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Green-collar jobs. It’s a term you’ve heard bandied about lately. People with employment in energy fields, working on “greening” areas such as brownfields, and working in ancillary companies servicing the environmental industry are all turning in their blue collars for green. These vocations are considered middle-skill jobs—requiring more education than high school, but less than a four-year degree—and with the right training and support systems become within reach for lower-skilled and low-income workers. According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, the major barrier to a more rapid adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency in America is a lack of workers with sufficient skills and training.
I’ve come across two exemplary organizations that address this problem with creative intelligence and social consciousness. Green for All and Sustainable South Bronx—and others like them—help displaced workers, people below the poverty line, ex-offenders, and at-risk youth, by offering training to this next generation of the workforce. In addition, they assist businesses that are committed to both the green movement and social change with finding skilled employees.
Leading the Way Locally
Close to home and a leader in the field of green-collar job training is Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx). SSBx was founded and is headed by Majora Carter, who was born and raised in the Bronx and had the vision of uniting a low-income workforce with the needs of a sustainable world. SSBx offers the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (BEST) program. In the five years of its existence, BEST has an 85 percent employment rate, with 10 percent of its trainees going on to college. Training in fields such as Green Roof and Solar Panel Installation and Maintenance, Brownfield Remediation, River Bank Restoration, and Urban Forestry includes certifications in these areas of training. Annette Williams, director of the BEST program, works with graduates to help them find the right job, then tracks their progress for three years. The BEST program places its trainees in all five boroughs, plus New Jersey and Connecticut. Their recent “We Train You Hire” program is reaching out to Long Island companies (email awilliams@ssbx.org to request a brochure with more information).
Entirely funded by foundations, grants, and individual donations, “our green collar training programs give people the tools and skills to turn their lives around,” says Ms. Williams. “Our trainees don’t just sit in a classroom, they go out and gain hands-on experience and training. We teach life skills, give people a reason to get up in the morning, and inspire them to keep at it every day. Our commitment is to help individuals become better people, who, in turn, help make their communities better.”
National Programs
On the national front is Green For All, an organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty by advocating for local, state, and federal commitment to job creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities in the emerging green economy. According to their Website, Green For All fights both poverty and pollution at the same time, and believes that the national effort to curb global warming and oil dependence can simultaneously create well-paid green-collar jobs and healthier communities. Specifically, they link activists and advocates, organizations, policy makers, practitioners, and business, labor, and community leaders together in dialogue to advance the vision of a green economy that benefits all Americans. Green for All provides technical assistance to mayors and community groups to implement local green-collar job initiatives.
Green For All, Apollo Alliance, Center for American Progress, and the Center on Wisconsin Strategy published the March 2008 report “Green Collar Jobs in America’s Cities,” outlining a strategy for job development providing environmental, economic, and social benefits, including a pathway-out-of-poverty philosophy for the growing population of Americans who are unemployed and underemployed. Further, it addresses businesses seeking employees for alternative and renewable-energy production, green building, energy-efficient retrofitting, and related industry occupations. “Our green future will be invented at the local level,” says Van Jones, the magnetic founder and president of Green For All. “This report offers those leaders some of the best thinking and models currently available for building green-collar jobs and the training pipelines necessary for city residents to fill those jobs and claim the promise of a living-wage career.”
These organizations—and others like them—take on the very noble task of turning people’s lives around, uplifting our communities, and beautifying our planet.
Green for Good
The Green Jobs Act of 2007 (H.R. 2847) authorizes up to $125 million in funding to establish national and state job-training programs, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, to help address job shortages that are impairing growth in green industries such as energy-efficient buildings and construction, renewable electric power, energy-efficient vehicles, and biofuels development. 20 percent of this funding is earmarked for a green pathways-out-of-poverty program. For more information, visit opencongress.org/bill/110-h2847/show
Green For All, located in Oakland, CA, has a goal of an inclusive green economy that is strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Their 2008 report “Green-Collar Jobs in America’s Cities” addresses the demand for information and outlines a strategic framework in which local policymakers and advocates can develop a green-collar job initiative that responds to the realities of their local economy and community. For the full report, go to greenforall.org
Sustainable South Bronx, located in Bronx, NY, is a nonprofit environmental-
solutions corporation. For more information, contact Annette Williams, director of the BEST Program, at (718) 617-4668 or awilliams@ssbx.org. Their 10-week training program is free to qualified applicants; applications can be downloaded from their Website at ssbx.org
New York City launched several long-term sustainability initiatives to expand green- collar jobs citywide. Mayor Bloomberg released “PlaNYC 2030” for New Yorkers to have access to a park within a 10-minute walk and achieve the cleanest air of any big city in America. Meeting these goals will create opportunities in many green-collar fields, including urban forestry, renewable energy, and storm-water management. For more information, visit nyc.gov/html/planyc2030
NYC Apollo Alliance, an advisor to the PlaNYC creation process, pushed for a commitment to retrofit municipal buildings as a way to reduce energy use, lower greenhouse-gas emissions, and create jobs. As a result of their collaboration, the city made a 10-year plan to invest almost $1 billion dollars in municipal retrofits and new technologies. A task force will develop a proposal for connecting large-scale citywide sustainability efforts with workforce-development providers and community groups. For more about the alliance, visit urbanagenda.nycapollo.htm
The Workforce Alliance, Washington, DC, is a national coalition of community-based organizations, community colleges, unions, business leaders, and local officials advocating for policies that invest in the skills of America’s workers—so they can better support their families, and help American businesses better compete in today’s economy. For more information, call (773) 336-6078 or visit workforcealliance.org
BEST Stories
Park and Prosper
Elaina was a welfare mother of two girls who joined the BEST program after working for the NYC Parks Department Work Experience Program. She enjoyed working outdoors for the department, but received little hirable experience. Upon completing the BEST program in 2003, she was hired by the Bronx River Alliance as a crew member. A dedicated employee, her tireless efforts did not go unnoticed, and she was promoted to assistant crew leader. Elaina is no longer on welfare and was even able to purchase a car for her and her family. She is most pleased that she has set an example for her children that a better life is possible, and her daughters are extremely proud of their mother.
Jail Break
James committed armed robbery at the age of 18 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. After spending most of his young adulthood serving his sentence, he found working life on the outside limited to performing small odd jobs. Recognizing that he needed a livelihood that was more substantial and meaningful, he completed the BEST program and found his calling through “greening.” He was hired by Sustainable South Bronx as a greenway steward, and today has a multitude of responsibilities including maintaining two new parks in Hunts Point, beautifying City Greenways, and installing green roofs. He is proud of the fact that he can give back to his community by transforming a concrete jungle into green gardens that can be enjoyed by all.
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