Friday, June 19, 2009

Coalition Convenes to Bring NYC to Fore of Emerging Green Economy

The Eagle received the following press release:

For over a year, more than 170 organizations have worked together to put forward a just and comprehensive workforce development strategy to prepare New Yorkers for green collar jobs. The multi-stakeholder campaign, the Green Collar Jobs Roundtable, met for its third convening Thursday to celebrate its work and launch the next phase of its dynamic process.

“We are very humbled by the great work done by so many important organizations invested in the future of our City,” said Joanne Derwin, Executive Director of Urban Agenda, convener of the Roundtable campaign. ”This was not only a truly grassroots process, but a unique undertaking, and the culmination of a lot of hard work over a sustained period of time. The breadth and depth of the process has helped identify several salient recommendations to ensure that all New Yorkers can benefit from the emerging green economy.”

The Roundtable process has tapped the collective knowledge of green employers, unions, workforce development providers, and environmental and environmental justice groups to chart a Green Jobs Roadmap — a blueprint that articulates specific, targeted steps to direct the City towards a comprehensive, coordinated, citywide strategy to train New Yorkers for green collar jobs. The Roadmap is due to be released in the fall, and will be shared with mayoral and city council candidates in the upcoming election.

“Just look at the size and diversity of this group,” said Ed Ott, Chair of the New York City Apollo Alliance, “we all share a common goal of creating good, green collar jobs that pay family sustaining wages, build sustainability, and create pathways out of poverty for all New Yorkers.”

“This is the moment to act," he added, "the Roundtable represents the best shot we have to show what’s right for workers and good for business, to talk about government’s role and bring communities’ voices to the table.”

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