Lisa Borders for Mayor of Atlanta
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Atlanta has earned its reputation as headquarters of the Dirty South. The city emits more than half a million metric tons of carbon dioxide, equal to the combined emissions of 150,000 households. Atlanta’s air pollution is one of the worst in the nation. Atlanta residents are projected to run out of water by 2030, and water quality declines every year. Urban sprawl and the need to commute lead to increasing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the city, and our street congestion is among the highest for any metro area. While state and federal governments play the major role in environmental outcomes, local policies and practices can set a tone for citizens that can lead to positive and lasting change. Lisa Borders has the most potential to set the right tone and the right example for a green Atlanta.
Lisa Borders
Lisa is a major advocate for the Atlanta Beltline, an alternative transportation program that will add 22 miles of light-rail transit and 1,200 acres of green space around the city while boosting the local economy. Mayor Shirley Franklin committed the city to reduce its carbon footprint to 7% below 1990 levels by 2012 and to be carbon neutral by 2030, and Lisa will follow through on that commitment. She is also a strong promoter of the Atlanta Sustainable Building Ordinance, which would reduce energy and water use in all city facilities.
Even the Borders campaign office is green. Staff are collecting food and paper waste in compost bins to fertilize gardens around town. There are recycle bins for glass, aluminum and plastic waste, and employees are encouraged to carpool or use MARTA. Just as Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden has inspired all Americans to rethink our food choices, Lisa Borders’ green office practices will challenge all Atlantans to treat our environment better. This is the leadership Atlanta needs and deserves.
Oil and Gas Industry Targeted Van Jones
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Van Jones finally made it to the top of the oil and natural gas industry’s hit list. His success at steering millions of dollars toward green jobs (in both stimulus funding and the House-passed climate bill) threatened a perfect storm for dirty energy.
Van’s brilliant idea was to marry the interests of labor, the environment and social justice. Taking on any one of those groups was a fight the oil and gas industry didn’t want, but a fight against all three was a sure loser. Alternet has the full story, but the short and skinny is that Van had to go. Here’s a breakdown of the takedown:
So let’s understand the stakes here and take heart. We are very close to changing the way we use energy in this country, and some folks can’t see themselves on the other side. That’s why they’re also targeting the Apollo Alliance, led by another “scary big ole black man,” former National Wildlife Federation chairman Jerome Ringo.
The Glenn Becks of the world didn’t wake up the other day and decide to equate green jobs with slavery reparations. They’re being fed this junk in an effort to divorce labor from the environment. You know you’re winning when an opponent resorts to these kinds of tactics. I think they made a big mistake in targeting Van, for two reasons. One, they’ve alerted us all to their weakness and fear and confirmed that we are on the right track. And two, Van is much more dangerous out here with the rest of us.
Our response is simple, and it’s one that honors the genius of Van Jones: We must push as hard as we can for the most progressive climate change legislation we can envision, one that includes green jobs with justice.
Atlanta Conference Aims to Increase Participation in the ‘Green’ Movement
Posted by Sonja Ebron
The green movement is taking on more color as professionals from coast to coast prepare to convene at a first-of-its-kind conference in Atlanta, September. 23-26. Top African-American, Latino, Asian and Native American professionals from around the country in the academic, government, business, recreation and nonprofit sectors will share their expertise at the event: Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great American Outdoors.
The conference will encourage participation in the “green” economy and showcase people of color engaged in sports, such as mountain climbing, skiing, sailing and scuba diving. It also will highlight the efforts of Americans of diverse ethnic and cultural heritage to protect the environment and the scenic treasures in the nation’s public parks, forests and wildlife refuges.
Audrey and Frank Peterman, conference organizers and long-time outdoor enthusiasts, have been promoting America’s natural beauty to communities of color for the past 14 years. When the Petermans took a cross-country trip in 1995 and discovered the Badlands, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks, they saw very few other Black people in the parks. Inspired to alter that picture, they launched a campaign to publicize the parks to Americans of color.
