An Urban Garden Grows In The Bronx

Posted on October 25, 2011 by quest

More than 40 Alcoa volunteers including Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld, created planter boxes and built concrete barbecue pits to provide MS 424 students and their neighbors with a community garden. In addition, Mutual Housing Association of NY (MHANY), a not-for-profit housing organization that owns and manages affordable rental apartments in New York City including the lot, received a $10,000 surprise grant that will be used to replace the old playground equipment in the lot. “On behalf of MHANY and the residents of Phoenix Estates, we are thrilled and most appreciative that Alcoa has provided resources to improve Bedrock Park for the use of residents and their families,” said Ismene Spiliotis, Executive Director, MHANY, This grant is one of 12 being made globally to bolster the impact of Alcoa’s volunteer efforts during its annual Worldwide Month of Service held in October. A total of $120,000 will be donated. Every community needs beautiful green spaces and playgrounds for families and children to enjoy. And today Alcoa volunteers, City Year New York Corps members and the students of MS 424 gave an overgrown lot in Bedrock Park, Hunts Point in the Bronx a well-deserved make-over—transforming it into an urban garden for the community.

“Partnering with City Year is a source of great pride for Alcoa, and we are excited to contribute our time and dollars to create a fun and safe place to play for the children of MS 424,” said Kleinfeld, who presented the $10,000 donation to MHANY.“Throughout October, Alcoa employees all over the world are volunteering during our annual Month of Service, finding ways to help their neighbors and improve their communities. Here in New York, we are pleased to be back in the Bronx to demonstrate our commitment to our City Year teams and their students.”

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

Alcoa Foundation has been a sponsor of City Year, a national education non-profit that unites young adults for a year of service in high-needs urban schools, for the past eight years. As a team sponsor of City Year New York, Alcoa has supported two teams of 10 City Year Corps members, who serve in two public schools in the South Bronx “With the support of teachers, administrators, and community partners, the Alcoa-sponsored City Year Teams serving at PS 48 and MS 424 are helping students improve attendance rates and test scores,” said Itai Dinour, Executive Director, City Year New York. “Alcoa joins us in providing all children in Hunts Point with a strong education and high quality community programs and today is a great example of this, as Alcoa volunteers bring their knowledge and passion to work hands-on with local students. We are humbled and proud to have Alcoa as a flagship partner.”

Robert Redford Speaks Out Against XL Pipeline

Empire State Building Greens Up its Energy

Habitat for Humanity and PG&E Build Solar Homes

Posted on July 26, 2011 by quest

Habitat for Humanity International and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) have renewed their partnership for a fifth year to help provide solar power to Habitat homes built in Northern and Central California. Since its inception in 2007, the PG&E Solar Habitat program has assisted in the construction of 250 solar-powered Habitat homes and is on track to build another 83 homes in 2011. The announcement was made July 22 at a Habitat for Humanity for San Luis Obispo County build site in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 400,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 2 million people

With this year’s contribution of nearly $1.2 million, PG&E has donated more than $5.7 million to Habitat for Humanity International to help respond to the housing needs of California families. The contribution is further supported by thousands of hours of educational instruction, skill development and hundreds of volunteer hours that PG&E employees have provided at local Habitat builds across the state.

“The PG&E Solar Habitat project extends the accessibility of affordable solar energy to more Californians,” said Chris Johns, president of Pacific Gas and Electric Company and board member of the PG&E Corporation Foundation. “The money from solar energy, along with the positive environmental impacts, helps contribute to a healthier environment for us all.” “PG&E shares in our passion to help low-income families,” said Larry Gluth, senior vice president of U.S. and Canada for Habitat for Humanity International. “This partnership translates into real savings for Habitat homeowners by lowering energy costs and providing more stable and affordable housing options.” The PG&E Solar Habitat program lowers the electricity bill of an average household by $500 per year. Each solar panel generates nearly 300 kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable energy from sunlight per month, avoiding the release of more than 132,000 pounds of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over the 30-year life of the system. This year’s donation is the equivalent of taking 950 cars off the road for an entire year.

Van Jones Kicks off American Dream Movement

Green Jobs Icon Van Jones Kicks off American Dream Movement

Posted on June 26, 2011 by quest

With the star-studded accompaniment of Shepard Fairey and The Roots, activist Van Jones kicked off the “American Dream Movement” campaign with an event that was one part TED Talk and one part concert. Presented with help from MoveOn.org and other organizations, the event was billed as an attempt to bring together the progressive movement under a united front. Jones’s message centered on the economy and the dangerous rhetoric coming from the American right.

“We are being lied to” Jones said. “We know that we cannot solve the problems our country is facing while continually and continuously being lied.” Jones, the former Special Advisor for Green Jobs to the Obama White House, drove home the message that misinformation is preventing America from rebuilding the economy, and that confronting these lies is paramount to moving forward. Jones focused on what he called the four big lies. Lie number one: America is broke.

“We are not broke and we are not alone,” Jones said. “If we’re still the richest country in the world, why are so many American suffering right now?” Jones, backed by a large-screen presentation, took the audience through America’s economy, the financial collapse, and the aftermath.

He likened telling America that it is broke to telling people in a burning building that all the exits are locked when they’re not. Jones pulled no punches in addressing the need to hold Wall Street and America’s richest citizens accountable for their share of taxes, but stressed the need to make sure that any plans encourage job growth. “Nothing stops a bullet like a job,” Jones said. Jones moved on to lie number two: Asking the super rich to pay taxes hurts the economy. “You do well in America, you should do well by America,

ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING BY AAA

A Green Career Path Taken

Posted on May 27, 2011 by quest

5 Time-Tested Strategies to Break Out of Your Rut

by Carol McClelland: Ever get the feeling that your approach to your own career has gotten a bit stale? The questions you ask yourself (What do I want to do? What’s my next career move?) deliver the same answers, over and over again.

No matter what you do, you keep ending up with the same answers that aren’t getting you where you want to go. It’s so frustrating! I know, I’ve been there myself. Many times.

When I made my first big career transition and periodically over the last 20 years as it was time for my business to shift and morph in response to the times. In the early days getting out of a thought rut took a lot of effort. Now that I’ve had a lot of practice with this I know what I need to do to shift my perspective to create new options and ideas.

Knowing how to get beyond your rut is essential to any career shift. Hopefully these ideas will give you new insights about how to break out of your career rut!

Ask New Questions

One of the key reasons we all get stuck is that we get into a run with the questions we ask ourselves. After a while each question seems to lead to the same answer. There’s no new juice to give us a new insight, a new thought, or a new outlook on our situation. To break out of your rut, begin by framing new questions. Sometimes just a subtle rewording of your question can lead you to new answers.

-Why don’t I work on my resume? What could I do to make progress on my resume?
-What job should I go after? What kind of work would be most fulfilling to me?

When you are frustrated with your situation, it’s easy to throw up your hands as soon as your inner dialogue has you covering the same territory you’ve

SOLAR CAREERS ONLINE

Solar powered ovens heating development in Africa

Posted on November 14, 2010 by quest

Ronald Mutebi is President of TEK Consults Group, which has been testing and distributing solar ovens in Africa. He is in the final stages of setting up a manufacturing plant in Uganda and has more than 1,000 prospective buyers for his product. Together with USAID, Western Union and researchers from George Washington University find strong feelings of accomplishment, pride, duty and honor motivate by many entrepreneurs to invest in their country of origin. The survey of participants in the African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) found that diaspora investment motivations are complex, reflecting financial as well as personal drivers, including the sense that they can prevail over common barriers to business success. “Africa can see progress similar to what China has seen in less than a decade, and without substantial foreign direct investment. Just look at the flow of remittances to these countries.” said Mutebi. From Washington

THE STORY OF STUFF – ELECTRONICS

ON THE MOVE GO MOBILE

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Green Pioneers Use Solar To Empower Community

Posted on October 5, 2010 by quest

We’re starting to see all kinds of very, very interesting ideas, inventions and solutions come into play as people, businesses and social enterprises from across the country begin to turn their green dreams into reality.

Global powerhouse IBM just launched CityOne an interactive game designed to spark innovation, conversation and communication with city planners, business leaders and urban inhabitants to create the cities of the future now. I haven’t played it yet but it looks like fun. But the new developments aren’t coming from just the likes ofIBM and bay area solar leader SunPower. Tony Coiro a Purdue student has just created a solar powered motorcycle. And proving there’s a way for solar challenged houses, condos and apartment dwellers to get a stake in green energy, David Brosch and some of his neighbors formed a company called University Park Community Solar, The Maryland based operation has jumped through alot of red tape to get to where they are now. David Brosch had a