Boston Green Justice Coalition Joins Apollo Alliance
BOSTON, Dec. 7 - The Boston Green Justice Coalition this weekend became the newest member of the Apollo Alliance, a national network of clean energy, good jobs organizations working to build a cleaner, more efficient, and more prosperous economy.
The Boston Green Justice Coalition is composed of community, labor, environmental, and social justice leaders from New England’s largest city. It is the newest of 14 Apollo Alliance member organizations in 10 states. Phil Angelides, the chairman of the Apollo Alliance, commended the Green Justice Coalition for its efforts to advance the clean energy, good jobs economy and for supporting The New Apollo Program, a comprehensive national clean energy economic development strategy made public in September. “The Apollo Alliance,” he said, “is thrilled that Boston is joining communities across the nation, as well as over 50 major U.S. business, labor, environmental, and community organizations in calling for federal investment to create and retain more than 5 million jobs while helping to solve the climate crisis, the energy crisis, and the economic crisis.”
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For More Information: Ron Ruggiero Coalition Seeking “Green New Deal” Alternatives For Community and Environment Boston Green Justice Coalition Boston Green Justice Coalition Kickoff Apollo Alliance Affiliates Nationwide Boston Green Justice Coalition Steering Committee Members Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) Boston Climate Action Network (BCAN) Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DNSI) Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) New England Council of Carpenters |
One of the Apollo Alliance’s strengths since the organization’s start in 2003 and 2004 has been its national network of local and state Apollo Alliance groups. The clean energy, good jobs coalitions are composed of labor, business executives, environmental leaders, and social justice organizations. The Apollo Alliance, in several instances, played a role in helping to form organizations and provide guidance in building their programs.
One of the primary goals of The Boston Green Justice Coalition and the other local and state Apollo Alliance groups is to make the growing number of green-collar jobs accessible to their members. In 2009, six new local and state member Apollo Alliance groups are likely to join the national Apollo network, said Ruggiero.
Boston is an apt location for a new Apollo Alliance coalition. A year ago, Mayor Menino announced the start of a $500 million program to improve energy efficiency in homes. Mayor Menino also has undertaken other clean energy initiatives including a promise to dramatically reduce Boston’s emissions of greenhouse gases. Both programs involve building new skills and installing new equipment that will result in more family-supporting green-collar jobs.
Rich Rogers, the executive secretary treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council and chairman of Community Labor United, the host organization for the Boston Green Justice Coalition, said Boston has the opportunity to lead the nation in green-collar job development and clean energy economic growth. “We have all the necessary ingredients in the Boston region to create a green economy that creates good jobs, builds a thriving green business sector, and helps meet our global warming challenges,” said Rogers. “We must act now or be left behind. I’m happy that our business, labor, and community leaders have joined forces to ensure that we don’t miss the opportunities presented as the nation embraces clean, green energy and a stronger economic future.”
The Boston Green Justice Coalition’s principal goals are:
1. Expanding public and private investment in energy efficiency to protect the planet, to make communities healthier, and to keep residents in their homes.
2. Jump starting an economic recovery by directing green-collar jobs to unemployed and underemployed residents and by ensuring that a fair share of the energy efficiency programs and resources go to the communities that have born the largest environmental and economic burdens.
3. Repairing the increasingly unequal regional economy with an equity agenda by assuring effective and accessible training and enacting standards to make new and existing green-collar jobs into good jobs that can sustain families and communities with livable wages, union opportunities, and career pathways.
“This is a unique opportunity to save our planet, address environmental injustice and create jobs for people. We need to move full speed ahead.” said Penn Loh, executive director of Alternatives for Community and Environment, one of the new coalition’s partner organizations.
One of the highlights of the coalition’s kick off event was the release of a 60-page study that identifies opportunities to improve energy efficiency in Boston’s low-income communities, many of them communities of color. The study outlined a comprehensive strategy to lower energy costs, create quality jobs for Boston residents, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The study found that every $1 million invested in energy audits and efficiency retrofits will generate 6.5 to 11 jobs.
The Boston Green Justice Coalition’s founding partner organizations include Adaptive Environments, Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE),
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), Boston Climate Action Network (BCAN), Chelsea Collaborative, Clean Water Action, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Greenport, Green Roundtable, Home Energy Efficiency Team, Mass COSH, New England Council of Carpenters,
Painters & Allied Trades DC35, Project RIGHT, Adaptive Environments, Boston Workers Alliance, Boston Youth Environmental Network, Chinese Progressive Association, Massachusetts Energy, Mass. Interfaith Climate Action Network, Mass Green Jobs Coalition, SEIU
Local 615 Sheet Metal Workers Local 17, Urban Ecology Institute, Urban Mass Green Alliance, and Youth Build Boston.
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