Cities Initiative
Green For All’s Cities Initiative
When Green For All launched in early 2008, we hoped to inspire people with an idea: that we could fight poverty and pollution at the same time by building a strong inclusive green economy. A year later, that idea has spread like wildfire, inspiring everyone from unemployed workers to the President. Now, we must turn that dream into reality for everyday Americans — particularly low-income people and people of color. We must ensure that they have access to the new, green opportunities created by the Recovery Act.
This is the mission of Green For All’s Cities Initiative.
Featured Initiative: Victory in Portland!
On
September 30, 2009, the Portland City Council passed a resolution
endorsing a groundbreaking Community Workforce Agreement that will lead
to the creation of thousands of good jobs in the clean-energy economy
for low-income workers. Green For All is proud to have partnered with
the City of Portland to craft this landmark agreement, which serves as
a model for the nation.
Going Local on a National Scale
For more than a year, Green For All has been helping local leaders nationwide develop stronger clean energy jobs programs, build more diverse and unified alliances in their hometowns, and become better, more sophisticated leaders. Now, we are taking the lessons from those experiences to help specific cities build strong, local clean energy economies with Recovery Act funds. We are helping these cities become models for every other city in the country.
Strong Partnerships
Green For All’s Cities Initiative will work closely with strong local organizations in each target city. Together with our local partners, we will roll out a series of innovative and aggressive local campaigns to help their cities create clean energy opportunities in 2009 and beyond. These campaigns will raise awareness about the social, environmental and economic opportunities and benefits of a clean energy economy. They will support local leaders in advocating for good public policy, developing and strengthen effective on-the-ground programs, and organizing the community to win meaningful change. These campaigns will also make sure that the benefits of the next wave of green economic development are available to those who need them most — low-income people and people of color.
Our partners will bring their understanding of the local political landscape and their constituent bases. Green For All will bring its national wingspan, its ability to generate broad momentum with low-income communities and communities of color (often absent from the environmental movement), and its strong connections with the business sector. Combining local expertise and relationships with Green For All’s national perspective on the recovery, on best practices in the field and on effective campaign strategy will make for tremendously effective partnerships.
