SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Conference featuring green jobs expert Majora Carter to address a range of needs in Durham and elsewhere

NC Central University 8:30 to 4:00

Please make plans to attend this full-day conference that will focus on creating a more just and sustainable economy. Organized originally by Grassroots Energy Alliance (GEA)—a coalition that includes NC Interfaith Power & Light (NC IPL) of the North Carolina Council of Churches, North Carolina Fair Share, North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network (NC WARN), Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE), and NCCU’s Department of Environment, Earth, and Geospacial Sciences, the planning group now consists of more than 30 organizations, businesses and individuals committed to bringing green collar jobs to at-risk youth, recently incarcerated men and women, and members of other underserved communities.

The planning group that is beginning to call itself the Black, Brown and Green Alliance includes the NAACP of North Carolina as well as local non-profits with experience serving these constituencies. As envisioned by GEA, the conference with its associated community education activities will unite the racial justice and environmental movements, bringing more students, African Americans, Hispanics and people of faith into the sustainable energy economy.

Inevitably as governments, corporations and well-to-do householders endeavor to reduce energy costs and address global warming through energy efficiency and renewable applications, new employment opportunities will arise. This green collar jobs initiative will focus on the needs of low-income and minority communities because without special attention, they will not benefit from the resulting economic shifts. Through apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and courses and credentials offered at such institutions as community colleges, historic black colleges and universities (HBCU’s), living-wage career pathways can be created, with far-reaching benefits for all.

To these ends the planners seek green and traditional businesses, educators, the faith community, social service agencies and local and state political leaders to help develop the networks, the local and state legislation, and the funding that a green jobs initiative will require. Together we will be building something new— something that doesn’t exist now but which must come into being if our society is to prosper. By presenting a vibrant, young but experienced keynote speaker from Sustainable South Bronx, gathering a panel of outstanding North Carolinians with a variety of backgrounds and expertise, and offering workshops that cover the range of green employment considerations, the conference will challenge our thinking, enlarge our vision, and inspire concerted, concrete action in the days that follow.

For more information or to get involved immediately, contact Alice Loyd at aloyd@nccouncilofchurches.org or 919-828-6501.