Working for a greener Vallejo

Janna Besh hopes to make Vallejo a little greener.

Inspired by the work of Oakland-based Van Jones -- recently tapped by President Barack Obama as his adviser for green jobs -- Besh founded the Solano Green Alliance in January.

"Our motto is, 'Be the change, go green,' " Besh said about the company's push to create more environmentally sustainable jobs at a local level.

The fledgling Green Alliance has been hosting a solutions forum every Saturday this month, encouraging the community to come together and focus on solutions rather than problems, Besh said.

Besh wants both to create jobs through the Green Alliance and to encourage other companies to create greener jobs.

Among Besh's plans is the creation of a community garden.

"The idea is to promote food that is grown locally," Besh said, who recently seeded her backyard to begin the community garden.

Food that is shipped creates harmful carbon emissions, she said.

Eventually, Besh hopes to have one or more plots of land that members of the community can garden together.

Additionally, the company has an online training program for those interested in environmentally-friendly jobs. Besh also plans on creating a weatherization program to help houses become more energy efficient.

"That would also create jobs and also help improve the economy (because the value of the home would be raised)," Besh said.

Besh, a welfare worker, juggles several projects and wants to open a local civil rights center to serve as a resource for people with concerns in that area, she said.

"We really want more involvement from the community," Besh said.