Driving Equitable Employment Outcomes through Cross-Sector Collaboration
Written by Jeremy Hays
Chief Strategist for State and Local Initiatives, Green For All
Cross-posted on Living Cities. Read original post here.
At Green For All, our work is all about helping the green economy grow. But we also want it to grow right. Our vision is for a world with cleaner air and water, but also greater equity and shared prosperity. We want to make sure that emerging green industries and programs don’t just create jobs—we want them to create good jobs and pathways out of poverty.
Read moreHigh Road Agreements: A Best Practice Brief By Green For All
High Road Standards ensure that green projects, like citywide energy efficiency upgrades and water infrastructure repair—create real opportunities for the people who need them most.
This is a step-by-step guide for businesses and agencies that want to adopt High Road Agreements. Our brief lays out the best practices we’ve distilled from working on green development projects across the country. Our hope is that more and more communities will adopt High Road strategies—and maximize the unmatched opportunity we have to build the middle class and create a healthier, more prosperous and equitable America.
Historic Portland Project Retrofits 500th Home, Creates Jobs And Opens New Doors of Opportunity
Authors: Green For All
Albert Horsley's future seemed bleak and directionless. A resident of Portland, he spent his early twenties drifting in and out of homelessness. Many nights, he slept under a bridge. Community college classes didn't pan out. Stints in low-wage jobs didn't last.
Read moreHigh Road Outcomes in Portland’s Energy Efficiency Upgrade Pilot
In Portland, Oregon Green For All has been helping implement Recovery Act-funded programs that create high-quality jobs for people who really need them. With a clear-eyed commitment to high-road outcomes Portland has leveraged the collective expertise of its community to produce results.
The City has just completed a 500-home energy efficiency pilot and is leading the launch of a state-wide effort to upgrade 6,000 homes over the next three years. The pilot program used $1.1 million of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) formula funds to seed a revolving loan fund for home energy remodels. The loan fund leveraged additional public and private investment to spur nearly $7 million in private homeowner investment. This brief report highlights the impact of that investment in terms of high-quality job creation, equitable hiring, inclusive business opportunities, standardized training, and energy conservation.
Seattle Takes the High Road with Retrofit Program
Authors: Shamar Bibbins, Administrative Assistant, and Jeremy Hays, Director of Special Projects
Seattle just took a major step forward in creating a strong and fair green economy locally. Yesterday, the City Council adopted the "Community High Road Agreement for Residential Retrofit Projects," which will lead to the creation of thousands of high-quality, family-supporting jobs for qualified, historically underrepresented contractors and workers in the clean-energy economy.
Read moreCommunity High Road Agreement for Seattle’s Residential Retrofit Projects
The City of Seattle is developing a program for weatherization of the city’s single family homes, using federal stimulus dollars to support local efforts. The key elements of the residential program include subsidized home energy performance audits and a revolving loan program to finance retrofit work. The Seattle Neighborhood WEB (Weatherize Every Building) Initiative will save energy, reduce carbon emissions, and create green jobs and training opportunities.
