Green collar jobs aren’t just for the mechanically and technically inclined: as we’ve seen, numerous organizations, businesses and local governments have focused on tasks ranging from tree planting and care to herb growing (the legal kind) to energy efficiency consulting and assistance.
A church installing solar panels… not all that unusual these days, right? Maybe not, but for Washington, DC’s Florida Avenue Baptist Church, the recent ribbon-cutting on a 44 panel solar array represents more than “going green” and cutting energy costs: it’s also a way to address issues of energy and environmental justice and economic stagnation in the local community.
How do you get a group of urban high school students interested and involved in issues like climate change and environmental justice? Connecting it to the music they love is a good bet… and we’ve already seen how hip hop’s worked as a tool for engaging target audiences on topics ranging from local, healthy food to the damage created by plastic shopping bags.
Try explaining climate change to young people in terms of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, or the dangers of toxic wastes by focusing on water sheds… chances are they’ll be checking their phones, if not dozing off, in a matter of minutes. Now imagine these same concepts being addressed by rappers from the neighborhoods these kids come from… you’ll likely see more enthusiasm for the topics.
RICHMOND, California, June 7, 2009 (ENS) – The Environmental Impact Report for a major expansion at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California is inadequate, a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge has ruled in a case brought by environmental, community, and public health groups. In her decision Friday, Judge Barbara Zuniga decided that the environmental…
Jonathan Demme believes that “film and literature can change a mind.” If a film causes a human mind to consider questions that it has not encountered before, therein lies a great possibility to influence that one person. The idea is that awareness allows people to make better decisions in their life. Jonathan warns people from…
Simran Sethi, a rising star in journalism, has officially launched her web exclusive show, THE GOOD FIGHT [www.sundancechannel.com]. Sundance Channel is proud to be working with Simran to bring you important environmental justice stories on the web. The official site is up and ready for you to check it out now. If you are interested…
If there’s a problem in your area or if you are working to solve a problem in your community we’re interested to learn more. We want Eco-mmunity to be a place where users can find one another, share information and hopefully solve problems together. Simran Sethi’s upcoming original web series, THE GOOD FIGHT, is devoted…
Recently, world news agencies have reported on the multiple protests and riots taking place in Tibet, Nepal and many other nations around the world. The causes and conditions precipitating these conflicts are by no means simply stated. In fact, they are rooted in long standing political, sociological, and ideological misunderstandings that long predate both the…