Full Title: Green Jobs Report
Author(s): Cecil D. Corbin-Mark, Kerene N. Tayloe, Esq., Caitlin Buchanan, and Dana Johnson
Publisher(s): Environmental Justice Leadership Forum
Publication Date: December 15, 2020
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
This report considers how a Just Transition framework can serve to shape conversation and next steps in addressing climate change. Rooted in an ethos of parity and collaboration across occupations, race, socio-economic status and sectors, its foundational premise is that a healthy economy and a clean environment can and should coexist, and the individuals and communities that have been most impacted by the legacies of environmental harm and would be most affected by shifts in the energy industry should be the first to access and experience the myriad benefits of a green energy economy and country. With a Just Transition lens, there is greater assurance that environmental discrimination and racism, and existing, climate-related socioeconomic inequalities, can be recognized and reconciled.
In this vein, this report also highlights the state of affairs and best practices of four organizations who have active, evolving Green Jobs training programs designed for people of color and individuals from at-risk, underserved communities. Through the practical and experiential insights of Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Green Door Initiative, GRID Alternatives and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, we learn about work that’s already taking place on the ground, the resources needed to carry forth this work, and ideals for how to magnify and elevate this work in the future and bring more underrepresented groups into the renewable energy sector. As America continues to learn about itself, and its citizens awaken to its inequities and the implications of its actions (and inaction), it is critical that we recognize the people who have been engaged in this work for decades prior to this widespread awareness, and we must ensure that these leaders and visionaries have a seat at decision-making and policy tables.