Green Cities, Green Jobs, by Joanna Lee, Angela Bowden, and Jennifer Ito

Environmental policy and economic development policy are at crossroads. Aggressive statewide climate change legislation such as AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, is forcing business and government to examine their practices with the lens of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, local cities are providing incentives to encourage sustainable building practices, and community groups are calling on policymakers to improve the quality of life through healthy jobs and clean communities. Industries are looking for ways to innovate, while communities are looking for new solutions to problems of poverty and environmental racism. 

The Los Angeles Apollo Alliance has been working to create an innovative solution to address these environmental and economic challenges. We have proposed that one of the first solutions is through “greening” Los Angeles’ deteriorating infrastructure. 

Green Cities, Green Jobsseries explores how the city can become a public-sector role model by providing training and jobs for its residents while creating a clean and healthy city. It provides an encouraging overview of how the city can take hold of the mayor’s call to be the “Greenest Big City in America” by starting with its own infrastructure. Through case studies and examples, we can see that a socially-just, environmentally-sustainable and economically-prosperous future is attainable.

While sustainability has typically been viewed narrowly through an environmental lens, it is important to discuss how improving economic and social factors are a critical to a healthy quality of life for all communities. This paper discusses how to implement sustainable green building policies that provide environmental, economic and social benefits. Green Cities, Green Jobsprovides a solid background on how green building policy can lead the way to a more sustainable community in Los Angeles.