Greening The Block – Oakland Style
Alli Chagi-Starr
Green For All
Senior Community Strategist
GREENING THE BLOCK – OAKLAND STYLE
Aissaade Negus
Garden Planting at the Green Youth Media Center – United We Serve/Green The Block – Day of Action, Oakland, CA
In commemoration of 9-11, and in honor of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “United We Serve” national day of service, Art in Action’s CommuniTree Project organized a garden planting day behind our new green youth media center on Telegraph Ave. in Oakland, CA. The action was coordinated with hundreds of others in concert with the launch of “Green The Block,” a new program of Green For All and the Hip Hop Caucus.
Green For All Fellow and CommuniTree Co-founder, Ashel Eldridge put out the call, and was joined by friends from Planting Justice (http://plantingjustice.org/), Grind for the Green (http://www.grindforthegreen.com/), Insight Garden Program (http://www.insightgardenprogram.org/), Kijiji Grows -Aquaponics Systems (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVt6FJFMQVE), acclaimed author and permaculture trainer Starhawk (http://www.starhawk.org/permaculture/permaculture.html), and many other friends and neighbors.
In one afternoon, we transformed this little corner of Oakland, by rolling up our sleeves, creating community and building the world we want to see — now. Youth and olders worked side-by-side to turn a garbage-filled concrete carport into a little slice of paradise. All day passers-by got involved, and by day’s end, dozens of people had contributed. Throughout the process, we passed around a video camera to document the before and after. (Video coming soon.)
There are those that have profited from the old, pollution-based economy, who fear our green equity movement — but, there are just too many pockets of people rising up to celebrate the earth and each other to be thwarted. Art in Action’s new green youth media center is dedicated to greening both the block, as well as the mind. The new center is one of the first green recording studios and art centers for disenfranchised young people in the nation.
We know that we are the one’s we’ve been waiting for, and we will never give up making the world a better place, especially for those who’ve seen the worst side of the old economy. The new green economy must include everyone, if we are to succeed. Thanks to the perseverance and creativity our our multi-talented community, we are on our way!
Let us know if you want to come by for a site visit or to to make a contribution to the cause. Think: solar panels!
Go Green The Block! Go Oakland! Go Planet!
GREEN IN NEW YORK
The Navajo Nation Council Votes For Green Jobs
The first green jobs bill from America’s First Nations promises much needed, culturally appropriate jobs.
The Navajo Nation Council, responding to ongoing requests from a coalition of tribal members and other supporters, voted to create a Green Economy Commission designed to stimulate both traditional and modern forms of economic activity.
The Commission’s focus will be not only to create jobs in this depressed region, where the unemployment rate is 44 percent, but to do so in sustainable, culturally appropriate ways. Current proposals include wool mills and weavers’ co-ops, as well as traditional agriculture, green construction, home weatherization, renewable energy, and other projects to promote energy and water efficiency. It will also apply for federal money earmarked for green jobs and economic stimulus.
“A green economy is not a new concept to Navajo,” said Tony Skrelunas, a member of the coalition that proposed the bill. “There are many green business opportunities that fit perfectly with our culture. We must once again hearken to such processes to truly build our own economy that puts high value on our tradition – old and modern economic pursuits. In this way, we will build a vibrant economy for the future generations while honoring our great ancestors.”
Access to Business Capitol
Green For All’s Capital Access Program (CAP) is designed to create, sustain, and scale green jobs in the U.S. CAP leverages the work of Green For All’s policy and field teams to build the capacity of stakeholders and mobilize capital so that our advocacy leads to real economic recovery and environmental restoration.
Please click below to learn more about Green For All’s Capital Access Program
The goal is to build the capacity of key businesses and nonprofit organizations to support, create and scale green jobs in our local communities. They do this by providing tools, like research papers, reference guides and how-to toolkits. By addressing issues regarding employment, procurement and access to capital, they seek to empower stakeholders — particularly those constituents coming from historically marginalized areas — to engage in policy decisions both locally and nationally.
Personal Development