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10 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
(From 99 Problems)
I just jacked this blog from Sura Faraj's Facebook page. It's a pretty provocative list.
How do you pick ten things when there are so many to choose from? It's pretty tough, so I thought I'd just start my own list (in no particular order) and ask you all to add one or two or ten more things. We can whittle it down from there. Or make it into a zine.
- Stop drinking coffee (after all, it's shipped from a long way away).
- Take public transit and ride your bike.
- Take local vacations. Visit the places in your city that visitors love, but you've never or rarely seen because you take them for granted.
- Insulate your house, put plastic on the windows, put on sweaters and long johns and turn your heat down.
- Buy food from local growers (within 100 miles), or grow your own food. Most of the food we eat is shipped in from an average of 1500 miles away. (Think of all the things we eat that come from far away -- bananas, mangoes, rice, potatoes from Idaho, apples from New Zealand. I just heard that most garlic is from China. WTF?)
- Question your consumerism. Do you really need more stuff?
- Stop having children. Not only is overpopulation one of our biggest problems, you're going to have to watch your children suffer through what we are dishing out to them.
- Work to end corporate charters. Corporations are forcing our government to its knees on the economy, peak oil, climate change, war, giant agribusiness, water rights, surveillance, the prison industrial complex and the list goes on ad nauseum.
- Hang with friends. More bodies keep you warmer, give you hope, generate ideas, bond you tightly. When the proverbial shit hits the fan, it's organized groups (think fundamentalists and gangs) who will fill power vacuums. We need to counter that with our own organized and bonded selves.
- Barter. It builds relationships, saves money and keeps the exchange local.
- Repurpose everything. Reduce your garbage and your recycling.
Climate Activists Take Charge in Bangkok
(Crossposted at It's Getting Hot in Here.)
Tuesday marked one of the final days of the Bangkok UN Climate Negotiations. With the end of this intersession in sight, the International Youth Delegation (IYD) has officially declared "No Confidence" on the road to Copenhagen.
Youth delegates (including myself) from over 30 countries engaged in the Bangkok process, and the IYD cited the following shortcomings: pathetically weak targets from the North, alarm that a second commitment period in the Kyoto Protocol will not be secured and a lack of guarantees for protection of indigenous peoples' rights and interests.
The current text of the draft climate deal is so weak and so full of "false solutions" (measures like offsetting that actually make the problem worse) it's seen by many climate change activists as unacceptable.
Youth delegates representing each continent addressed the UN on Tuesday, detailing the urgency of the crisis as it affects their communities currently, telling stories of their hopes and organizing alongside their denunciation of the state of play in the UN Negotiations.
This week, the Annex 1 (rich countries), attempted to kill the Kyoto Protocol (KP). We are nearing the end of the current KP term, and not renewing it means that the world would lose the few legally binding international climate agreements it has -- as insufficient as they are.
The excuse is that the United States will not sign, and therefore the whole thing should be scrapped and an entirely new deal struck. It is lunacy to think that this will yield a stronger outcome, and the G77 (the rest of the world) countries are furious. We have always known the U.S. won't sign the KP; the world cannot continue to wait for the U.S. to get on board. In Bali, the U.S. already committed to setting comparable targets to other Annex 1 countries, so the world could deal with the U.S. in the LCA (Long Term Cooperative Action).
To me, this all amounts to a shell game: more dirty delaying tactics from self-interested countries who are content to strip away basic attempts at an international agreement (for example "compliance," meaning that the U.S. would have international oversight of its targets, or "top-down target setting," meaning the international community sets carbon targets together based on science, rather than each country independently setting their targets based on what their fossil fuel extraction industries dictate).
Allowing the U.S. to drag the world out of existing legal obligations is disgraceful. These negotiations are going backwards.
Make no mistake: Our future is being held hostage to interests that have consistently thumbed their noses at the international community and their obligations to the rest of the world.
Regardless of what governments decide, youth across the world are continuing to organize social movements to build meaningful solutions in their own communities, working on local, national and international levels. Our hope for the future is in the power of civil society to reshape what is perceived as politically possible.
Bangkok: International Youth Delegation declares "No Confidence" in Road to Copenhagen from CYD to Copenhagen on Vimeo.
Green Education for At-Risk Students
(This post originally appeared on 99problems.org.)
During my time in high school, the closest I got to a green education was making a Bonzai tree during a horticulture class, which I clumsily ruined in gym class later that day.
Luckily for kids who are still in high school, a few East Bay high schools in Oakland, CA are leading the pack to green up their learning by instituting green technical education programs.
Ready for the best part? Half of all the students who were admitted are from at-risk communities.
In cooperation with the Berkeley National Laboratory and local organizations such as the Ella Baker Center, Green Academy pilot programs will be instituted at Oakland Technical High School and El Cerrito High School to give students a "school within a school" education about sustainable energy technology as a career path. Gettin' green isn't just going to affect the science classes -- the unified theme is going to be spread to all subject areas, from biology to history to environmental science. And yes, even English literature.
Many of the staff at Berkeley Labs will also be available at these Green Academies for lab tours, talks and demonstrations as well as to provide summer internships for students to help them accelerate their careers in the green field.
These academies are going to spread like crazy: current legislation signed into law by the Governator provides about $42,000 in funding per school, for up to 60 schools across the state. And that's just for the pilot program.
By unifying an environmental worldview with a progressive education, the Green Academy programs are going to do wonders for these students and, consequently, those around them. Low-income communities -- such as those in Oakland, CA -- are extremely under-served in the green movement.
Educating these students will encourage and stimulate these communities economically and empower them to nurture the progressive leaders of tomorrow. Plus, of course, there's that whole do-good-and-sleep-better-by-knowing-you're-helping-the-environment thing.
Obama's G20 Party and Police State
(This post originally appeared on It's Getting Hot in Here.)
Actually, I didn't vote for him. But that is beside the point. The point I hope to make here is that not much has changed when it comes to the repression of dissent in this country since Obama came into office.
Sitting here on the hill in Schenley Park I watch no less than four military helicopters constantly buzz the Pittsburgh Skyline. Police vans from Philadelphia and beyond patrol the streets of downtown creating a state of fear, a state of occupation. Over 4,000 police, including 2,000 national guard troops, some fresh from Iraq, are on call to ensure that Obama's G20 party goes without a hitch.
Already the police have been going out of their way to create a state of fear before the summit starts. Seeds of Peace, a group that provides free food for activists, has been repeatedly harassed, their bus impounded, and a member arrested without reason. The Landslide Community Farm has also been raided and illegally searched by over 20 cops. No warrant was provided, the only reason given: It's a matter of "national security."
Meanwhile, the police raided several activist homes overnight, drawing guns on people, and towing cars. After being told that the 3 Rivers Climate Convergence could leave tents setup overnight, lo and behold, they have all disappeared by morning.
What is important to recognize is that this is not just a rogue Pittsburgh police force. Because the G20 has been declared a "National Security Event" the Secret Service is in charge of all police operations in relation to the G20. The Secret Service are Obama's people. They answer to him. The preemptive repression on the streets of Pittsburgh is being done on Obama's watch. Don't forget that.
Try as he may to stop the thousands who will take the streets in the coming days, he'll have a hard time. Folks in Pittsburgh and from around the country are pissed. They are pissed about Obama's two wars, they are pissed about impending climate chaos, they are pissed at not being able to put food on the table, and they are pissed about not being able to afford a visit to the doctor. We won't be stopped by Obama's attempts to squash dissent in this country.
Climate Activists Rise Up at Niagara Falls
(Crossposted at It's Getting Hot In Here.)
Before dawn this morning, a small team of indigenous rights and climate activists rappelled from the U.S. observation deck at Niagara Falls. Dangling hundreds of feet above the ground, they sent a special welcome message to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper ahead of his first official visit to the White House to push dirty tar sands oil.
Not that he's feeling so welcome anyway. Obama limited the meeting to just one hour. While some have called it a slap in the face, aides say Harper will turn the other cheek. "The economy, and the clean-energy dialogue," one aide told the Globe and Mail, "will dominate the discussions." Obama needed to dodge controversy over oil imports from Canada's tar sands in the midst of the climate legislation debate. Harper needed a story to go with his photo-op.
During Harper's first official trip to meet Obama in the U.S., the two leaders are expected to discuss climate change and energy policy ahead of the upcoming G20 Summit. Canada supplies 19 percent of U.S. oil imports, more than half of which now comes from the tar sands, making the region the largest single source of U.S. oil imports. The expansion of the tar sands will strip mine an area the size of Florida.
Complete with skyrocketing rates of cancer (up by 400 percent!) for First Nations communities living downstream, broken treaties, toxic belching lakes so large you can see them from outer space, churned-up ancient boreal forest, destroyed air and water quality, the tar sands have been called by some activists the most destructive project on Earth.
Tomorrow's visit to the U.S. by Prime Minister Harper is the latest attempt by Canadian federal and provincial officials to lock in subsidies for 22 new and expanded refinery projects and oil pipelines criss-crossing 28 states, which would transport and process the dirty tar sands oil.
"Climate change, one of the biggest security threats of our time, is something Canada and the United States face together. Extracting tar sands oil, which sends three times more climate-changing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than conventional oil, puts us all at risk," said Eriel Deranger a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.
As this oil spills into the U.S., communities living near oil refineries face increased air and water pollution, which contains 11 times more sulfur and nickel and five times more lead than conventional oil.
Opposition to tar sands oil has been rising on both sides of the border. Just last month, four Native American and environmental groups sued Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Deputy Secretary James Steinberg and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over Enbridge Energy's Alberta Clipper pipeline.
If built, the 1,375 mile pipeline would pump 800,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day from Northern Alberta to Midwestern refineries. A few weeks ago, Native activists escalated pressure on the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) for their funding of the tar sands.
9/11: Green the Block National Day of Service
What are you doing to commemorate this year's 9/11 anniversary?
While many of us are still reeling from the news of Van Jones' (basically forced) resignation, others are using it as an opportunity to reinvigorate the movement toward equitable and economically sustainable green jobs.
Hip-Hop Caucus and Green for All are among the many organizations who took up President Obama's call to commemorate this year's 9/11 anniversary with a national day of service on key legislative issues.
The national day of service is designed to mobilize low-income communities and communities of color. So far there are 75 events scheduled to take place across 23 different cities. The events range from block parties and dances to community garden installations and more.
From Green the Block:
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes substantial support to help build the foundation for a green economy. Pending federal climate legislation will deepen that commitment and help position the country at the forefront of the burgeoning global clean energy sector. As our nation undergoes this critical transition, we must make sure that the economic, social and environmental benefits are shared by all communities.
In the past, similar national events have helped put the need for green jobs on the White House's national radar. Now it's your turn to get in on the action and show Glenn Beck & Co. that shameless smear tactics won't stop the call for green jobs and climate justice.
To host an event: http://service.greentheblock.net/greentheblock/signup
To find an event near you: http://service.greentheblock.net/greentheblock
Get the toolkit: http://www.greentheblock.net/resources.php
UPDATED: Van Jones Resignation: A Setback for Young Organizers
UPDATE: A few youth organizers sent in their reactions to the sudden resignation of Van Jones and we wanted to share them with our readers:
Awais Khaleel, Policy Director, The Roosevelt Institute
The Roosevelt Institute has had a long history of working with Van Jones, and we hope to continue to build that working relationship.
Through meaningful policy discussions on local initiatives and national issues, Van Jones blazed an innovative path by engaging with and empowering young people, communities of color, and others groups that are still too often shut out from this process. During the spring of 2009, the Michigan State University chapter of the Roosevelt Institute worked closely with the office of Mr. Jones in forming a coalition of student environmentalists entitled Code Green. This effort afforded young progressive activists an unprecedented level of access to the green initiatives of this administration.
This past summer, Van. Jones spoke at the Summit for the 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs, a coalition on which the Roosevelt Institute proudly co-chairs. He delivered an inspirational speech on the cross-sections of the obligation to our planet, obligation to our youth, and obligation to one's own entrepreneurial passions. We remain extraordinarily grateful for Mr. Jones' continued dedication to the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network and the 80 Million Strong campaign.
We thank Van Jones for his service to this nation. While we are saddened by his departure from the White House, we are confident that Mr. Jones will continue to be a progressive green leader and policy agenda-setter, and stand by him in his coming endeavors.
Tiffiniy Cheng, A New Way Forward
I will be a while before we really see the effects of Van Jones stepping down. But, this kind of political infighting has the immediate ripple effect of making those already unengaged that much more happy they aren't a part of the political process. Shame on the corporate interests and their supporters for making an honest debate impossible.
*********************
Van Jones, the long-time environmental and racial justice advocate resigned from his position as the "Green Jobs" Czar and White House environmental adviser late on Saturday. Many progressives are disappointed with the Obama administration for bowing to conservative criticism of Jones' controversial past comments and actions. (See more reactions: Vibe.com, San Francisco Chronicle and The Nation.)
The news is viewed as a serious set-back among many young progressives, especially young people from low-income or working-class communities who have been advocating for green jobs in the past few years.
For young activists, Jones was the fiercest and most visible preacher of sustainable environment and green jobs. Youth organizer Juan Reynosa, who worked with young people in Albuquerque and in his native rural town of Hobbs, New Mexico, said in December that Jones' message provided proactive solutions that resonated with young people -- such as retrofitting old, polluting buildings, putting on biodiesel-powered concerts and pushing their cities to support green jobs programs.
Pittsburgh native Chester Thrower III was inspired by Jones' idea of self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship. Jones told Thrower that he could be an entrepreneur, that he could run his own business someday. Thrower -- who could think of only four people who owned small businesses in the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh where he grew up -- was inspired, he said in February.
Nationally, there are about 1.7 million low-income youths (aged 16 to 24) who were out of school and out of work in 2005. This group is also the most likely not to have any health insurance. Jones -- the first African-American to write a best-selling environmental book -- helped inspire these hard-to-reach communities. It's hard to think of another individual on the Hill who spent as much time talking and listening to disenfranchised youth.
In late February, more than 10,000 young environmental activists came to D.C. to demand a sustainable energy bill and green jobs. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- the government's plan to rescue the economy -- included more than $60 billion in clean energy investments. Over $500 million of that is allocated to green jobs training initiatives. Jones was helping make sure that these resources reach the neediest communities and his absence leaves a gaping hole for the administration to fill.
From Sunnydale to Solar-Powered Hip-Hop
A few weeks ago I was on the bus riding through San Francisco's Sunnydale, one of many neighborhoods in the Fusionlandia that is San Francisco.
Though in an international city, Sunnydale can almost seem worlds away. When I first returned to San Francisco and visited some of the Sunnydale housing projects my mind immediately recalled the rural projects of upstate New York where I had worked with intelligent and immensely talented young brothers and sisters in a town called Hudson -- where incredible mountain views and disturbing poverty intermingle.
From the window of the bus I saw a community elder planting vegetables in front of a small housing project unit where a lawn might have previously been.
The majority of the units have completely dried-up lawns, but in contrast his was a beautiful mineral-rich dark brown, his small row of lettuce was lush. He seemed to be enjoying his work.
In front of the unit right next to his were two young brothers sitting on the steps, looking at the street silently.
I immediately wondered why it was they weren't helping their neighbor out. There was no way in hell that man could eat all of those vegetables, and their own small lawn could have grown so much more.
How ill that they'd be able to save money by growing their own food -- that's the main reason I've begun to grow things in my own house. I just happened to fall in love with gardening in the process. If I'd had the time I would have gotten off the bus and begun a conversation with them all, but I had a meeting to attend.
This scene speaks to the gap between the visionary and the disillusioned. It speaks to the gap between our young people and our grandparents. We are at a point in post-industrial capitalist societies (as academics and environmental activists preach) where we can use up the fresh water we have left and leave our great-grandchildren to oppress, enslave and declare war for access to clean rivers... or, instead, we can begin the long process of rejuvenating the soil we have stripped of meaning and nutrition.
It is the responsibility of those of us in between to stretch our definition of the word "revolution." We must do the work night and day of learning that which we do not know and that which we fear. As native elders of this very land often said and still say, we must "follow the path to the point of knowing."
Then we may engage in the shared task of introducing, translating and making relevant these truths so that our youth can take it over... and of course from there, do their own translating and re-understanding amongst each other.
If the Bay Area can be renowned for its contributions to hip-hop language and expression, than let us create our own names, too, for "urban agriculture," "sustainability," "soil," "pollution," "climate crisis." The Vietnamese anti-imperialist leader, Ho Chi Minh, wrote that, "The poet must learn to lead an attack." In other words, the poet must understand their responsibility to something bigger than the sole expression of their ego, the poet must harness their media in new and increasingly complex ways to dialogue with the public.
At a time when Dead Prez and Mistah F.A.B. can share a solar-powered stage, we cannot meekly nod our heads to the folks who are already doing this work. The bridge is not complete. It is going to take more than a few hundred compost bins and some garden programs to show our communities that this is not some hippie nonsense from outer space.
Youth must see us all interested and willing to try something new, they must see us, too -- afraid of the dirt and grossed out by worms, trying new foods and diets, reading and listening to new voices. In truth, the task of sustaining human life on this planet does not rely on our physical strength or the numbers in our bank balance, rather it depends on our ability to step out of our comfort zone.
May we find the courage to take off our kicks, reintroduce ourselves to the earth and follow the path to the point of knowing.
====
(Grind for the Green, San Francisco's annual solar-powered hip-hop show, wraps up this Sunday, August 30, 2009.)
'That Tastes Hella Good!': Recipes for Healthy Eating Â
I've often worked with youth who insist that they hate vegetables and that all vegetables are gross. They complain, say they don't want to visit the garden, and then begin to affect the rest of the class' enthusiasm. The solution is simple: you feed them.
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Even if the space youâre working in is not yet fruiting or before they have begun to plant, you can help them to rethink their stance. The key is of course not to simply buy salsa from a market or to make it at home and bring it in. You want them to get an introduction to what the ingredients actually look like out of the ground and to make it themselves.
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So many of our urban youth in America cannot say they've ever seen an apple with a stem or a leaf still attached. How then could they ever feel connected to the earth and understand its value? The act of collectively cooking something and eating it, of handling a dirty bunch of cilantro with roots still attached, is an integral first step in re-introducing our folks to our Mother, the land.
Your first step is to collect ingredients from a farmer's market, local CSA, community garden, etc. Do not wash or cut anything, let the students do this work. If possible, invite students to pick ingredients (even if just a little) from the garden they're in. Some, if not all, of them have never harvested their own food. There's a magic to this process that they deserve experience. Â
The first time I had worked with students whose garden had produced enough to make a snack, our recipe was this simple: cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and scallion (these were actually feasible for SF weather and for our timeline).
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Now of course the students knew this was an incomplete salsa. But they experience of knowing they had grown these ingredients made up for it's simplicity.
School Yard Salsa
Ingredients:
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, minced
1-2 bunches cilantro, chopped
7-8 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lime's juice
1/4 olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-4 cobs of corn, cut off the cob
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How To:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. The flavor is best if allowed to sit for at least an hour, in refrigerator if possible.
 Kale/Tree Collar Chips
 A friend put me onto this one and it has been a great tool in converting potato chip-lovers. Â
Ingredients:
- Fresh Kale or Tree Collar
While the recipe here calls for kale or tree collar, any heavy-flavored dark green leafy vegetable will hold up. You just want to avoid something as watery as lettuce which will evaporate into nothingness in the oven.
 - Splash of Oil (Olive oil & peanut oil work great, coconut oil is naturally sweeter if you like that) Â
- (Optional) Salt
In making this recipe for youth who hate vegetables, I advise using a little sea salt. However you can also use nutritional yeast instead for a healthier alternative. For adults (& children who were raised like me), forget the salt and enjoy the full flavor of the vegetable!
 - (Optional) Spice & Seasoning
Invite youth to get creative with their own batch and season as they like, watching quantity of course. Fresh peppercorn or grated Parmesan cheese are great.
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How to:
- 1. Wash vegetables of course. And yes organic really does taste better.
- Hand tear the leaves up if they are bigger than 4-inches or so. You may discard (i.e. put in compost bin) the stems.
- Put the torn leaves in a boil and add a splash of oil and spices of choice. Using your hands mix it all up so that leaves are all coated.
- Now lay the coated torn leaves onto a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for about 7-10 minutes. Keep your eye on them as they're often done in as little as 5 minutes depending on your oven.
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Spinach Smoothies
 It took the students to warm up to this one, but once they did they loved it. One participant insisted that she not only hated vegetables but hated all green foods. By the end of the session she was making an extra batch to bring to her next class period. Â
Ingredients:
- 1 cups orange juice
- 2 cups soy milk
- 1 banana
- Small handful of spinach leaves
Add ice cubes and honey to taste.
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How to:
Combine ingredients in a blender.
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Richard Graves: The Scoop on Climate Justice
This week I'm happy to bring you an interview with Richard Graves, a climate-change activist, blogger for the Global Campaign for Climate Action, and manager of FiredUpMedia.
Tell me a little bit about FiredUpMedia, which you founded.
Fired Up Media is a new media network, by and for young people, that helps support young people in telling their stories from the frontlines of global warming.
Basically, we launch youth media outlets, provide trainings, and support youth climate activists tell their stories on all seven continents. We try and make the tools, resources, and outlets exist for young people, who will live with the consequences of the decisions made today, to be heard at the center of the global conversation of what to do about global warming.
You worked for a number of other energy and environmental nonprofits in Washington, DC. What got you interested in environmental issues, and what led you to the sort of grassroots media production that youâre working on now?
I installed solar panels in Idaho. I was working on a ranch in Idaho and we built a bunkhouse off the grid and we needed to get energy to it. My boss told me to "just fix it", so I did.
There are a lot of other people, particularly young people, who are creating solutions on their campuses, in their basements, or writing about them online. Their stories are often ignored, in favor of another science story about another part of the world collapsing.
So, I got involved in helping telling those stories. Everyone talks about how young people are 'digital natives' who are all able to use digital technology, but it isn't really true. It still requires work, training, and skills on how to do it right, particularly when you are working with mediums like digital video or photography.
Climate change is something that will have a tremendous impact on our generation. Yet, when you look at the voices that are represented in the debate, the ideas of people like Sen. James Inhofe -- who will be long gone by the time the dire impacts of climate change will be felt -- have an outsized impact on the current debate. Whatâs the best way for young people to make sure their voices are heard in climate and energy debates that are happening this year and next?
One of the challenges with Congress is that it is a seniority-based institution. Age directly correlates to power, which is a major problem when young people are the ones who will live with the consequences of climate change. Young people need to plug in to a campaign or outlet that doesn't play by the usual rules.
Students, in particular, have an enormous platform at their fingertips. Sign up for a radio show, write for the campus newspaper, submit articles to the alumni magazine. Use that platform to send material to your local news station that is starving for content and put it online. Submit articles to online outlets, blogs, and learn a little about how they work.
...If anybody out there wants to learn about all this stuff, we run a wiki on it: wiki.firedupmedia.org.
One of the stories that is getting more and more attention in the climate debate is the impact of environmental policy on communities of color. The concept of environmental justice has been around for a long time, but how do you see the network of activists you work with reinterpreting that concept in a global warming context?
...Traditionally, environmental justice has focused on how communities of color have been targeted for dirty, polluting industry. As Majora Carter said, "America's energy policy is subsidized by the health or poor people".
However, global warming is an issue that also pits countries against each other and social class within a country. Indian industrialists may have a larger impact than poor communities in the United States, but the poor and people of color across country lines will be impacted the most.
... We are trying to build alliances between groups, like youth in the global north that have technical skills, access to decision makers, and technology to support young people in vulnerable countries.
Our big project on this front is ProjectSurvivalMedia.org, which is run by Shadia Wood, where we are spotlighting communities disproportionately impacted by climate change: youth, women, people of color, and indigenous peoples.
Can you give our readers a sense of where you feel your (and by your I mean pretty much anyone you work with) biggest impact has been? Where do you see the youth climate movement going next?
I think our biggest impact has been showing people that they are part of a movement, a powerful movement, that is able to change political reality. We demonstrated that fact when we used new media to get the Edwards presidential campaign to commit to 80 percent by 2050, which was the foot in the door the Step It Up 2007 folks used to shift the whole debate around carbon.
In Bali, the international youth and Avaaz.org had an enormous impact, dropping the popularity of the Canadian government something like 7 points over 2 weeks while signing up almost 2 percent of Canadians to an email list.
.. We are seeing things like the Power Shift 2009 conference inspiring conferences in Australia and the UK... It is an exciting year to be part of a movement this big and amazing.
Green Jobs: Hope and Hype
(This post originally appeared on Working In These Times)
As I mentioned in a previous post, there is much murkiness and hype surrounding the question of what exactly green jobs are, and who will actually get them.
In an ideal world, increasing public, corporate and governmental concern about climate change and environmental justice will lead to a mushrooming of green jobs, which could tackle everything from brownfield clean-ups to planting urban farms.
Theoretically, a federal greenhouse gas-controlling climate bill, an uptick in corporate responsibility and an infusion of federal stimulus dollars could lead to funding for thousands of such jobs.
But how things will actually play out remains to be seen. During a conference hosted by the Institute for Justice and Journalism on July 28, a Chicago expert in community development and investment sounded a cautionary note.
Emphasizing he was offering his own views and not a company position, Joel Freehling described what he calls the "Van Jones Conundrum" and challenged the environmental justice guru's visions of lifting otherwise marginalized and unemployed people out of poverty through green jobs.
Freehling--manager of "Triple Bottom Line Innovations & Sustainability" at ShoreBank, a Chicago bank created with the mission of bolstering local communities, promoting economic integration and protecting the environment while making a profit--would apparently love to see this happen.
But he wonders if the most vulnerable, needy and previously unemployed people will really be equipped for the green jobs that do materialize.
And he emphasized that given the urgency of curbing climate change, society can't necessarily afford any compromises in efficiency and effectiveness that might be made in the course of trying to channel green jobs to those who need them most.
During a Chicago visit July 30, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson celebrated a half-million dollar grant meant to train needy Chicagoans for jobs cleaning up brownfields on the city's south side and in the suburbs. At the Center for Green Technology, Jackson said:
The Recovery Act is not only helping to train individuals for good jobs in their communities, it's helping them rebuild a lasting foundation for prosperity.
By restoring undeveloped lots through the Brownfields program, or weatherizing buildings to lower energy costs, these workers will generate new economic possibilities, bringing new opportunities and jobs here.
The money will go to a Chicago nonprofit called OAI Inc. to train 80 workers, with plans to place at least three quarters of them in environmental technician jobs. It is an encouraging start, though it is a bit daunting to consider that almost $10,000 will be spent per worker hired, an amount that few corporations would likely extend on new workers without a government subsidy.
In all, the Obama administration has promised half a billion dollars for green job training. This is an outgrowth of the Green Jobs Act of 2007 (PDF link), which authorized $125 million a year (as part of the Workforce Investment Act) to train workers for energy efficiency and clean energy sectors, and prioritized 20 percent of the total funding to create "green pathways out of poverty."
Interestingly, the National Association of Homebuilders- -- has expressed displeasure about provisions in the bill that would support organized labor.
U.S. EPA Region 5 spokesman Mick Hans said the agency does expect greatly increased funding for brownfield cleanup, which hopefully will create a significant number of jobs, though exactly how many and who will be hired to do them remains to be seen. The U.S. has about half a million brownfields.
"Hopefully there will be enough green job activity that there will be jobs for people in every category" of previous experience and training or lack thereof, Hans said.
Indigenous Rights Activists Call for Justice
During rush-hour commute this morning, two Indigenous Canadian women-- Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, and Heather Milton-Lightening -- scaled Flag poles in front of the main entrance of Royal Bank of Canada's (RBC's) headquarters in Toronto, dropping a banner reading "Please Help Us Mrs. Nixon.com". On the streets below, they were joined by dozens of activists, swarming entrances to ensure every RBC employee heard our appeal that Mrs. Janet Nixon, the wife of RBC CEO Gordon Nixon, to lend her strong and influential voice to those fighting to protect Canada's clean water, and respect Indigenous rights by pushing RBC to phase out its massive investments in Alberta tar sands projects. Activists handed out flyers, held banners, and even circled the building on bikes with "Please Help Us Mrs. Nixon.com" flags.
RBC is the ATM of the Tar Sands. They are a leading investor in what has been called the "dirtiest project on Earth" by many environmental activists, who also argue that it's one of the greatest social and ecological injustices of our time. Unless they're stopped by grassroots pressure, oil companies will transform a boreal forest the size of Florida into an industrial sacrifice zone -- complete with lakes full of toxic waste that are so big that you can see them from outer space. Tar sands projects poison indigenous Canadian communities, pollute precious water resources, kill wildlife, and are the single biggest contributor to global warming from Canada.
At the same time as the banner was being unfurled, thousands of RAN supporters and allies began emailing a video to key RBC executives. The video showed Rainforest Action Network's (RAN) Michael Brune appeals to Mrs. Nixon to help RBC offer leadership by withdrawing its funding for the tar sands.
(If you haven't participated in this online action yet, it's not too late! Click here to view the video and email it to RBC executives.)
You can also view the video on YouTube (be sure to go to PleaseHelpUsMrsNixon.com and take action when you're done watching):
To see more on this action, visit: http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/
Green-Collar Jobs, Blue-Collar Justice
(This post originally appeared on RaceWire)
Bouncing off of Jonathan Yeeâs analysis of the Recovery Actâs job training provisions: Economic analyst Tom Konrad tries to break down the green jobs puzzle at Grist. Citing the âGreen Prosperityâ report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Green For All, he concludes that of every $1 million invested in green-jobs creation, roughly 48 percent would promote jobs suitable for people with a high school education or less.
But green is not necessarily good. Only about 60 percent of those lower-strata jobs have âdecent earning potentialâ (averaging $15 per hour).
Another report by Good Jobs First and the Sierra Club, describes the myriad problems that the green economy inherits from older sectors: low wages, exploitation of non-union workers, and the potential for off-shoring.
Not that there aren't admirable efforts underwayâincluding many grassroots ventures seeking to harness a massive economic transition. And the Recovery Act directs some job-development funds toward people in poverty.
But, as Yee points out, without a clear racial-equity component built in, the plan won't fundamentally address the needs of communities facing high barriers to employment and structural discrimination. These aren't the folks Reagan saw as needing âreadjustment"; they're the ones whose needs typically don't even figure into the mainstream political calculus.
A study by the Chicago Fed found that workforce programs focus on more established blue-collar workers displaced by structural changes, even though the hardest hit are often the less-skilled, low-wage earners at the margins of the economy. Some groups, such as immigrants and people with criminal convictions, are triple-burdened by social biases, employment barriers and limited social resources.
In a working paper for the National Black Latino Summit, Manuel Pastor of the University of Southern California's Program for Environmental and Regional Equity argued:
Latinos and African Americans alike need better and more work. On the one hand, unemployment is an issue, especially for Black men. On the other, working poverty is an issue, especially for Latino immigrants. Both need a better performing education system at all levelsâbut major investments in adult education are especially important for the advancement of immigrant Latinos. The criminal justice system needs rethinking so that correction does not become destruction; this is extraordinarily critical to African Americans.
Historically, jobs programs have often involved warehousing poor people in dead-end jobs, as welfare-to-work programs often doâor training people in skills that employers don't want. Creating jobs isn't just "making work"; in the long run, it's about making work pay.
Friedman Supports Climate Bill. Really?
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Conservative New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is not my favorite pundit. I read a lot of his long-form work in college, particularly his tome about global trade, The Lexus And the Olive Tree. I tend to find his work a little too heavily focused on the everyman proving his thesis. Tom Tomorrow, who is one of my favorite artists, has a comic that lays out my objections pretty well. Also, thereâs no such thing as the McDonalds Peace Theory. Just ask the Georgians.
Despite the fact that I generally donât like Friedmanâs work, he has a strong column that went up on the Times site yesterday. Friedman wrote about the Waxman-Markey climate bill that passed the House on Friday. Friedman supports the bill, even though he thinks that it could be stronger. His reason for supporting the bill is simple:
Why? Because, for all its flaws, this bill is the first comprehensive attempt by America to mitigate climate change by putting a price on carbon emissions. Rejecting this bill would have been read in the world as America voting against the reality and urgency of climate change and would have undermined clean energy initiatives everywhere.More important, my gut tells me that if the U.S. government puts a price on carbon, even a weak one, it will usher in a new mind-set among consumers, investors, farmers, innovators and entrepreneurs that in time will make a big difference â much like the first warnings that cigarettes could cause cancer. The morning after that warning no one ever looked at smoking the same again.
Ditto if this bill passes. Henceforth, every investment decision made in America â about how homes are built, products manufactured or electricity generated â will look for the least-cost low-carbon option. And weaving carbon emissions into every business decision will drive innovation and deployment of clean technologies to a whole new level and make energy efficiency much more affordable. That ainât beanbag.
I think that progressives should generally take this attitude towards most of Obamaâs major legislative initiatives. The reality is, most of Obamaâs legislative projects (healthcare, cap ân trade, education) will be modified, watered down, and generally compromised by members of Congress with their own parochial interests at heart. Yet, itâs been so long since progressives had a real opportunity to legislate that any progress will be better than what we have now.
Yes, we will probably have to come back to each legislative initiative and tweak and reform the initial law as it is passed. Getting some points on the board, however, is worth a lot in terms of shaping the debate.
Climate Bill Passes House -- Youth At The Table?
Today, the US House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. This is the cap and trade regime mainly authored by powerful House Democrat Henry Waxman (who, I have noted, is not related to me). The vote was relatively close, with 219 Representatives voting Aye and 212 voting Nay. It was mostly along party lines, with 7 Republicans joining Democrats to support passage and 44 Democrats voting no. Most of the Republicans voting yes were moderates from places like California and Delaware; most Democrats voting no were conservatives from the South and several industrial states.
Young people have been active in this debate since the beginning, led by organizations old and new. Groups like The Energy Action Coalition and the Sierra Club have been mobilizing students and young people to get this bill passed since before Obama took office. Young people arenât just relying on traditional lobbying visits to raise awareness â though thereâs plenty of that - young people are also organizing new and innovative ways to show how important climate change is to our generation. Check out this video of a flashmob protesting inaction on global warming organized by the Avaaz Action Factory:
This climate bill is an important first step in the battle against global warming. Todayâs vote is important, but by no means the end of the road. The bill faces a tough road in the Senate, where it will surely require 60 votes to beat a filibuster. I have a lot of trouble with the math that allows the bill to get 60 votes, particularly if several members of the Democratic caucus peel off or are difficult.
As the debate moves forward, one of the frustrating things that I have seen is a total lack of recognition as to the role that young people are playing in this debate. Politico, which is a major Washington, DC outlet covering the Hill, did a big story earlier this week about how Democrats could ensure the climate billâs passage by massaging the right coalitions. Left off the radar screen was young people, despite the fact that weâre the ones who will be impacted by inaction on climate change. David Kurtz over at Talking Points Memo actually makes this point better, so Iâll just quote from his post from earlier today:
We hear a lot from global warming deniers about the "high cost" of carbon emission regulation. Of course, in absolute terms they are right. It will be expensive. But what price are the deniers willing to pay personally for the high cost of being on the wrong side of science and history? Many of today's deniers will be long dead by the time the worst effects of inaction are realized. Those who do live long enough will more than likely be insulated from the most extreme effects by their relative wealth and prosperity, compared to Bangladeshis, for instance. And in any event, there is no justice -- no democratic justice -- in punishing fools for being fools.
There are precious few fools in our generation. Today is a major victory for the climate justice movement, but we can only expect it to get harder from here on out.
Blog Roll
- Low End Theory
- Youth Outlook
- Think Progress
- RaceWire
- FoBBDeep
- Campus Progress
- Feministing
- Sepia Mutiny
- Racialicious
- Of America
- Young People For
- Future Majority
- New America Media
- Adriel Luis
- Blackademics
- Jeff Chang at Zentronix
- The Nation
- Oh Dang! Magazine
- Campus Camp Wellstone
- Feminist Review
- Mother Jones Blog
- Brownfemipower
- DMI Blog
- POOR Magazine
- Conscious Youth Media Crew
- Doorknockers
- Citizen Orange
- Square Rootz
- Guerilla Mama Medicine
- Edutopia
- Domingo Yu
- Cool Cat Teacher
- 2 Cents Worth Education
- 38th Notes
- Quirky Black Girls
- United States of Jamerica
- Womanist Musings
- Kameelah Writes
- Working In These Times
- Model Minority
- Guerilla Busfare
- 99 problems
- The Sanctuary
- Youth Communication
- Post Pomo Nuyorican Homo
- Unapologetic Mexican
- Transformative Media Justice
- EthnoBlog
- Black Youth Project