Green-Collar Job Training proposed by PPG

The Partnership for the Public Good (PPG) will announce adoption of the 2009 PPG Community Agenda, a policy platform created and adopted by community organizations. A formal presentation will be made to the public in a Press Conference on Friday, February 6 at 10:30AM in the auditorium of the Merriweather Library on Jefferson Ave.

As part of their platform, they recommend that New York State fund a large scale residential retrofit and "Green-Collar" job training program that would provide home energy audits and a range of site appropriate upgrades such as:

• insulating walls
• switching energy-guzzling appliances and light bulbs to Energy Star models
• incorporating green building materials
• installing a live green roof
• looking at alternative power sources where feasible

PPG recommends that these green upgrades be paired with workforce policy to develop job-linked training that creates access to jobs in distressed parts of the state, and establishes career paths with certifications and family-sustaining wage standards.

Other Green Plans in the PPG Platform are for Erie County and the City of Buffalo to hire full-time Sustainability Directors and staff to work with the community to create and implement plans with measurable goals to make our governments and our communities more sustainable, including compliance with the US Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement.

The full PPG Community Agenda is here.
Map to the Merriweather Library is here.