Santa Clara County
Overview
In Santa Clara County, Green For All is helping to launch a collaborative of local stakeholders that will create “Green Pays,” a community-centered, financially self-sustaining community retrofit program. Green Pays is designed to lower energy bills for families and businesses, fight global warming, and create high-quality green jobs — all through energy-efficiency retrofits of buildings.
Campaign
Green For All is helping ensure that Green Pays will create good jobs, reduce pollution, lower energy bills, and expand business opportunities, including for low-income individuals and communities of color.
Green Pays will be funded through a unique, unprecedented public-private partnership that leverages private investments as well as state and federal funding. The Green Pays financing will involve little to no upfront cost to property owners, have low-interest rates, allow transfer of the obligation if a property is sold, and require minimal expense to the county after program development.
Local Partners
Working Partnerships USA
Working Partnerships USA (WPUSA) is a public policy institute that builds partnerships with community, labor, and faith groups to improve the lives of working families in Silicon Valley.
Green Pays Collaborative
Green For All is working with a regional partnership including Santa Clara County and a community collaborative including Green For All, WPUSA, American Leadership Forum-Silicon Valley, NOVA Workforce Investment Board, Center for Employment Training, Akeena Solar, Santa Clara and Benito Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, International Children Assistance Network, and Sacred Heart Community Service.
Communities of Practice
Green For All’s Communities of Practice facilitate innovation and sharing among on-the-ground practitioners throughout the country working on programs and policies to address climate change and create pathways out of poverty through green-collar jobs. Santa Clara County members include WPUSA, Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 104, and the Office of Santa Clara County Supervisor David Cortese.
