents and of the environment was met with laughter, booing, and calls of “another professional liar!” and “shame on Chevron!”

When the floor opened for questions, residents aired more concerns.  “But what are you going to do now?” began a local reverend.  “I can smell that filth.  It’s in our air.  How long can we hold our breath?”

Another longtime resident wanted to know how she and her neighbors could get medical care.  “My throat is rough and I’ve had a dry hacking cough ever since the fire.  I know a lot of other people with the same thing.  Where can we go?”

The meeting’s facilitator couldn’t even make it through the large yellow stack of comment cards, nor could the table of inspectors, supervisors, and representatives answer all the questions posed by the long line of people awaiting their turn to speak.  Too many questions could not be answered and were tabled so that they could be addressed later and made available publicly.

More than anything, community members at the meeting demanded accountability.

“Who’s going to be responsible for the deposits that are killing us?” one resident asked.

Monday’s meeting came on the heels of new reports showing that Chevron is under criminal investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency for skirting air quality regulations. While the investigation is not related to the August 6 fire, it raises serious questions about Chevron’s honesty and transparency in sharing information about dangerous air pollutants with the people who live near the refinery.

Written by: Shamar Bibbins, Senior Political Associate

Last week, Green For All honored African American leaders in the fields of energy and environment at  “The Green Room” reception held at The Park at Fourteenth in Washington, D.C. We organized the event as part of a week of activities highlighting environmental issues at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. 

Written by: Shamar Bibbins, Senior Political Associate

Last week, Green For All once again collaborated with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, to host a forum at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 42nd Annual Legislative Conference.  The panel, The Truth About the Green Economy: The Job Killing Agenda and Who’s Standing Behind It, addressed facts about strong job growth in the green economy, highlighted success stories from around the country, and talked about who’s standing in the way of moving green jobs forward, and what communities of color can do to fight back and amplify the success of the green economy. 

Written by: Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All

We learned over the weekend that Chevron is under criminal investigation for air violations that have put thousands of Bay Area residents at risk for at least four years. 

Written by: Maritza Martinez, Fellows Program Manager

Imagine you’re imprisoned, in solitary confinement with no human contact. But you are able to find solace in a single tree in the prison yard—a living thing that doesn’t judge you. 

Written by: Khary Dvorak-Ewell, Senior Associate

Over the past few years, the Environmental Protection Agency has been working with other federal agencies to engage with America’s small businesses to provide clear, accurate information about updates to clean air and water protections—and to ask small business owners to help identify concerns and opportunities that arise from these safeguards.

Written by: Alvaro Sanchez Sanchez, Senior Associate

It’s never been more clear that Latinos are poised to have a dramatic influence on the direction of this country.  The growing influence of Latinos is ensuring that we not only have a seat at the table—but are influencing the outcome of the debate. 

America is at a crossroads, and this fall, we’ll determine which direction we go for the next four years—and beyond. And young people—more than any other group—have an enormous stake in the outcome. 

Written by: Leia Lewis, Green For All Fellow
Originally posted on August 29, 2012

Right now, RIGHT NOW...people in the Caribbean and Gulf Coast are in the midst of a storm. Its name is Isaac. It's essential nature: The Winds of Change. 

Written by: Janica Johnson, Green For All Ambassador

When I was presented with the opportunity to attend the Energy Action Coalition’s Power Vote training in Chicago to rally around environmental issues while connecting them to one of the most important presidential elections in our nation’s history, of course I couldn't turn it down.  From August 20-24, together with my fellow Green For All Ambassadors, Courtney Strickland of ECSU and Korbin Miles of FAMU, I had the pleasure to participate in the Power Vote organizing training, designed to prepare us to mobilize our peers to build momentum for local clean energy solutions and demand that both candidates address the climate crisis, instead of promoting dirty and dangerous energy like coal, gas, oil and nuclear. 

Written by: Kaori Tsukada, Program Associate

Energy efficiency sometimes takes a backseat to more eye-catching sources of energy like solar PV or wind turbines and water efficiency is not even a blip on the radar in most discussions. But the truth is, when it comes to saving money and creating local jobs, energy and water efficiency are workhorses. 

Written by: Shamar Bibbins, Senior Political Associate

On Friday, September 21, 2012, Green For All will once again partner with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, to host the Congressman’s issue forum at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 42nd Annual Legislative Conference.  The panel entitled, The Truth About the Green Economy: The Job Killing Agenda and Who’s Standing Behind It, will address who’s standing in the way of moving the green economy forward, highlight facts about job growth and green economy, and talk about the deliberate attack on the movement and strategies to respond. 

When federal and local investigators gathered at Richmond’s City Hall on Monday morning for a briefing on the recent Chevron refinery fire, resident after resident voiced anger at Chevron and the agencies responsible for oversight, and fear for their health. 

Written by: Michael Katz, Senior Associate

Last night I joined more than 100 people in Richmond, California for a community meeting to talk about the August 6 Chevron oil refinery explosion that sent thousands of residents to local emergency rooms.  At the meeting, residents of all ages and backgrounds shared their stories, and their outrage. They also offered ideas and solutions.  Elected officials, including the mayor, shared their frustrations with Chevron’s lack of accountability, lack of transparency and disregard for the health of the community. 

Written by: Maritza Martinez, Fellows Program Manager

When it comes to pollution and climate change, all too often people of color shoulder the greatest burden. The recent fire at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, California is just the latest example. We have more residents living near polluting industry. We suffer higher rates of asthma. And our neighborhoods are hit hardest by severe weather caused by climate change. 

Leia Lewis will collaborate with environmental leaders from across the country

SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER, LA – Shreveport native Leia Lewis has been selected from among 350 nominees from across the country to receive the prestigious 2012 Whole Thinking Retreat at Center for Whole Communities Fellowship Award.

Written By: Maritza Martinez, Fellowship Program Manager

In the face of problems like climate change, economic crisis and vast unemployment, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and hopeless.  It takes extraordinary people with big vision to turn that despair into action.  True change that benefits us the most often comes from leaders within our own communities who have long-term vision.  That’s why, at Green For All, we think it’s so important to invest in leaders who are working locally to create a brighter, healthier future. 

Written by: Rosa Gonzalez, Education Director

I just got back from Tucson, Arizona, where Green For All and Tierra y Libertad Organization (TYLO) hosted a bilingual training course designed to amplify the power of the city’s community organizers.  Our goal with the training was to help the newly formed Southern Arizona Green For All Coalition advance its vision, which is to link sustainable economic development with participation and power-building in communities most affected by poverty and pollution. I came away deeply inspired by the thirty volunteers I met who are working to create a brighter, more sustainable future for Tucson. 

Eric Mathis, CEO

The past few years have been tough financially for many of us.  Almost all of us have friends and family who have been out of work or unable to find a job. Williamson, West Virginia, located in the heart of coal country, is an example of a place that’s been hit hard by the economic downturn. But there is a silver lining. In the face of hardship, neighbors are coming together and finding hope and support from each other. In Williamson, and across the country, cities are finding ways not just to survive the economic crisis, but to thrive. 

David Jaber has been riding bikes since age six.  His path through life was set early on, in watching and appreciating spectacular and diverse animal life and having the opportunity to spend time in nature. 

Written by Mimi Torres

I've always considered myself an environmentalist. As a young girl, I was the one that encouraged the family to recycle, and I always signed us up for beach clean-ups. I became vegetarian when I was 10 and vegan when I was 20. In college I became more directly involved with activism through on and off campus environmental groups. It was also in college that I made the conscious decision not to drive. After getting my license, I went and looked at a few used cars, but then I realized that if I had a car, I would drive it all the time, especially to see friends that lived out of town, and then I would feel like a hypocrite. 

Written by Kim R. Noble

The great thing about building an inclusive green economy is that it allows people from all walks of life and all industries to help grow healthy, sustainable communities. A green economy requires bold leadership from organizers on the ground all the way up to CEO’s in the boardroom. So, imagine my excitement, when I fulfilled a life long dream of visiting the White House to celebrate two of my favorite loves – sports and the environment. “The White House Sports and Sustainability Forum”, held on July 19, 2012, honored sports industry professionals who are leading the way in moving the green economy forward. It’s not every day that you get to go the White House! 

Written by: Jonathan Norris

I want to make a difference and help end our reliance on polluting fossil fuels. That’s why I decided to ride down the California coast as part of the Green For All Team in the 2012 Climate Ride this September.

Written By: Khary Dvorak-Ewell, Senior Associate

How can a business be the best in the world and be the best for the world? Can we use the power of business to address the world’s most pressing challenges? 

Written by: Markese Bryant, College Ambassador Program Associate

Class 2 of the College Ambassador Program

It’s been almost a year since I first met the 2011 class of Green For All College Ambassadors. As I greeted the thirty students from around the country at our Washington, D.C. training, I thought to myself, “These are the future leaders of our movement.” 

Written by: Khary Dvorak-Ewell

Want to start your own business but need help navigating legal issues? Next week is your chance to get free advice from seasoned lawyers to help you launch your enterprise. 

The green economy has never been more important than it is now. As we approach Election Day over the next few months, we’ll be hearing more and more about the economy. And we need to make sure the vision that takes center stage is for an economy that works for all of us. 

Bring up any policy idea in D.C. and the conversation always reverts to jobs and the economy. Rightfully so. Our nation’s unemployment continues to hover just above 8% and cities and states continue to struggle to create economic growth and jobs that can last. 

If our leaders really want to put America on the road to economic recovery, they will put the health of our families first. They will invest in pollution controls that save Americans millions of dollars in health care costs. They will invest in the kind of clean energy that creates good jobs and keeps our air and water safe. 

Posted by Cheryl Derricotte, AICP and Kristina Johnson

Want to fight climate change, get in shape, and see some of California’s most stunning scenery up close? Join Climate Ride! From September 9-13, riders from around the world—united by a passion for sustainability and a desire to make a difference—will come together for this life-changing journey. You’ll pedal your bike along 300 miles of breathtaking Pacific coastline, soaking in views of ocean and wildlife that most people never get to see. 

Posted by Kristina Johnson

If you live in the Golden State, you may soon be saving money on your energy bills and breathing cleaner air, thanks to a recent decision by the California Public Utilities Commission. 

Fossil fuel companies are poisoning the air we breathe and the water we drink. They’re destroying mountains and forests and displacing communities around the globe. And all the while, they’re breaking world records with their billions of dollars in profits. 

Roll Call

Huffington Post

Cross-posted from HuffPo

• Economic Empowerment
• Education, Criminal Justice
• Voter Rights
• Environmental and Energy Justice, Health
• Media & Technology

Authors: Shamar Bibbins

As we mark this Election Day, the progressive movement is becoming stronger than ever. Groups like labor and civil rights are joining forces to create a larger, broader, more resilient movement.

Over the past few weeks, Green For All has had the privilege of joining two important partner events – The 8^th Annual NAACP Leadership 500 Summit and SEIU’s 25^th International Convention. Though the agendas, audiences and locations were different, one common theme emerged: The need to fight for a fair economy and develop leaders to implement real social and economic change.

In Denver, I joined more than 3,000 SEIU members and delegates for SEIU’s 25^th International Convention, with the theme of “Lead. Unite. Fight. Win for the 99 Percent.”

In an unprecedented move, the union set a strategic vision and direction to organize and collaborate with progressive partner organizations in an effort to strengthen direct action campaigns and movement building opportunities for sustainable change. The green economy, good jobs, fair wages, and immigration were just a few areas that were a part of the conversation as participants focused on helping close the gap on income inequality. While it’s clear that there’s a lot of work to do, I left the conference with a strong sense that if the movement unites, we truly can strengthen our working and middle classes and give everyone the fair shot that they deserve.

Then, more than one thousand miles away on the beautiful Gulf Coast of Florida, the NAACP hosted their 8^th Annual Leadership 500 Summit. Against the backdrop of the most challenging issues of our time, the summit served as a platform for leaders in the civil rights and social justice arena to create innovative and effective strategies for advancing positive and sustainable change.

The conference theme of “Leadership By Design; Ensuring Our Legacy” shaped robust strategy sessions, which focused on the organization’s “Game Changer” initiatives, including:

• Economic Empowerment
• Education, Criminal Justice
• Voter Rights
• Environmental and Energy Justice, Health
• Media & Technology

As the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, the NAACP knows what it takes to advocate and advance social and economic justice. And just like SEIU, they know that the movement is stronger in numbers. Their successful model of bringing thought leaders from the corporate, non-profit, health, and government sectors together for the Leadership Summit is just one of many effective strategies they use to advance their agenda.

The fight for a fair economy is not easy. The rise of income inequality, suppression of worker and voter rights, the increasingly difficult challenge of protecting our nation’s air and water from polluters, and all other forms of social inequality call for the highest level of unity amongst the justice movement.

Thankfully, our strongest leaders in labor and civil rights recognize this. It’s never been more clear that if we unite and stand strong, we will win—and leave a more inclusive, healthy, prosperous world for our children and grandchildren.

Green For All and University of Phoenix teamed up in April to offer a free one-day Business Academy for small and emerging green entrepreneurs. This eighth Business Academy was hosted by the University of Phoenix Nashville Campus.

“The University of Phoenix-Green For All collaboration is providing practical training and tools for green entrepreneurs in underserved communities,” said Seth Mones, Vice President of Apollo Sustainability. “This is a wonderful partnership.”

“Our partnership with Green For All is truly helping to ignite the green economy,” added Melissa Antone, Apollo Sustainability Director, who helped organize the Nashville effort.

The Nashville Academy included expert panelists who spoke to attendees about:

• Local resources for green businesses
• Doing business with government agencies
• Aligning the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit
• Financing tips, trends and resources
• Ways topitchto funding providers

University of Phoenix faculty and Apollo Sustainability team members participated in the presentations and panel discussions.

Authors: New America Media

Minority populations across the south and southwest are especially vulnerable to climate change, according to a new report put out by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Local and state governments, it also found, are failing to integrate such concerns into their climate disaster plans.

“Only three states (Arizona, Arkansas, New Mexico) have climate change plans,” noted the study’s co-author, Nadia Siddiqui, during a teleconference Monday discussing the findings. She added researchers found “no evidence of planning for racially and ethnically diverse populations in any state” included in the study.

Siddiqui is Senior Health Policy Analyst with the Texas Health Institute (THI), which conducted the study.

Joint Center President and CEO Ralph B. Everett said in the report the project’s aim is to “encourage the development of policies that engage diverse populations while bringing environmental justice to their communities.”

The states included in the study, titled Climate Change, Environmental Challenges and Vulnerable Communities: Assessing Legacies of the Past, Building Opportunities for the Future, were Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.

Siddiqui pointed out the results were based in part on reviews of existing Web sites and literature relating to plans for coping with climate change, as well as from talks with “representatives from across the states.” All agreed, she said, “this is an area that has not been fully planned for.”

Part of the problem, she explained, is a lack of awareness among policymakers of the varying degrees of vulnerability to climate change from one community to the next. Such issues as poverty, little to no access to health care and other social inequities common to minority communities make them more susceptible to the damaging effects of climate change, she said.

According to the report, nearly one in five residents living in the region fall below the federal poverty line, one in five adults describe their health status as fair or poor, and one in 10 people have Limited English Proficiency (LEP).

“For many communities, the convergence of socio-economic, health, and climate concerns elevates their risk for a climate change related perfect storm,” Siddiqui said.

Using Louisiana as an example, she pointed to the high rates of poverty coexisting alongside “concentrations of diversity, high rates of obesity, healthcare access challenges… and all of that combined with climate concerns (sea level rise, poor air quality). It is the convergence of all these issues that elevates and puts these communities at risk.”

Minority communities have long borne the brunt of environmental degradation in this country. A recent article by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, executive director with the Oakland-based Green for All, which advocates for the adoption of clean energy, noted “that of the 8 million people living within three miles of polluting coal-fired power plants, a disproportionate number are people of color.”

Citing statistics showing that one-in-six African American children suffers from asthma as a result of their proximity to toxic industries, compared to one-in-ten nationally, Ellis-Lamkins writes elected officials will “have to pay more attention to the issues pressing [minority] families.”

THI Senior Research Scientist Dennis Andrulis agrees. During Monday’s teleconference he noted that part of the solution has to come through the political engagement of minority groups. “[We must] integrate vulnerable populations,” he said, taking their concerns and using them to build representation through task forces and advisory groups.

“We found that there were a number of [these] advisory groups,” Andrulis said. “But rarely was there any attention to vulnerable populations in these groups, in their missions, in their objectives… communities of color were almost totally absent.”

“Despite the heightened sense of alarm, states and many communities are ignoring these communities in their disaster planning and other initiatives,” Andrulis said in an email release. “In moving forward state and local officials must do a better job of making sure those most vulnerable are a core part of their plans and actions.”

Authors: Na’Asiaha Simon

As a Green For All College Ambassador at Wilberforce University, educating and informing my peers about the Green Movement and getting them active was a test in itself. As a graduating senior and communication major, going green was neither my first thought nor interest. But today, as I reflect on this semester and how my life has changed as a Green For All College Ambassador, it brings tears to my eyes.

It brings joy to my heart knowing Wilberforce University signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and joined other colleges and universities across the country in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. As Green For All Ambassadors, my partner Donald and I were featured on our local news station “Living Dayton” to highlight our organizing efforts on campus (http://bit.ly/JyUb2l).

Who knew the Green For All training in Washington D.C would give me so much motivation to help change dear ol’ Wilberforce University. Meeting other students who shared my love for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) was empowering, to say the least.

Now, Wilberforce University has a GREEN TEAM with 29 members! This is only the beginning and I know more change is to come. I wouldn’t have imagined ending my undergraduate years in such a powerful way. Thank you, Green For All.

The face of America is changing dramatically. New census data shows that for the first time in our history, babies being delivered in hospitals all over the country are predominantly African American, Latino, Asian and other minorities. It's not just our babies who are growing more diverse. It's our neighborhoods, our communities and our workforce. In some of America's largest cities, a new majority has already emerged -- one made up of people of color.

The faces of voters are changing, too. In the 2010 election, the percentage of Hispanic voters reached a record high. Meanwhile, census projections show that in just 30 years, nonwhites will represent a larger block of America's total population than whites.

It's true that we have work to do before our voting power matches our numbers -- far too many people of color are still systematically locked out of our democracy by arbitrary voter ID laws, criminal disenfranchisement and racial gerrymandering. But politicians who fail to notice that America is changing -- fast -- may soon find themselves in trouble.

Ultimately the leaders who thrive in the 21st century, and the ones who continue to hold office, will be those who respond to the needs of our increasingly diverse citizens. Elected officials will have to pay more attention to the issues pressing African-American, Latino, Asian and Native American families. And the nation's energy sector is among the most important issues.

Why? Because many people of color bear the brunt of pollution from outdated power plants and toxic industries. A staggering one in six African-American children suffers from asthma, compared with one in 10 nationwide. And of the 8 million people living within three miles of polluting coal-fired power plants, a disproportionate number are people of color. Energy is not just how we power our lives; it's a public health issue.

In addition to cutting asthma and other pollution-related health problems that plague our communities, clean energy opens a door for those of us who were left out of the old economy -- including people of color.

Architect Kendall Dorman will launch a 300-mile bike ride in an effort to raise awareness about climate change and support Green For All’s work to protect our air and water while lifting Americans out of poverty.

“I’m really excited to participate in this year’s NYC-DC Climate Ride,” Kendall says. “It’s a great way for me to raise money for Green For All’s work to build an inclusive green economy. And all along the route, I’ll have a chance to increase awareness about climate change.”

Kendall has been riding bikes for all but about the first 5 years of his life. He has owned a Stingray, a department store cruiser, a Schwinn Continental, a few mountain bikes, two track bikes, and a plethora of road bikes. He has lived in Washington, D.C. since 1988 and has participated sporadically in Bike D.C. events with friends and his wife, JT Roy.

A former Category II cycling racer, Kendall says he regularly rides on the weekends in unsanctioned, unofficial, so-called races with riders that are typically younger, stronger and faster than him. And, he also likes to ride to work or to other destinations on roads, trails and/or paths.

He is a practicing Architect in Washington DC and his firm Wiebenson & Dorman Architects PC, strives to design buildings that are, as he believes bicycles are, friendlier to the environment. He serves proudly on the Board of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, considers himself a diplomat of goodwill for cycling and believes that the bicycle is a legitimate and noble form of transportation.

Kendall will be riding hard for Green For All, but you can join the effort without even breaking a sweat. Your tax-deductible donation will support our work to create green jobs and healthier, more sustainable communities.

Click here to donate.

Authors: maritessa

This Mother’s Day, Green For All is releasing a dope music video entitled “7 Billion” by the Dream Reborn contest winners Silent C and Invest. These two dynamic hip-hop artists were inspired by their own mothers to honor the struggle and the courage of women around the world. Stay tuned for the release of this powerful story of unity and hope this Wednesday, May 9th.

Twitter Town Hall!

After you watch the video, you’ll not only be inspired to share it and honor a woman in your life, you may be inspired to join the conversation about motherhood, women’s leadership and social change with none other than Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins (GFA CEO and expecting mother), Roberta Shields (Rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges' mother and head of the Ludacris Foundation), and Ashara Ekundayo (Green For All Fellow, Social Entrepreneur and Mother of DJ CAVEM). It’s easy – just follow #StrongMoms this Thursday, May 10^th at 11-11:30am PST, 2-2:30pm EST. You can tweet your own questions for these Strong Moms!

Authors: Michael Hutchingson, Green For All Fellow

I never felt that I would face any new challenges in life that I could not handle. Growing up in the inner city of Kansas City, where I had lived all my life, had taught me many life lessons. However, the challenge of moving to Nashville and trying to set up a recycling program in a new city is one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. Recycling by definition is to convert one thing into something new. Through the process of setting up this program I feel I have myself been recycled, transformed into someone new.

Authors: Nara McCray & Samjulien Carlishe

As Green For All Ambassadors for Alabama A&M University, during the 2011-2012 school year, we focused our efforts on raising awareness about water issues. During the fall semester we concentrated on raising broad awareness about water issues. We held workshops and forums on international, national and local water topics. We wanted to start by implementing change on the historic campus of AAMU. Our specific mission was to reduce bottled water use at our university.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/tj6eZnkOHPg

While developing a curriculum for our peers, we ourselves learned much about the positives of drinking tap water, the negatives of drinking bottled water, and how to organize and operate events. The experience connected us with many allies and new friends at our university, as well as many others from different Historically Black Colleges & Universities.

We were thrilled that our efforts were recognized by Bill Clinton’s organization known as Clinton Global Initiative University. We had a chance to participate in the organization’s conference a few weeks ago. It was an honor to have CGIU recognize us; they told us our work was inspiring and could help motivate other student to pursue their goals. We were inspired, too.

The conference brought together over 1,200 students who are committed to creating change throughout the world. There were a number of celebrities and entrepreneurs involved including Jon Stewart, Usher and Majora Carter who shared their personal stories of successes and failures. It was interesting that many emphasized that failure was necessary in order to experience success.

Also, we were surprised to learn that many of the entrepreneurs who spoke began their humanitarian work while in undergraduate school. We were honored to be one of the few recognized by CGIU for our commitment. The highlight was that we actually got to meet former President Bill Clinton while at the service event on Sunday. Unlike many others, our initiative was not “global” or an innovative business plan.

But our focus on reducing wasteful bottled water use on campus also raised awareness about disparities in access to drinking water that exist around the world. This opportunity has inspired us to dream big. We can literally do anything as long as we have the motivation!

Authors: Candice Reed

Ovie Mughelli isn’t your stereotypical environmentalist. He’s a Pro Bowl fullback for the Atlanta Falcons and one of his jobs is to protect the quarterback. Off the field he protects the environment.

Mughelli uses his star status to reach children and teach them how they can care for the environment and make important green lifestyle changes. Through the Ovie Mughelli Foundation, he hosts youth football camps and environmental fitness camps, teaching kids about the connection between a healthy environment and a healthy body.

The football star will soon be teaming up with Green For All to further spread the news about the environment and green jobs.

“I think it’s important to share with communities, especially inner-city communities, that green jobs are the future. That’s where Green For All comes in to the picture. I’m excited to be working with Green For All to get these messages out there,” he said. “I really believe that by working together we can give kids the tools to pull themselves out of poverty with green jobs.”

Mughelli, born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, is a 9-year NFL veteran. One of the biggest fullbacks in the NFL, Ovie is known for being a power blocker, and for being able to pick up blitzes. He has one of the best special team minds in the game. He also encourages his teammates to go green, and has dedicated his life to helping disadvantaged kids and leaving behind a cleaner, healthier, more prosperous world.

The Pro-Bowl football player said that when his daughter Olivia was born three years ago he and his wife stepped up their concerns for the environment.

“My daughter is a big reason I do what I do,” he said. “I would hate for her to get older and ask, ‘Dad, why didn't you care about my future? Why didn't you do anything about the environment, about the air?’ I don't want to have that conversation when she's in her twenties.”

Mughelli’s goal is to stress the connection between sports, health and a clean environment.

“I host a youth football skills camp and a lot of the kids as well as their parents, are surprised when the first thing I start talking about is the environment and what they can do to change it,” he said. “We’ve found that if you empower kids by educating them about the environment, you give them a platform to transform their households, their neighborhoods, their communities, and the world. We encourage them to be leaders and to pull themselves out of poverty by looking towards green jobs.”

Mughelli's Eco-Athlete Foundation also holds a Green Speaker series highlighting different green jobs and he said that most of the people who attend the event are amazed at the diversity and profitability of green jobs.

Mughelli and his foundation work with urban communities because he feels they deal with the brunt of pollution and that they also have the power to be real leaders in protecting the environment.

“It depends on what neighborhood you go to, but many deal with poverty and violence, so sometimes it's hard to convince them that the recycling is important,” he said. “African-Americans also deal with the negative effects of the environment more than others. We have landfills and coal-powered plants in our neighborhoods. The good news is that change can come from these very kids. They have more power than you might think.”

Authors: Shamar Bibbins

As a national organization building an inclusive green economy, we have the privilege of working with leaders from across the country who are passionately creating greener communities and stronger economies. We know first hand the powerful, transformative work that is taking place on the ground. It was extremely exciting today to join the White House as they honored nine individuals as Champions of Change for greening our cities and towns. 

It’s been just nine months, and already our 20 incredible Green for All fellowship candidates are making big changes in their communities. Our fifth cohort of Fellow candidates wrapped up their term of service in March and joined a growing network of fellows around the country who are leading efforts to create a healthier, greener, more equitable world—one neighborhood at a time. Members of our fifth class hailed from epicenters of change spanning the entire country, from Las Vegas, Nevada to Rich Square, North Carolina. They came together in Oakland, California last July for several days of training, then headed back home more ready than ever to engage their communities in building green solutions and new economic opportunities.

These 20 incredible individuals put together over 750 events to train and mobilize more than 18,000 community members. Their accomplishments are impressive.

A few highlights:

• Developing a farmers’ aquaponics collaborative made up of workers displaced by the BP oil spill in New Orleans
• Coordinating community participation in public hearings about the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline in Omaha
• Distributing fresh fruits and vegetables to 100 families a week in Nashville

We believe you’ll be just as inspired by these local ‘solutionaries’ as we are: To get more ideas for how to begin or strengthen your efforts to create the world you want to live in, click on the photo below.

You can help build the movement, too—by sharing your solutions and ideas with us on Twitter.

And don’t forget to sign up here to get Green for All updates and learn how you can help.

Current

Authors: Markese Bryant

April 22^nd, 2012 is the first Earth Day since the passing of Wangari Maathai, a beloved hero of both planet and people. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, Wangari Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, which has planted over 40 million trees through the leadership of rural women across the country.

Authors: Julian McQueen

Wondering what the soundtrack to your Earth Day is going to be this year? Well don't worry, we've got you covered. We are thrilled to announce the release of the only "green" mixtape to drop this Earth Day! Green For All, in partnership with our friends at the League of Young Voters present The Green Room Mixtape hosted by DJ Willie Shakes, featuring some of today's hottest hip hop acts including Kendrick Lamar, BJ the Chicago Kid, Dee 1, Rebel Diaz, BRWN BFLO, DJ CAVEM and many more. The music represents communities from across the US, but they all share one thing...the music is slappin!

Authors: Shamar Bibbins

Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH) introduced a bill this week aimed at feeding the roughly 45 million Americans who suffer from hunger.

Authors: Lisa Curtis, Community Builder, Solar Mosaic

Our event in late March was a convergence. It was a convergence of movements, of people and of ideas. With “A Night of People Powered Solar,” we came together to celebrate the incredible: the creation of two community solar installations in Oakland and the investment of over $350,000 in people-powered solar through Mosaic's platform. We heard from four of our partners: The Ella Baker Center, People's Grocery, St. Vincent de Paul and Oaklandish, each of which are working hard to make Oakland a better and more sustainable place to live. At the end of the event, people flocked to the computers to invest in St. Vincent de Paul's solar project and create more people-powered solar in Oakland.

Authors: Julian Mocine-McQueen

At Green For All, we know that if we are going to solve our biggest challenges, then we need everyone stepping up with all their talents! This is why, in honor of Earth Day, we are partnering with our friends at the League of Young Voters to bring you The Green Room Mixtape hosted by DJ Willie Shakes, featuring some of today's hottest hip hop acts including Kendrick Lamar, BJ the Chicago Kid, Dee 1, Rebel Diaz, BRWN BFLO and many more including Green For All’s Markese Bryant. The music represents communities from across the US, but they all share one thing...the music is slappin!

Authors: Shamar Bibbins

Did you know that forty-five million people in the United States suffer from hunger? That is one in six adults, and one in five children.

Authors: Mimi Torres

I've always considered myself an environmentalist. As a young girl, I was the one that encouraged the family to recycle, and I always signed us up for beach clean-ups.I became vegetarian when I was 10 and vegan when I was 20. In college I become more directly involved with activism through on and off campus environmental groups. It was also in college that I made the conscious decision not to drive. I went and looked at a few used cars after getting my license, but then I realized that if Ihad a car, I would drive it all the time, especially to see friends that lived out of town, and then I would feel like a hypocrite.

I soon realized that there are many more local benefits of the bike economy, from lowering families’ health care costs to reducing a business’s need to invest in costly parking spaces for staff and customers. And you can’t place a monetary value on happiness. I love to ride my bike.

As an only child I had over-protective parents that would not let me ride my bike outside of our driveway or empty parking lots. I didn't go on my first real bike ride until I was 17. While I found that I loved biking, I didn’t buy my first bikeas an adultin the summer of 2007. Since then I have easily logged several thousand miles. I love the freedom that bike riding provides, and I love living in the Bay Area because I can ride all year.

I love bikingduring commuting hours and being able to cruise past long lines of cars held up at red lights.Whiledrivers are breathing exhaust (studies have shown that cyclists breathe less exhaust),and honking at each other, I feel thebreeze andenjoy the sights off the roadside. Not to mention that I always get a great parking spot.

In September I am riding my hybrid road bike on the 2012 Climate Ride California as part of the Green For All Team. The longest trip I've gone on so far was a two day bike trip to Santa Cruz. I am really looking forward to the Climate Ride, but I need to raise $2400 to support sustainable solutions, bike advocacy and environmental causes. If you would like to donate to my ride my page is- http://climateride.donordrive.com/participant/mimi710

My friends and family are very supportive of my decision to ride down the coast and raise money for a cleaner, greener environment-hopefully you are too!

Authors: Shamar Bibbins

On Wednesday, March 28th, Green For All hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss how innovative food systems can address food insecurity for vulnerable communities, while creating jobs and increasing farmer income.

Authors: Chester Thrower, Green For All Fellow - Class 1

Last Tuesday when I received a call from Amanda Hansen of the Council on Environmental Quality, inviting me to the White House for President Obama’s speech calling for Congress to end oil company subsidies, I first thought it was a joke. I mean, it’s not every day you have the opportunity be in the presence of the President of the United States, let alone the first black president. So after getting in touch with Amanda and being told that it was a true opportunity for me as a Green For All Fellow, I immediately went into rush mode, having only 48 hours to prepare. Although truthfully I had been preparing for several years by gaining the skills needed for an economy less dependent on fossil fuels, including getting mycertification in solar panel installation and repair.

Although I was between paychecks and the rent was due the next week, it was still too good of an opportunity to pass up, so I reached out to a few friends for help and support in making the trip possible. (A special thanks to Mr. Galen Moorer who helped make this trip a reality.)

It was a beautiful, sunny day in DC andon my walk to the White House, as I passed the Washington Monument, I found that I was lost. Thanks to a friendly Secret Service bicycle police officer, I got back on course and proceeded on the right path. As I approached the northwest gates of the White House, I saw scores of tourists and school children, all taking pictures in front of the White House gates. It was kind of funny since this was my first time ever being in front of the White House, and the first thing I noticed was how small it looked, as compared to seeing it on TV. I mean, even after seeing Andrea Mitchell doing reports on the North Lawn, I never imagined how small the building really was. Then I pressed the buzzer on the gate, and the guard spoke to me on the intercom and asked me to state my name and purpose for coming. After a few minutes he came out, got my driver’s license, and went back in and all kinds of thoughts went through my mind. When I finally heard him say, “Come on in,” I finally realized that this dream was real.

After walking through the metal detectors and getting my visitor’s badge, the Secret Servicemen pointed to the West Wing, and said to follow the path and go right on in through the doors.

That’s when it hit me - I was in a place where 44 presidents actually lived and tons of foreign dignitaries walked on the same path and entered through the same doors. Never in all my years did I think that I would be in this historic place. As I entered, the Secret Serviceman that was guarding the door advised me to have a seat on the couch and relax. As I took in the scenery, I noticed the historic paintings and sculptures that adorned the walls. The Secret Serviceman was really nice and talkative. Then the kid in me came out – I started to ask all kinds of questions- like is the food here good? He confirmed it’s like gourmet cooking. (Chefs cook for the president.) I asked if he saw the president every day, and he said he did several times a day when he’s in town.

After a while a White House staffer came out and escorted me to the Roosevelt Room, where there were pictures of Theodore Roosevelt and FDR. Along the walls were FDR’s Nobel Peace Prize and his Purple Heart Medal. I even sat in President Obama’s chair, which is distinguishable because the headrest is higher than the other ones. As other invitees came (15 in all) it was like we all knew each other. We introduced ourselves and everyone was excited and soaking up the moment. The White House staffer was giving us the overview of the do’s and don’ts. One of the big rules was no pictures or autographs. After about half an hour of small talk between us and laughing and joking, all of a sudden to the left of me, the doors of the Oval Office swung open. There he was: Barack himself. You know what? I was kind of speechless. I mean - here he was in person. He worked the room and introduced himself to each of us and shook everyone’s hand. He asked everyone their name and thanked them for coming, and gave a brief overview of what he was going to talk about. Then he disappeared back into the Oval Office. That’s when we all looked at each other wide-eyed and gave our observations; how much larger-than-life he looked, and how articulate and respectful he was. He’s definitely a people’s president. Then after about 15 minutes, the White House staffers came in and said, “It’s game time.”

As we were escorted to the Rose Garden - which has a lot of history itself- butterflies definitely started settling in. I mean, I played college basketball in front of thousands of people, but to tell the truth, when we entered the Rose Garden and assembled on the steps and saw hundreds of people sitting in their seats along with journalists, photographers and news media, this was a totally different arena than I had ever encountered in my life. After about four minutes of us standing there looking into the crowd, it was loudly announced over the P.A. system, “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.”

As the Oval Office doors swung open, he appeared once again. Since I was in the middle of the last row, I was the one that had to actually move over and let him come down the middle of us to the podium. As he walked past, he tapped my arm, proceeded down the steps, and gave his speech at the podium.

To be totally honest, during that 15-20 minute speech, I heard and understood what he was saying about how Congress needs to cut out the oil subsidies and the millions that these companies profit per hour, but I was definitely taking in the moment: from the agents on the roof above, to the Secret Servicemen to the right and to the left, to the staffers to the side, to his shoes, and his hair cut. It was sort of like I was in a daze. As the president finished his speech, he turned around and he again congratulated everyone for coming down and being part of the day, and before you knew it, he had walked back through the Oval Office doors, and he was gone.

Looking back on the time I spent with the president, he kind of seemed to me like a ballerina who takes the stage, performs a perfect pirouette, brings the house down, and disappears, stage right.

After he left, we were escorted back to the Roosevelt Room to collect our belongings, thanked for coming and being a part of the moment, and led back to the northwest gates to leave the White House grounds. As we stood outside, marveling at what we had just experienced, reality soon set in and everyone left, returning to the reality of being ordinary citizens.

As I walked away, I realized that never would I have ever thought that I would share a mutual dream with 14 other lucky citizens: to meet and rub shoulders with the 44th President of the United States, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama.

Authors: Khary Dvorak-Ewell

Music City is turning Green.

Green For All hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss how innovative food systems can address food insecurity for vulnerable communities, while creating jobs and increasing farmer income.

Authors: Zoe Hollomon, Green For All Fellow

Being a community and food justice organizer at the Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) in Buffalo, I work with local youth to Increase access to fresh affordable food and build a more equitable and sustainable food system. Some days that means working with youth on our urban farm to grow food for Buffalo communities, other days it’s connecting local farms and urban markets, and sometimes it’s informing elected officials about the movement for a better food system and how they can support healthier communities and economic opportunities through policy. 

Authors: Ryan Dexter

More than 3.1 million Americans have a green job, according to a new report released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At Green For All, we’ve spoken to thousands of Americans who lost their jobs five and six years ago who have found jobs in the clean energy field, making their communities safer for their children while earning a decent paycheck. As part of our ongoing Green Jobs for America video series we took a closer look at one of the cities where green jobs are helping improve the community.

Authors: Danielle Bailey - Savannah State University

Last month residents of the West Side, employees, and members of The Clean Air Coalition joined assemblyman Sean Ryan for a press conference in front of the Peace Bridge asking the state Department of Conservation (DEC) to place an air monitor on Buffalo’s lower West Side.

Press conferences happen every day, so why was this one so important? Because the DEC uses air monitors to measure contaminants in the air continuously, to avoid damage to people and the environment due to air pollution and the people of Western New York desperately need one.

Back in the day, the residents who started The Clean Air Coalition of Western New York conducted their own air testing using a bucket they bought at Home Depot and a hand vacuum. When the results came in, they found that benzene, a known carcinogen, was in their air at increasingly elevated levels. The quickly concluded that there could only be one culprit: Tonawanda Coke Corporation! The residents became angry and demanded the DEC and the Environmental Protection Agency to do something. The DEC put in four air monitoring stations throughout Tonawanda which helped the agency, and the residents determine what other nasty contaminants are in their air, and where it’s coming from. Tonawanda currently has two air monitors because two were taken away back in 2009 At the end of the Tonawanda Community Air Quality Study. Air monitoring has been so important in determining air quality issues in Tonawanda (DEC’s study just determined that there was an 86 percent reduction in benzene.) that we want the DEC to place one on Buffalo’s West Side.

And here’s the kicker! There’s a DEC funded air monitor that measures for VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) as well as fine, and ultra-fine particulates. But it’s on a private golf course in Amherst, where it isn’t even functioning to its full capacity- it’s just measuring temperature and ozone. I mean, if that isn’t bogus, I don’t know what is.

So on a cold February morning, our assemblyman, Sean Ryan, called on the DEC to put an air monitor on the West Side because of all of the diesel exhaust choking that area and he stressed the importance of the two existing air monitors in Tonawanda.

But that’s not what I’m most excited about. For about 15 years the conversation surrounding the Peace Bridge Expansion Project has been about “economic development” or “progress.” People claimed that by not building a “new signature bridge” that Buffalo would be left behind, while other cities, like Detroit and Ontario, would receive an economic boost from trucks and jobs and the like. Now, for the first time in 15 years the conversation has changed to one of air quality issues surrounding the Peace Bridge. To the fact that almost half of all households on the West Side have asthma, or other respiratory issues and, almost four thousand trucks, 80 percent of the United States/ Canada traffic passes through this one neighborhood, over this one bridge, even though there are three other international crossings, and that diesel exhaust contains 40 toxic chemicals, some of which are known to cause cancer.

But this is just a baby step. West Side residents and the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York are just beginning to ask for the neighborhood we need.

Help us by signing our petition to the DEC here:http://www.cacwny.org/2012/01/secure-air-monitors-keep-polluters-accountable/

Natasha Soto — Fellows Class 5

Originally from Washington Heights, Natasha moved to Buffalo for school, where she earned her degree in Environmental Studies. She was instantly culture shocked to find, unlike the melting pot of New York City, a distinct lack of people of color at the University at Buffalo. She fell in love with Buffalo because of the pride and strong sense of community expressed by the people, but she was also aware that something was missing.

Authors: Kristina Johnson

We were thrilled this week to hear that the U.S. Department of Housing Development is investing in a program to make affordable housing more energy efficient—something that will create good local jobs, slash air pollution, and shrink energy bills for low-income Americans, who are already strapped and struggling to get by.

The agency announced Thursday that it would awarda $3 million grantto the Network for Oregon Affordable Housing, which will use the money to implement the MPower Fund, an innovative new program designed to make multi-family buildings--like the affordable housing units and apartments where millions of Americans live--energy efficient.

Mention energy efficiency to someone and it usually takes about four seconds for their eyes to glaze over. But at Green for All, we get excited about energy efficiency because it can do so much to change people’s lives.

When it comes to creating jobs, energy efficiency is a workhorse. In order to make upgrades to buildings, you need skilled workers--and they need to be local. Efficiency upgrades help slash the pollution that causes health problems like asthma and heart disease and leads to billions each year inhealth care costs. And it shrinks people’s monthly energy bills, freeing up dollars that people can use to help their local economy rebound.

We’ve already seen remarkable results with programs that encourage people to make efficiency upgrades to their houses: In Portland, one of our partner programs, Clean Energy Works, made more than 900 single-family homes energy-efficient, cutting five million pounds of carbon pollution, putting 500 people to work, and generating $12 million for the local economy.

But that program was focused only on single-family homes.

At Green for All, the question that was keeping us up at night was how to make efficiency work for the people who stand to benefit from it most: low and moderate-income folks living in apartment buildings and affordable housing. It was hard to imagine that landlords and housing agencies, squeezed as they are by the recession, would be willing to pony up for the initial cost of efficiency upgrades--which can average $3,000-$5,000 per unit.

MPower solves that problem. It makes the math work for building owners and housing agencies. The MPower Fund pays the upfront cost of energy efficiency upgrades, and the tenants and building owner repay their utility over time as part of their monthly energy bill. Together, everyone reaps the benefits of lower energy bills. That’s why Green for All is working to expand MPower across the country, bringing energy efficiency—and jobs—to many more Americans.

HUD’s grant in Oregon is expected to save building owners and tenants more than $1.7 million over the next ten years. It will cut pollution from power plants by an estimated 1,300 metric tons a year. And it will create good jobs and generate dollars for the local economy.

• How to build public support for water and green infrastructure projects
• How to create jobs and economic opportunity in stormwater projects
• Creative financing models for stormwater projects
• Building a high-road model for green infrastructure that will create pathways to middle class jobs for the people who need them most.

Authors: Brian Purchia

Today in a blog on the Huffington Post, Green For All CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, calls on Congress to pass a transportation bill that will put Americans back to work now.

Authors: Maritza Martinez

Hundreds of people from across the South gathered in Atlanta late last month at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs South Conference to discuss current and future efforts to build a green economy. Participants ranged from union members to municipal workers to environmental activists and everyone in between. The conference was put together by the Blue Green Alliance, a national strategic partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy. 

Authors: Markese Bryant

Talk about fresh!

More than 40 songs were submitted by young artists honoring Dr. King’s dream by calling for economic justice and green solutions, as part of The Dream Reborn: Who’s Next? music contest. That’s a lot of talent and tracks.

But the people have spoken—more than 5,000 of them, voting on Facebook— and the first place winner is the song "7 Billion" [Listen] by Silent C featuring Invest. The winning song begins with a news reporter announcing that the population of the world has reached 7 billion as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his famous; "I Have a Dream," speech.

The song taps into the power and responsibility of the planet’s growing population to create positive change: "This is not a black thing, this is not a white thing, this is a world thing, power to the people, 7 billion strong," is the song’s refrain.

Silent C, a.k.a. Christian Dior Wade, a 20-year-old musician living in Atlanta, GA and Invest, an artist/entrepreneur who was born and raised in Oakland, teamed up for the winning song. They will receive the $1,000 grand prize prize – and the opportunity to have their music video produced by Green For All.

"I hope this song makes people realize that with seven billion people in the world, we need to come together more than ever to help each other and the planet we all share," said Silent C. "Promoting economic justice and green solutions is a great way to honor Dr. King’s dream."

• Creating high quality, broadly accessible jobs in the water sector,
• Building public support for water infrastructure and green infrastructure projects, and
• Financing stormwater infrastructure projects.

Authors: Sizwe Herring, Green For All Fellow- Class 5

"The evidence of anthropology, now suggests that I, the Black man, am the original man, the first man to walk this vast, imponderable earth. I, the Black man am an African, the exotic quintessence of a universal Blackness. I have lost, by force, my name, my language and in a sense, my life, I will seize it back, so help me. Toward that end, if necessary I will crush the corners of the earth. Until I, the Black man, the first and original man, can arm and arm, with my woman, erect among humanity, the first truly human being this world has ever seen."

- Nathan & Julia Hare

Land is the basis of all independence.

Land is the basis of freedom, justice and equality.

- Malcolm X

Sizwe Herring — Green For All Fellow Class 5

William Sizwe (Siz-Way) Herring is a dedicated environmentalist and director of EarthMatters Tennessee, a nonprofit earth education organization. A frequent classroom presenter and workshop leader, Sizwe is a certified instructor in the field of permaculture. Sizwe's organization maintains the George W. Carver Food Park, where over 30,000 lbs of organic compost is produced and distributed each year. The Food Park is the home of Nashville's only "land sculpture" made entirely of leaves and compost materials. Sizwe is also the urban coordinator for Kids To The Country, and since 1994 has led the summer program at The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee. As part of his mission to bring balance and wholeness to earth communities, Sizwe has volunteered his time as a trained mediator since 1993. He uses his staff position at Tennessee State University's student center to both mediate and bring awareness of both earth and human ecology to college students. His influence was instrumental in the creation of the campus organization Gateway to Heritage, which conducts recycling, cleanup and planting projects on the grounds and immediate neighborhood of this HBCU university. He is a former board member of the American Community Gardening Association, Tennessee Solid Waste Control Board and has proud, active memberships in Manna-Food Security Partners, Green For All, the Tennessee Organic Growers Association, and the Green Collar Jobs Task Force of Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Authors: Maritza Martinez

A new report from Central Appalachia Sustainability Economies (CASE) [report] details how one group is defining sustainability within a region dominated by coalmining. I had the pleasure of joining two Green For All Fellows at the first gathering of CASE in November. The CASE network was convened by Green For All Fellow Eric Mathis, founder of the JOBS Project, to coordinate sustainability efforts in the coal regions of West Virginia and Kentucky. The purpose of the gathering was to bring together people and organizations working toward health and sustainability to reduce organizational silos and begin developing a regional approach to sustainable economic development. It was clear that this network is building a space for much-needed collaboration, resource-sharing and mutual support.

Working For Communities, Not Against the Status Quo

"It’s okay to be against something, unless it’s against the workers," said Terry Sammons of the Mingo County Redevelopment Authority. Coexisting with the coal industry, the area’s main provider of jobs, is a central theme of the group’s work. Speakers discussed the region’s economic development through this lens, including reclaiming land from mountaintop removal sites and improving mining techniques to keep streams in tact. Many innovative solutions have already been implemented or being developed locally, such as solar energy installations, reforestation projects, and building community spaces, such as schools, on post-mining sites.

Meeting Community Health Needs

Coal-mining communities suffer from a host of health problems that can be addressed through comprehensive sustainability work that puts community health at the center. GFA Fellow Selim Sandoval and Monica Niess from The Write Choice Network shared their vision for a baseline community health survey. They are working in collaboration with leaders in Williamson to acquire federal funds to build a Federally Qualified Health Center in the area. Teaming up with Eric and local organizations, they will be implementing a public survey to assess the needs of the community and build a health clinic that can address them. The health clinic will serve as a regional anchor for achieving sustainable and healthy communities.

Developing Local Leadership and Business Opportunities

Sustainable economic development in coal country represents critical opportunities to diversify an often-stagnant local economy. Daryn Dodson from Idea Village discussed his experience supporting entrepreneurs in post-Katrina New Orleans. Through investment and coaching, Idea Village is able to grow entrepreneurial ventures and help them succeed in the market. He shared success stories from the field, like Naked Pizza who set out to build the world’s healthiest pizza and is now expanding to 27 locations around the country. This model roused strong interest within the CASE network as a means of supporting the next generation of leaders and business owners by building local opportunities to prevent brain drain and create a stronger economy.

The CASE convening launched a coordinated effort at building a

sustainable local economy dedicated to healthy communities and next generation leadership. Participants showcased local solutions as well as models for success from around the country. To some, building a new economy means tearing down the old industries without regard to jobs or traditions but it is clear that the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Eric Mathis and the team at CASE are creating a sustainable economy with a deep understanding of the needs of their community.

Read more about the CASE convening here.

Check out photos from the CASE convening here.

Authors: Cheryl P. Derricotte, AICP, Director of Strategic Growth

Green For All is delighted to be a beneficiary of the 2012 Climate Ride!The East Coast Climate Ride will travel from NYC to DC, May 19-23, 2012 and the West Coast Climate Ride will span the California Coast, September 9-13, 2012.

Climate Ride is a non-profit organization that organizes charitable bike rides to support sustainable solutions, bike advocacy and environmental causes. There are two rides to choose from if you would like to join Green For All:Climate Ride NYC-DC or Climate Ride California. Climate Riders register for $75 and then fundraise a minimum of $2400 in order to participate in one of the all-inclusive 5-day events.

The NYC-DC ride begins with a pedal through the heart of Manhattan to a ferry that will carry everyone off the island and across New York Harbor. From there the route travels along country roads passing through Princeton, crossing the Susquehanna River, and into Pennsylvania Amish Country. After a day of pedaling past farms and silos in Amish Country, the riders will reach Maryland horse country. On the fifth day, riders cycle past the iconic Washington Monument to arrive at the U.S. Capitol. A highlight of the ride is that Climate Ride arranges appointments for every rider to personally meet with her/his Congressional representative. It makes a big impression to pedal 300 miles to meet your senator.

Less than 15 spots remain on the NYC – DC Climate Ride! To join Team Green For All now visit:ClimateRide.org and choose “Register” to get started. Remember to select Green For All as your beneficiary! Don’t want to ride? Make a tax-deductible donation to Team Green For All by clicking here:

Thanks for your support of Green For All on Climate Rides 2012!

Authors: brian

Yesterday, we asked you to send a message to Washington demanding that our elected officials reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline once and for all. Green For Alljoined 350.organd 30 other environmental groups and environmentally conscious businesses in this incredible effort.

We were shooting for 500,000 supporters, but in 24-hours more than 800,000 of you told your elected officials to say no to the Keystone tar sands pipeline.

Fifteen of the nation’s top climate scientists also added their names to the effort by sending a personal letter to the Senate, urging leadership to abandon the tar sands pipeline, because of its impact on the environment and climate.

Today, your petitions were delivered to Congress. Check out the photos here!

Thank you for demanding that our leaders stand for the American public. We will continue to keep up the fight against Keystone XL as long as Big Oil and their supporters continue to promote oil profits above the health and safety of Americans.

Authors: brian

We have 24 hours to stop the KeystoneXL tar sands pipeline.

The Senate could vote as early as Tuesday on a deal that would greenlight its construction. Last month, President Obama and his administration stood up for the American public by rejecting Keystone XL. This project would have helped Big Oil and their allies get richer at the expense of American workers and permanently damaged our environment.

After the President rejected Keystone XL, many in Congress have been working to try and push through the pipeline on behalf of Big Oil. To stop them, we need you.

That’s why for the next 24 hours the movement is uniting to demand that our Senators reject Keystone XL. Our goal is to collect and send 500,000 messages between now and the vote on Keystone.

We don’t have a second to lose.

What causes such instabilities? One of the largest contributors to these changes is the various emissions of non natural sources of matter like carbon as well as less acknowledged sources like nitrogen that are equally as detrimental to global environmental stability. One of the sources of nitrogen is the agricultural industry, specifically the herding of cattle and other meat-based industries. Livestock alone is responsible for approximately 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. The Nitrogen based fertilizers along with the food product used to feed livestock place a heavy burden on the environment, particularly because meat product is used as the based of the average diet in the Western hemisphere, instead of just the supplement. The consumption of so much meat, particularly by the average American, has caused desertification throughout many parts of the developing world.

Falon Shackelford — Howard University

Falon is the president of the Howard University Environmental Society, a university wide organization dedicated to increasing environmental consciousness. In addition to helping organizing student engagement in events, Falon has worked with various administrators and faculty to help demonstrate the need for an office dedicated specifically to sustainability on her campus.

Authors: Markese Bryant

The Dream Reborn: Who’s Next? competition is well under way, and the submissions we’ve received so far are truly inspiring. We have songs from all over the country and all over the musical map! From folk to rock to hip hop and everything in between, people are using music to spread the message of an economy Dr. King would be proud of.

Vote For Your Favorite Song!

We need your vote to decide who will get a video produced for their track and the thousand-dollar 1st place prize. It's easy to vote, just visitDreamRebornContest.comand "like" one or more songs. You can let your Facebook friends know which are your favorite songs and get them to listen and vote.

Still Time To Submit and Win!

We are also still accepting submissions through February 15th, so pleasesubmit your jam, or let your cousin know it's time to upload her new track. When Green For All held a similar contest back in 2010, it was won by a group of high school students in Minnesota that called themselves the Climate Change Crew.Check out the video we produced for them:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/lNlZ5w8oGtE?rel=0

Music has always played a key role in struggles for justice and equality, and today is no different; help us identify the songs to add to this rich legacy as we build this dream together.Vote for your favorite song now!

Authors: Julian Mocine-McQueen

The email from Uganda seemed urgent.

"My name is John Kaganga and I am very inspired by Green For All and am creating similar initiatives in Uganda. I want to bring Green For All to Uganda, please contact me to discuss this effort."

Authors: Julian Mocine-McQueen

The State of the Union is dissected and discussed by the usual suspects on the big networks and cable news. Although these opinions are important, much of what the President will discuss - from healthcare to security to the economy - will have a direct effect on the youth of this country. That is why Green For All has joined the League of Young Voters for the second annual #Baracktalk event! Tune in for a live stream of the State of the Union address, followed by a roundtable discussion with some of today's most important leaders from hip hop, entertainment, activism and more, including: Dee-1, Jasiri X, Davey D, Rhymefest, and others.

You can catch the livestream below beginning at 7:30pm EST/4:30 PST.

We also want to hear your thoughts and questions. Submit them via twitter: Tweet to @theleague99 !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

http://www.ustream.tv/embed/5715821

Authors: Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins

America is not used to playing catch-up, not since World War II. We’ve built a massive, unparalleled economy through an always-evolving blend of entrepreneurship, public and private investment, and innovation.

We still lead the rest of the world, but we’ve slowed. Stumbled. Meanwhile our competitors are picking up speed – particularly in key sectors that promise long-term growth.

President Obama is presenting his fourth State of the Union address tonight, at the outset of a year that will culminate with a fiercely contested battle for his position. It may be the President’s last opportunity to establish the agenda that America needs in order to be competitive over the long term – while putting people to work immediately.

It is a moment for boldness – a time at which the President can outline a plan of action that shifts America’s focus to the future, a time during which America can regain its speed.

Our organization, Green For All, is committed to building a green economy robust enough to lift everyone out of poverty. The need for this has rarely been greater; low income communities and communities of color are seeing rates of unemployment exponentially higher than the rest of the country. Nearly one-in-five African-American men are unemployed – this alarming trend has barely budged for several years. It’s a crisis, but an addressable one.

One way to put people back to work now is to seize the obvious opportunity in front of us. Shifts in energy production and consumption, in resource use and re-use, provide massive economic opportunities. And so, we respectfully submit to the President the following course of action – it provides the best short and long-term strategy to maintain American economic leadership.

1. Recognize long-term growth opportunities

Bringing a small company or industry to scale yields many more jobs – and profits – than making a huge company a little bigger. Silicon Valley funders don’t invest in IBM, they look for the next IBM.

America should do the same. The political firestorm around the Keystone pipeline, a project that would have yielded several hundred short-term jobs was manufactured by Big Oil and their political allies – it has been amazing to watch. For much less potential environmental damage, we could put thousands to work in industries that are conditioned on the long-term.

Consider the cost of producing energy from renewable sources will soon drop below the cost of producing energy from fossil fuels. In part, that’s because the renewable sector is predicated on innovation while fossil fuels are predicated on extraction. Extraction will necessarily yield cost increases as it becomes harder; innovation on the other hand will continue to yield price drops. Investing in Keystone is simply an attempt to keep the costs of extraction artificially low and prop up an industry from another era.

There is similar opportunity in systems that reduce pollution from the old fossil fuel economy. The EPA’s new rules aimed at reducing mercury and other particulate pollution from power plants will lead to investments that will create companies and jobs while saving lives, lowering asthma rates and saving billions of dollars in healthcare costs annually.

We can’t remain where we are through sheer momentum. We need new strategies in new sectors – and we need to invest in them.

2. Make direct entrepreneurial investments in green technology

Put flatly, opponents of government investment are wrong.

Attacking Solyndra has proven to be smart politics for those who hope to see the President lose in November, but it has no connection to smart economics.

The Department of Energy has seen a remarkably high earnings-to-loss ratio in the investments it has made, including Solyndra. American entrepreneurship necessitates winners and losers. Investment is the bet that your gains will offset your losses. In that regard, the DOE has been a very shrewd investor.

We know, too, that other countries invest at a much deeper and robust rate than the United States. One of Solyndra’s challenges was that Chinese government investment in solar has made it difficult for American firms to compete on cost. Meanwhile, Germany recently determined that it was giving too much to renewable firms – so much so that they have passed the United States as the second-biggest supplier of solar panels. We’re nowhere near being able to make a similar decision.

In 2009, Green For All released a report in partnership with the Political Economy Research Institute that showed investments in green technology yields more jobs per million dollars than an investment in fossil fuel technology. That’s precisely the sort of return on investment that the government should want to see. We need to double down our investments in green technology – it is our country’s fastest growing sector for a reason. We should embrace this.

3. Make direct investments in infrastructure – with an eye toward the future

Late last year, we released another report highlighting how infrastructure investments can put Americans back to work now, Water Works. By investing in upgrades to our nation’s water system, we can put nearly 1.9 million people to work and generate $250 billion for the economy.

The President has repeatedly indicated a willingness to make similar infrastructural investments. So what’s the delay? Let’s push forward on building the infrastructure we’ll want to see in the year 2100. That means cleaner water infrastructure, revamped energy plants, and greener transit systems.

Again – the investment in innovative companies is important, but that should not be our only plan. We also must commit to building the infrastructure we can expect America to need in a century’s time. Our country and our economic future is depending on infrastructure built half a century ago or more – that will not work.

4. Use the full power of the executive branch

Of course, the President doesn’t control the purse strings, and it seems unlikely that those who do will work with him any time soon.

But President Obama has proven adept at exercising executive authority to make progress. It’s vital that the private sector work with him to figure out other creative ways in which that can happen.

What could this look like? It could mean relaxed restrictions on how allocated money can be spent. It could mean using the bully pulpit to direct private investment. It could mean expanding the ways in which the military makes internal investments.

There’s no finish line in international economics. There’s no time for the hare to take a nap. First place is always contested and being the leader in any given sector bears real benefit to the population: more jobs, more GDP. We still enjoy the benefits of having been the country that developed the technology and information systems underlying the Internet. Now, we need to commit to a plan that will keep America first.

The plan above will take political courage – and a vast amount of political support. But it is demonstrably the case that it offers an immediate and long term boost to American economic prospects, a boost that we can no longer put off simply so that entrenched, enriched interests continue to profit, while the rest of us suffer.

Authors: Ahmina Maxey

The Obama administration has made two major decisions recently which will greatly benefit my community of Detroit, Michigan. The Administration's decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and their issuance of new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants will improve the health and environment of Detroiters. Southwest Detroit is home to over a dozen industries that are amongst the state of Michigan’s top air polluters. The result of this air pollution is staggering with asthma death rates in Detroit being twice that of the state average. Twice! Every time I utter this statistic it turns my stomach to know that we suffer this environmental injustice at the hands of big business. However, it is decisions like rejecting the Keystone XL Pipeline and curtailing pollution from coal plants made recently by the Obama administration that give me hope.

New national standards limiting mercury and air toxics pollution will ensure that the DTE coal-fired power plant in Detroit will clean up its act. Tar sands that would have been transported through the Keystone XL pipeline and processed at Detroit’s Marathon Oil refinery are no longer a reality. These decisions are saving countless lives in Detroit, as thousands of us will see improvements in air quality. Thank you, President Obama.

Authors: Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins

Green For All released this statement from CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins earlier today.

We applaud President Obama and his administration for standing up for the American public and rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline extension. This project would have helped Big Oil and their allies get richer at the expense of American workers and permanently damaged our environment.

From the Flickr account of Lauri Gorham.

Our country needs a real jobs plan –Keystone is not it. Helping a foreign company ship oil overseas to make billions of dollars, while polluting our communities is not a jobs plan. We need our leaders to support America’s fastest growing industry – the clean energy sector.

We can create millions of good, clean jobs for American workers that make our country more competitive without polluting our communities. We need to invest our resources in improving our infrastructure, making our homes and businesses more energy efficient and promoting clean energy solutions. We need our leaders to stand up to Big Oil. We need a real jobs plan that puts American workers and its fastest growing industry first not a jobs plan financed by Big Oil.

Authors: Markese Bryant

I am a firm believer that our movement to build an inclusive green economy is an extension of the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent the last days of his life working tirelessly on the “Poor People’s Campaign” to address the lack of jobs, decent wages and housing among poor people of color. Over the years, many of my friends have fallen victim to the prison system, drug addiction and senseless violence due to the lack of job opportunities.

In 2005, I faced a similar fate after I was arrested in my neighborhood in East Oakland. This incident motivated me to enroll into Laney Community College, which ultimately led me to attend Morehouse College, where I decided that I wanted to be an African American Studies major. As I learned more about the history of my people and the struggle for civil rights, my dissatisfaction with the status quo grew stronger and stronger. While searching for a solution, I brought a book titled The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems by Van Jones, which details how green jobs could potentially provide disadvantaged youth with an alternative to the streets.

After I finished reading the book, I was so inspired that I decided to write a theme song for the movement called, “The Dream Reborn.” I recorded the song -- hoping the voice of the post Hip Hop generation would be heard loud and clear during the climate change discussions.

Droughts, heat waves, poor air quality, floods, higher prices for basic necessities, and other challenges of climate change are having a heavy impact on people of color and the poor. I wrote “The Dream Reborn” to shed light on these issues and to support the green movement as a whole.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/I52vlPByrUc?rel=0

The hook of the song is a chant that says “It’s time to go green/ we got to go green/ the food ain’t fresh and the air ain’t clean/from the hood to the burbs everybody go scream/Dr. King, we’ve living your dream/my president is black, but he’s going green/I got my president back I’m going do the same thing.”

While reflecting on the role black freedom songs played in the civil rights movement, Dr. King stated, “They are more than just incantations of clever phrases designed to invigorate a campaign; they are as old as the history of the Negro in America. They are adaptations of songs the slaves sang-the sorrow songs, the shouts for joy, the battle hymns, and the anthems of our movement. I have heard people talk of their beat and rhythm, but we in the movement are as inspired by their words.”

Today, Green For All is launching The Dream Reborn: Who’s Next? contest to encourage artists to write and record original music reflecting how Dr. King’s commitment to social justice and equality inspires them as we work toward a more inclusive green economy. The contest begins today, with submissions accepted at dreamreborncontest.com. Visitors to the site will be able to vote for the song they think best reflects Dr. King’s spirit and the energy of the green economy.

The song that receives the most votes over the course of the month-long contest will receive a $1,000 cash prize – and a music video produced by Green For All! The second and third place vote getters will receive $500 and $250 prizes respectively.

Green For All held a similar contest in 2010 called The Dream Reborn. The Climate Change Crew, a group of middle school students in Minnesota, created the winning performance in that contest. Their winning video is viewable at the contest website: dreamreborncontest.com.

I encourage all hip hop artists to use their voice and the green jobs movement as a vehicle to combat violence in their neighborhoods and ultimately increase the quality of life for all mankind.

Authors: philip

Today in a blog on the Huffington Post, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins announced our new contest.

Many of the African-American leaders who now carry the torch of justice that King lit were young when he died -- toddlers, elementary school students, just out of college. Now, Lisa P. Jackson, Rep. Cleaver, Naomi Davis and others are leading a new movement -- a movement for a green economy. They came of age in a world without Dr. King's physical presence, but within the enormous shadow he cast over America.

Young people continue to be inspired by Dr. King. His vision of a just, more equal America will always resonate -- it will always provide energy to progressive movements. And it's manifested in many ways - one of those ways is through artistic expression.

That's the energy that we hope to capture in Green For All's new contest -- The Dream Reborn: Who's Next? We are launching the contest today in honor of Dr. King's legacy.

Check out the contest website, and enter to win!

Authors: Maritza Martinez

Every year Claudia Jackson and her daughters continue the family tradition of shearing sheep along with her parents who are sheep ranchers. Her work at Diné Biinanish Yá’át’éehgo Nooséél (Navajo Green Jobs) is deeply aligned with the traditions of her family. Being green is “the same culturally as what my family has been doing” she says. “The elders understand it,” she says about the green economy, “they say ‘these are the solutions we have forgotten.’” For Claudia, the promise of the green economy is also the promise of bringing together the wisdom of the older generation and the younger generation. Both groups have so much to offer and to learn from each other, whether it is learning to spin the wool from the sheep into yarn and using social media to engage with others in the green movement.

“I am not working for this one program, I am working for the people.”

As the Navajo Green Jobs Coordinator, Claudia is working to develop a green business incubation program in communities. She sees her role as the maestro of the green movement on Navajo Nation, bringing many of the groups and organizations working on the issues together to work harmoniously as a whole to reach their goals. “To collaborate you have to go outside of your circle,” she says of her success working with community groups, businesses and elected officials. In order to build the green movement on Navajo Nation, Claudia has had to look beyond the priorities of each entity and identify the common goals of the movement. Culturally, this makes perfect sense as well. There is a long tradition of partnership and collaboration going back to the elders meeting at the trading posts and working together.

“I have to walk the talk. I’ve had to change my lifestyle.”

Claudia quickly realized that working collaboratively also means opening up personally as a means of building trust with communities. “In my culture you have to say your clan and that is how people know you. If they don’t know you, they don’t know how to approach you,” she says of working within Navajo communities. There is a saying in Navajo, doo’adanjit’įįhgo, which means: You can’t be shy. You have to walk up to people and talk to them. As someone who has always liked to be in the background doing the work, taking on a leadership role has been a learning experience and a personal challenge for Claudia. Taking on this leadership position has meant some lifestyle changes, from carefully choosing her words in public to modeling green practices in the community.

“Everything I teach is about growing.”

When she starting farming a plot of land at the North Leupp Family Farms, she brought her parents and children along with her to help plant crops. The joy of working together as a family yielded a great harvest. Claudia attributes this to “the love and connection with the earth” they felt as they cultivated the land. She approaches all of her work with this same philosophy of collaboration and synergy with the earth, drawing inspiration from her family and from the elders in her community who see her mission as “the work they knew we had to come back to.”

“You always have to have time for yourself”

Claudia meditates and runs to stay focused. Making space to recharge is so important for leaders. For Claudia, running is a means of meditation. In February, Claudia will be running in the Sedona Half Marathon to raise funds for green projects in Navajo communities. It has been seven years since Claudia’s last half marathon and she is ready to prove she can complete it in about two hours.Check outher blog about her training and her work. Or, sponsor her!

Authors: Maritza Martinez, Fellowship Program Manager

In an article on RenewableEnergyWorld.com, Green For All Fellow Eric Mathis discussed the importance ofcreating a mutually beneficial environment for the fossil fuel and renewable energy industries in order to bring about a successful transition in West Virginia's energy production.

As the age old “us vs. them” debate continues, many West Virginia residents, companies and entrepreneurs are beginning to identify synergies between renewable energy and fossil fuels, specifically building unexpected coalitions in the heart of coal country. As a social milieu that is built upon a long and proud tradition of producing coal to fuel the development of the first industrial revolution, what opportunities are on the horizon for WV playing a role in simultaneously maintaining its dominance as an energy producer as well as bringing about a less anti-coal version of what Jeremy Rifken has deemed theThird Industrial Revolution? Using WV as a test bed, it is my belief that anetwork economycan only emerge from a mutually beneficial strategy that identifies synergies between fossil fuels and RE (e.g., Hybrid car) given the present political climate in the U.S."

Continue readingWest Virginia Energy Outlook 2012: Identifying Synergies Between Renewables and Fossil Fuel.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/-yzEqWAUSGE?rel=0

Authors: Natasha Soto, GFA Fellow, Class 5

This is the story of how we fought to make the air in our community cleaner - and won. 

Authors: Sizwe Herring, Green For All Fellow, Class 5

We have had a green boon for our unified movement building in Middle Tennessee. Green For All Fellow candidates Yeama Sow, Michael Hutchingson and myself have had the pleasure of hosting and enjoying the presence of three Green For All community leaders.

The author is pictured at center with community members

The whirlwind began when Green For All founder Van Jones visited Vanderbilt University for a down-to-earth discussion of the current situation in DC. He told us the ever-important personal stories. We learned about his Mom talking about God's green earth, actually yelling "What in God's green earth have you done now??!!" He gave us some powerful manna to thrive on as we maneuver through the new green economy. (View the full speech.)

Green For All Fellow Zoe Hollomon from the Massachusetts Avenue Project in Buffalo, NY led an Urban Agriculture workshop with us at Community Food Advocates at Tennessee State University. Zoe shared her techniques for mobilizing, motivating, educating and building a successful network of engaged community members. “Community has to see the relationship between food security, the local food movement and environmental impact of what we eat…and how we can improve that relationship,” explains Zoe. People loved her! She is so real and a great communicator. Of course, I knew this from her presentation at the Green For All Academy in Oakland this summer. This is why relationship-building throughout all levels of community is so important.

Sister Rosa Gonzalez, Green For All’s Education and Outreach Director, graced us as lead guest presenter at the Tennessee Sustainable Economy Summit at David Lipscomb University. She brought her expertise in discussions around equity, community benefits and partnership developments to over 100 people. "Tennessee has all the pieces in place to build the movement for a thriving green economy in the region, from a city-wide energy efficiency program to culturally-relevant grassroots organizing for a more localized and healthy food system," says Rosa about her experience in Nashville.

Many of you may recall the travails and prevails of the George W. Carver Food Park, featured on the Green The Block blog in September. The destruction of our compost and community garden project only threw us off our "A" game for a few. We are thankfully rebounding and emerging with projects in 5 Nashville neighborhoods! We are shoring up our "community enterprise" foundation with the help of my Green For All mentor Shamar Bibbins in Washington, DC. We are excited to have a new family of supporters and cheerleaders for EarthMatters here in Tennessee. Let's keep each other in high regard, both prayerful and confident in each other, as we manifest new green consciousness and lovingness in foundation building of each of our new and growing green lives, families and economies.

Learn more about or support the work of the Earth Matters Network.

Authors: Cheryl Derricotte, AICP, Director of Strategic Growth

Green For All and other members of the Ford Foundation's Sustainable Cities Working Group participated in the Second Intercessional Meeting of the United Nations Committee on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in New York City last week. UNCSD is making preparations for the 20th Anniversary Earth Summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012.

New York City Michael Bloomberg addresses the audience

The Working Group submitted a number of position papers to the UNCSD in advance of the meeting, including a green jobs paper calling for "high-road" standards in a global context. (View the position papers.)

To underscore the Working Group's efforts, the Ford Foundation organized a side event at the Intercessional entitled "Sustainable+Just Cities: New Priorities for the Rio+20 Conference." Attended by approximately 250 people, the speakers included Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City and Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (pictured), Luis A. Ubinas, President of the Ford Foundation and Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Cecilia Martinez, Director of the New York Office of UN-Habitat, moderated the side event.

Learn more about Rio+20.

• The hip-hop community for being a strong voice for healthy food for all communities, including artists like Jadakiss, Dead Prez, Prodigy, and of course DJ CaveM... among so many others!
• Young people and college students across the nation who are holding it down on their campuses and in their communities, creating solutions and demanding our generation's right to real food.
• Everyone who answered trivia questions on topics ranging from food deserts and health effects of junk food, to farmworker discrimination and industrial agriculture.
• Rhonda Anderson, LaNiece Ford & Asia Rodgers who won the trivia contest sweepstakes of $200 of groceries to local grocery stores like Harvest Market, Vitamin Cottage, and Rainbow Grocery.
• Folks who shared a Recipe for Change, by posting ideas on the wall about how to increase access to fresh food in your communities. Change always starts with a powerful idea!
• Dana Frasz from Oakland, CA, who received a solar backpack & iPod shuffle for getting the most Likes for herRecipe for Change, “Food Shift.” Check out her awesome blog post about her project here: Hungry for Change.

• Fresh fruit stands & healthy snack machines on campus with a wide selection of fruits at an affordable price! Students love fruits, they just need it to be available and affordable!
• Public school board can link up with local CSA (community supported agriculture) programs to provide breakfast/lunch to students once a week.
• Start community gardens in empty lots in the city!
• Food Shift – a recycling program for food! Collect good food that would go to waste and deliver it to low-income and food insecure populations. Include a job-training program for unemployed people receiving the food to get jobs distributing the food in their community!

Authors: Dana Frasz

All change starts with a powerful idea. The powerful idea you are about to read comes from Dana Frasz, the winner of Green For All's "Recipes for Change" contest as part of the Keep It Fresh education campaign which recently came to a close. Her project "Food Shift," which she is launching in Oakland, CA, received the most "Likes" on Facebook. It addresses the issues of climate change, hunger, and unemployment all at the same time.

Nearly 50% of the food produced in the United States is wasted. This comes at an enormously high social, environmental and financial cost as the economy is struggling, 49 million Americans are living in poverty, and climate change is rapidly intensifying. Food waste squanders water, depletes soil, wastes fossil fuels and adds greatly to the world’s carbon footprint. There is a growing trend in America around environmental awareness, social consciousness and making sustainable food choices. Yet, food waste is still being left out of the conversation. Groups are talking about the importance of the soil, production, processing, localizing, investing and the distribution of food but are not yet examining the sad fate of half of our food. We need to understand the consequences of all this wasted food and begin to shift this widespread problem into an opportunity. That is where Food Shift comes in.

Food Shift seeks to create a new model for food recovery that benefits the community and the environment through maximizing value of otherwise wasted food. Food Shift will collect unwanted good quality food from local food establishments and deliver it to local food assistance centers that feed low income and food insecure populations. As a key part of this process, Food Shift will have an educational job training program, much like the culinary training program at DC Central Kitchen. By trimming our waste and recovering food with programs like Food Shift, we can feed the hungry, improve public health, create jobs, combat global warming, conserve natural resources and create more conscious, healthful and sustainable communities.

Environmental and social consciousness is on the rise in America and people are craving a more just, healthful and sustainable food system. People on both the supply and demand side of food are recognizing that the ecological limits of nature are real and they are adjusting their decisions and purchasing habits accordingly. Food Shift fits firmly within this changing culture and is a tangible way for both consumers and businesses to invest in the environment and their community. With access to large customer bases, there is enormous potential for restaurants, grocery stores and catering companies to act as leaders in their communities. Food Shift will inspire increased consciousness within the food industry and will help businesses transform their DNA to include community, social and environmental well being.

Our current levels of food waste and population growth can not coexist much longer and our planet’s demographics will eventually force us to be more efficient with our food. Out of respect for the earth, its people and future generations, we need to make better use of the food we produce. I’ve been hungry for this change for years and am ready to make it happen.

Email [email protected] to donate or learn more.

Authors: Josh Lynch, Renew Boston

There are 4,514 streets in Boston. Renew Boston aims to weatherize and insulate a home on every one.

My experience as a Green For All Ambassador has equipped me with many of the tools necessary to be a great organizer and an exceptional leader. And it's a good thing, given what we're trying to accomplish.

One of two College Ambassadors at Howard University in Washington, DC, our workshops this year are centered on Environmental and Food Justice and food preparation. We have chosen these topics because we believe that, as people of color, it is important to educate our fellow students on the importance of healthy eating, food accessibility, and quality of food. It has been a challenging experience, but one that I am enjoying.

Brittany Stallsworth — Howard University

Brittany Stallworth is a native of Detroit, Michigan. Currently, She is a junior biology major at Howard University. She has been active in her community since the tender age of 14.

Authors: Green For All

Yesterday afternoon, the Department of Energy announced that it had achieved an important milestone: 600,000 homes weatherized - and three months ahead of schedule.

That means three things: less money spent on energy bills, less carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, and more people put to work.

The Department of Energy broke down the energy reduction point in its press release.

On average, the program reduces energy consumption for low-income families by up to 35 percent, saving them more than $400 on their heating and cooling bills in the first year alone. Nationwide, the weatherization of 600,000 homes is estimated to save more than $320 million in energy costs in just the first year.

Of the 600,000 homes, an estimated 125,000 were multi-family - for example, apartment buildings.

The video below illustrates how this puts people to work. From our partners at CEC in New York, it describes the scale of impact that weatherizing can have. Featured prominently is Thalia Williams, a single mother who finally found a way into construction through the CEC.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/A5U6ZO-3XGw?rel=0

The final number of jobs created and workers employed isn't yet available, though in announcing that the project had reached its halfway mark in January, the DOE noted that 15,000 people nationwide had been employed.

Smart government investment can have a real impact: improving our environment, saving us money, and putting people to work. The DOE's success in this project should spur further programs - and start to bring weatherization to scale.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/zM1Ja3DeaGI

• Give the gift of the Pacha’s Pajamas book and CD, become an Associate Producer or claim one of the other cool rewards through our Loudsauce campaign. Our Loudsauce campaign ends on Friday, December 16, so please contribute today!
• Give a tax deductible donation to our nonprofit project, BALANCE Films
• Introduce us to people and networks that may be interested in investing, publishing and/or distribution

From left to right: Gary Belan, American Rivers; Jeremy Hays, Green For All; Congresswoman Donna Edwards; Edmonston Mayor Bob Kerns; EPA Acting Assistant Administrator Nancy Stoner

The small town of Edmonston, which is just outside our nation's capitol and sits along the Anacostia River, had faced repeated floods due to stormwater runoff. Year after year floods had caused a heavy economic burden on the town, and environmental damage to the river. For a small town of 1,500, this was unsustainable. Leveraging funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the town made a commitment to building a more sustainable community. At a cost of $1.4 million, Edmonston's Green Street brought good jobs (70 in total), sustainable flood control, low-cost LED streetlights, and quality of life improvements for walkers, bikers and runners. A county-initiated pumping station was also placed in town to help mitigate the flooding.

Mayor Kerns gives Rep. Edwards a tour of the green street

The most critical part of the project is its storm water bio retention and filtration system. The system diverts stormwater or rain runoff away from storm drains and the sewer system to specially landscaped areas along the street, which filter the water naturally through the ground. These bio-retention cells look like regular roadside green space, holding trees and plants, but they also serve a very important function in the ecosystem. The street uses permeable pavement, which captures the first 1.33 inches of rainfall during storms. This means approximately 90% of all rain showers in a typical year are completely filtered. The bio retention and filtration system treat 62% of the street, and the permeable pavement of the bike lanes treat an additional 28%. These innovations help keep the Anacostia (as well as the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay) cleaner.

Green For All Chief Strategist for State and Local Initiatives Jeremy Hays discusses our recent report

For more highlights from the event, please check out:

• The Gazette: Edmonston's ‘Green Street' becomes keynote to environmental legislation
• Washington Post: Suburban DC town cited as model for green infrastructure investment
• Water World: Investments in water infrastructure create jobs, healthy environment

http://www.youtube.com/embed/zM1Ja3DeaGI?rel=0

• Give the gift of the Pacha’s Pajamas book and CD, become an Associate Producer or claim one of the other cool rewards through our Loudsauce campaign. Our Loudsauce campaign ends on Friday, December 16,so please contribute today!
• Give a tax deductible donation to our nonprofit project, BALANCE Films
• Introduce us to people and networks that may be interested in investing, publishing and/or distribution

Authors: Maritza Martinez

For Green For All Fellow Ashara Ekundayo food and art are the entry points to getting people involved in sustainability work. By constructing new spaces and ways for people of varying backgrounds to connect, often over food and libation, she works to “illuminate mindfulness regarding our personal, spiritual, and professional interconnectedness to the environment.”

"I am a working to cultivate the ‘edge,’ a permaculture concept that speaks to the new fertility that thrives where two systems meet."

Ashara describes herself as a catalyst, a cultural worker, and an artivist committed to social justice. She makes connections by creating and cultivating opportunities for individuals and organizations to strategically collaborate. These connections span the globe - from co-founding The GrowHaus, an interactive indoor farm and marketplace in Denver, CO, to being the project manager of the BoldFood Professional Fellowship for international urban growers, food security organizers, and policymakers in the U.S. and East Africa in partnership with the U.S. Dept. of State’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs. Ashara sees herself as an ecologist and her work as anthropology, remembering and re-tooling the lessons of our Ancestors for sustainable living in the present.

"Culture is the cure."

This new Bay Area resident joined forces with G4GMobile.com and other Green For All Fellows to co-found and co-curate The Grow Sessions, a multi-genre installation utilizing participatory listening and performance as community healing mechanism, at Oakland’s monthly Art Murmur. Deemed a “Cultural Jedi” by her peers, she is also the founding producer of venues such as PodSlam.org, the Denver Pan African Film Festival, and the “Cafe Nuba” spoken-word & music showcase. Her latest multi-media offering CanIEatIt.info, launching in Spring 2012, will share intergenerational women’s stories of food and family from the rainforest to the corner store.

"I have an art practice; it is that of the curator."

Drawing on the role of a curator, in a nutshell, Ashara describes her niche as acquiring, displaying and promoting the work of social and cultural activists while building community. As the entrepreneur-owner of BluBlak Media Consulting, she has held a number of roles in the social justice space – from on-air host at FreeSpeechTV to development coordinator to program officer to executive director. “I believe in biodiversity and ceremony in all aspects of my being and I seek to find ways to present all those possible opportunities to my communities of practice as well as those just beginning their journey.”

Want to learn more? Follow Ashara Ekundayo on Twitter.

The 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 17, for short) will be meeting in Durban with the goal of setting standards that can reel in carbon emissions and, ideally, halt global warming. And Green For All will be there.

Authors: Ananda Lee Tan, Global Alliance Incinerator Alternatives

A new report called More Jobs, Less Pollution was released this week, showing that a national 75% recycling rate would create nearly 1.5 million new jobs while reducing an amount of climate pollution equal to shutting down 72 coal-fired power plants, or taking 50 million cars off the road. This reportdescribes the benefits of building a resource recovery economy that creates community jobs with family-supporting wages.

Residents and allies march to Detroit's incinerator in favor of recycling over incineration

These are jobs we desperately need, and the money to invest in them could easily be redirected from subsidies that are currently being wasted on polluting incinerators and landfills. Simply put, we need to reinvest in recycling, composting, reuse, and strategies that move us on the path toward zero waste.

We need to demand that public money supports the future we want to see. Not only does recycling offer a cleaner, safer option for waste than landfilling or incineration, it also takes a lot less energy to manufacture products from recycled material than from newly extracted, material. Reaching a nationwide 75% recycling rate would create healthier communities too. Cities like San Francisco, Seattle and Oakland have shown this is achievable, and the state of California has set a statewide recycling goal of 75% by 2020.

Burning waste kills jobs, burdens public health and ruins local economies. Cities like Harrisburg, PA and Detroit, MI are going broke because incinerators are risky investments. Not only are they the most expensive way to make energy – incinerators are the most expensive way to handle waste. A new GAIA report - Burning Public Money for Dirty Energy- exposes the tax breaks and public money handed this industry. These subsidies are intended for clean, renewable energy, not a technology that creates more climate and mercury pollution per unit of energy than coal-fired power plants.

And now Congress is poised to make a bad situation worse by gutting the Clean Air Act for some incinerators and cement kilns (HR 2250, HR 2681). Earth Justice estimates the resulting pollution would cause up to 9,000 deaths every year. Congress is also considering a bill (HR 66) to create new tax exemptions for “waste-to-energy” incinerators.

Recycling and composting are necessary steps to Zero Waste and Climate Justice. We simply need to stop subsidizing polluters, and get busy turning waste into work!

Authors: Hakim Cunningham, Green For All Fellow

Since our earliest time on this planet, people have hunted, gathered and farmed land to ensure our survival. Agriculture - and urban agriculture - is nothing new; it has just taken a while for it to catch on in the United States. 

Authors: Shamar Bibbins

Did you know that a simple, easily-fixed issue forces low-income people to buy unhealthy food instead of fresh fruits and vegetables?

Imagine this scenario: A farmers market opens in a rural community that has been a food desert for nearly 20 years. The community is thrilled to finally have access to fresh and healthy foods - including a mother that loves the idea that she can provide quality produce to her small children.

Her excitement quickly fades when she realizes that the market does not accept benefits she receives through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). She frequents the market when possible; however, she’s often forced to return to the nearby gas station mini-mart for her grocery needs.

This is a real situation for families across America. Many of the nearly 45 million Americans participating in the SNAP program are unable to use their benefits at many healthy fresh retailers such as farmers markets, farmstands, and roadside stands.

Belmont Farmer's Market, taken by Marc Smith

Similar to a credit or debit card, SNAP benefits are processed electronically, using an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) machine. The USDA currently offers free EBT machines to all retailers certified to accept SNAP benefits – but only those that have a telephone or electronic lines. Farmers markets, farmstands, or other healthy food retailers without telephone and electricity are required to purchase or rent their own equipment.Some states have raised funds to provide EBT machines to their farmers markets, and the USDA’s Farmers Market Promotion Program provides grants to individual markets to get them; however, funds do not nearly come close to the demand.

Let's change that. The USDA can make a common sense, low-cost administrative change that would provide EBT machines free of charge to healthy fresh food retailers. This change would benefit farmers that are losing out on important sales and allow low-income customers to have access to healthier, more nutritious food options.

No one should be forced to buy unhealthy food for their family because the government makes it impossible to buy anything better.

Can you help us make this change?

Take Action: Contact Secretary Vilsack

Use the tool below to contact U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and ask him to provide wireless electronic benefit transfer (EBT) machines free of charge to healthy fresh food retailers that do not have electricity or telephone lines.

Take action now!

Authors: Green For All

In an essay at the Huffington Post, Green For All CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins explains why today's EPA announcement is so important for our communities - and our economy.

Authors: Seema Rupani

Keep it Fresh is a campaign by and for young people from across the country. We recognize the problems facing our neighborhoods, the power of hip-hop to be a force for positive change in our communities, and our potential to create real solutions right now.

Authors: Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins

The Keystone pipeline – a project that would have shunted toxic tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast – has been deferred.

From the Flickr account of Lauri Gorham.

It’s breathtaking. Stunning. It’s absolutely the right thing to do, of course, to further assess the potential damage the pipeline could do - to the land it runs across if the oil were to spill; to the planet, once its burned. But somehow I don’t think we expected this to happen.

It was your leadership that got this done. It was the leadership of the thousands who protested last weekend in Washington, of the hundreds who went to jail to draw attention to the cause. It was the leadership of young people and indigenous people and retirees and communities of color. It was the leadership of our allies at 350.org.

But it was also the leadership of President Barack Obama. Make no mistake: without his intervention, this outcome may not have happened. We thank him for doing the right thing - and we remind him that the fight for a cleaner environment isn’t over.

Thank you for your engagement and your commitment. It’s been a generally bleak few months. So let’s take a moment today to celebrate a substantial victory.

Authors: Green For All

Who is Ben Wreckt? He's uncovering imaginary conspiracies so you don't have to.

Loosely based on a similarly-named former television personality, Ben Wreckt is the star of Brainwash, Inc. Watch the video, below, where Wreckt explains a national conspiracy: students at historically black colleges and universities taking leadership roles in the fight for the green economy and green campuses.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/KNAZu3PeWW4

Over the summer, dozens of young leaders joined Green For All’s College Ambassador program and got busy on their campuses, organizing for sustainability. Wreckt doesn't like that.

Let people know how student leaders are being portrayed on Brainwash, Inc. Share the video with the tools below.

On Twitter (use #benwreckt): Tweet

On Facebook:

From the Flickr stream of Derrick Coetzee

Chairwoman Boxer and Senator Inhofe admitted that they did not agree on everything that’s in the bill - but agreed that there's a critical need to work together to put Americans to work restoring our roads and bridges and maintaining essential programs that ensure the safety and integrity of our highway and transit systems.

Authors: Rosa Gonzalez

Does the economic crisis mean our country is broke? Too broke to take care of its citizens?

The makers of The Story of Stuff released a new video today, with a simple answer: No. But our economic system is broken.

We agree. After all, how can we be broke if our tax dollars still pay for billions in subsidies to big oil companies and huge industrial agriculture?

The Story of Broke: Why There’s Still Plenty of Money to Build a Better Future explains in an easy-to-understand way why we might think that. Having us think the country is broke makes it easier to ensure that the money we do have keeps going to the people who already get it.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/G49q6uPcwY8?rel=0

There's a better way. Green For All and our community partners across the country believe that building a better future means investing in sustainable infrastructure so that our cities have access to fresh water, healthy food, good public transportation and clean air. It also means supporting the development of local economies that communities have more control over their own resources and less vulnerable to economic crisis. All of this means pushing for new economic priorities in this country that put Main Street ahead of Wall Street.

“The Story of Broke” helps us understand how we can begin to make that shift. Share this video with your friends. It's time we invest in a healthy future for all - and create thousands of jobs in the process!

Authors: Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins

Yesterday, Green For All joined Occupy Oakland in the general strike. Our staff marched alongside others fighting for a more fair economy. It was a deeply inspiring scene: thousands of people who were willing to say, "we deserve better."

Nonetheless, a thought nagged at us. Yesterday was powerful. But what comes next?

I asked people on Twitter to share with us what they saw as the next step in the #Occupy movement, to predict where it could - or should - go. We got a number of interesting, thoughtful responses that I wanted to share.