The South Bronx is Ready
Sustainable South Bronx is READY for a green economy! SSBx's Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (BEST) program has been running for five years strong, and by the end of 2008, over 100 trainees will have graduated from the program. Graduates are now employed by groups such as the New York City Parks Department, Central Park Conservancy, and SSBx's very own SmartRoofs LLC. They're greening neighborhoods -- and their pockets!
Sheila is ready for green.
Sustainable South Bronx is READY for a green economy! SSBx's Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (BEST) program has been running for five years strong, and by the end of 2008, over 100 trainees will have graduated from the program. Graduates are now employed by groups such as the New York City Parks Department, Central Park Conservancy, and SSBx's very own SmartRoofs LLC. They're greening neighborhoods -- and their pockets!
On September 27th, we will throw a concert and party at Hunts Point Riverside Park to highlight the accomplishments of BEST graduates, other Bronx green collar workers and celebrate all the different ways we can benefit from a green economy. Attendees will come away with ideas on how they too can put green in their pockets by greening their homes, their neighborhoods, and the planet.
Part of the day’s activities will include a high-energy show from FIYAWATA, healthy cooking demonstrations and fun-filled activities for kids. We're excited that our partners will be a diverse array of local groups such as the South Bronx Food Co-op, to national ones, such as Grind for the Green out of Oakland, CA! We'll also be showing green jobs in action by streaming video of BEST grads now working with SmartRoofs to install a green roof at Sarah Lawrence College earlier in the day – another Green Jobs Now Day of Action event. Please come out, have a good time, and see all the opportunities that a green economy will bring for your community!
I don't know about you, but SSBx is ready to celebrate this green economy. We’re ready for some good music and local food. We’re ready for justice, and for we’re ready for green jobs now! Stay tuned to our event posting on greenjobsnow.com for details, and RSVP here if you think you might come!
Sheila Somashekhar is Greenway and Green Building Coordinator at Sustainable South Bronx. She has worked on environmental justice initiatives in both the South Bronx and southeast Michigan, and she believes that the green economy will be the driving force to move us toward a healthy, safe, and equitable society.
