Event Ideas
The Basics - Your "I'm Ready" Visual and Petition
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Now that September 27th 2008 is over, we are no longer actively updating the Resources section. If you are looking for get engaged in the movement for green jobs and an inclusive green economy, visit Next Steps.
The content below is dated to before the day of action.
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All you need to organize a Green Jobs Now event is a good idea, good people, and a camera.
We want people around the country to get together and do AT LEAST two things:
- upload a photo or a video of themselves, holding a sign that says “I’m Ready,” and
- sign the “I’m Ready” petition.
The more people who appear in each image, the better. The more images we get, the better. And the more people who sign the petition, the better. When we show that thousands of people are united behind one goal – “Green Jobs Now” – the next Congress and President will pay attention.
We are here to help you succeed. We’ve got educational materials on our website. Educate yourselves while planning an event. Educate others during your event.
Event Ideas
The most important thing is to make sure your event is creative, fun, and positive. Use the suggestions below to come up with something that works best for you. Please register your event and share your ideas with other organizers across the country.
OPTION #1: The "I'm Ready" Visual Statement
Th simplest thing you can do is get some people together for a group photo or video that sends an "I'm Ready" message to leaders and to the public.
It's easy: make signs that say "I'm Ready" and "Green Jobs Now." Use props like green hard hats, solar panels or customized posters. Be creative. Then take interesting photos and/or videos of your gathering.
Try to pick a place that highlights the potential for a green economy in your community, like an urban construction site, an unemployment center or a farmer's market.
While you're at it, it might be fun to engage people passing by. Gather signatures on the "I'm Ready" petition and hand out information.
Hundreds of people and huge group photos are great, but this kind of event can also be small. Big or small, it will be great.
OPTION #2: "Solutions Fair" with Music, Education, and Fun
Here's another idea, for those of you who want to go "all out." A "Solutions Fair" combines educational speakers, cultural performance, food, and fun! This could be a block party on your street, a barbecue at your neighborhood park, a teach-in at your school with food and music performance, or a celebratory rally at the site of a new green initiative.
Get people of all stripes to come — old and young, businesspeople and teenagers, college students and elected officials. Show that the whole community is "Ready for Green Jobs Now." Include food, music, and speakers talking about solutions. People may come just for the food and fun, but they'll leave with new ideas about how green jobs benefit us all.
Bring props and tools for a fun picture, and make sure to collect as many signatures on the "I'm Ready" petition as you can. Set up a photo/video booth and invite people to record an "I'm Ready" visual statement to their leaders. Invite your Mayor, City Council members, Senators and Congress members to come and see how ready your community is for green jobs now!
OPTION #3: A Service or Work Project
You can organize a local work project. Those attending can donate their time to repair the environment, do something about climate change, and improve the community. You could bring people together at a local community center to install energy-efficient light bulbs and conduct an energy audit of the building. Or you might head to a neighborhood park to do a simple clean up. Or you could highlight the green service projects already underway in your community and the volunteers that make them possible.
Take photos and/or video of people working, along with a group "I'm Ready for Green Jobs Now" photograph, and post them on GreenJobsNow.com. Ask volunteers and people who stop by to sign the "I'm Ready" petition.
Examples
Looking for more ideas? Check out some of the events people are already planning. Maybe it will spark your imagination.
OAKLAND
Sign up for the Ella Baker Center's event in Oakland here.
BRONX, NEW YORK
from the Green Jobs Now blog:
Sustainable South Bronx is READY for a green economy! On September 27, we will throw a concert and party at Hunts Point Riverside Park to highlight the accomplishments of graduates from our Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training program and other Bronx green collar workers, and to 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.
Sign up for Sustainable South Bronx's event here.
