Give Wind Energy a Chance — Call your Erie County Legislator

The Erie County Legislature is considering a resolution sponsored by Legislators Dixon and Mills and supported by Chris Collins to preemptively oppose wind development "along the shores of Lake Erie". 

The Sierra Club, PUSH Buffalo, the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and the Building Trades Unions will be testifying against this resolution and in favor of investment in renewable energy and green jobs coupled with a rigorous review of any offshore wind projects to make sure our drinking water and the lake ecology are protected. 

We need to ramp up wind and solar exponentially if we are to meet our climate goals and every area with good wind and solar resources needs to be evaluated scientifically and thoroughly. Passage of the Dixon-Mills resolution for the County housing New York's 2nd largest city would essentially sink our State's chances of reaching the adopted goal of 100% carbon free electricity by 2040. 

Stand Up for Renewable Energy and Green Jobs!

CALL Your Legislator before the Thursday, Sept.19 Hearing and urge them to vote against the Dixon-Mills anti-wind resolution.

Legislator List and Contact Info: click here

District Map: click here

If possible, please join us at the Legislative Hearing:
Thursday, September 19th 1:00-2:30 PM
Erie County Hall, 92 Franklin St. (4th Floor Legislative chamber), Buffalo [Map]

'People friendly' wind turbines near Woodlawn Beach State Park on Lake Erie

New York State needs Commitment to Renewable Energy

By Geovaira Hernandez

On Sept. 8, thousands of people worldwide united for a day of action around climate and economic justice. Rise Up for Climate, Jobs and Justice events, like the one we helped organize in Buffalo at Canalside – which drew several hundred residents – arrived ahead of the Global Action Climate Summit this week in San Francisco.

The summit brings together elected officials, labor unions, thought leaders and nongovernmental organizations to discuss the Paris climate goals, and how to accelerate efforts to reduce global emissions.

Not surprisingly, considering its intent to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris agreement and its assault on basic environmental protections, the Trump administration will not participate in the summit.

With hopes of federal action on climate now dashed, groups like PUSH Buffalo, the Communications Workers of America and the Sierra Club are working in coalition with others across regions and states to pressure elected officials to commit to a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels toward an economy powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

In Washington State this fall, residents will vote on Initiative 1631 which, if passed, would generate $1 billion of revenue annually through a corporate polluter fee. The revenue would be used to fund climate solutions that benefit the most environmentally overburdened communities.

Earlier this week, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that sets California on a path to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. This is a huge development, and the first law of its kind enacted by a state legislature in the U.S. Importantly, progress in each of these areas wouldn’t have happened without sustained grassroots leadership from so-called frontline communities.

California’s commitment to 100 percent renewable energy sets a compass point for the rest of us to follow. Now, we’re demanding that elected leaders in New York deliver on a progressive climate justice agenda that includes not only a commitment to 100 percent renewable energy but prioritizes clean energy investments in frontline communities and creates good paying, green jobs.

As members of the statewide New York Renews coalition, we’re calling specifically for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to pass the Climate and Community Protection Act (CCPA) in 2019 and to support a corporate polluter penalty and reinvestment policy like the one being advanced in Washington State. Together these moves would position New York as a true global climate leader accountable to a progressive populism that is now rising all around us.

Geovaira Hernandez, climate justice organizer at PUSH Buffalo, co-authored this with Lynda Schneekloth, of Sierra Club Niagara Chapter, and Debora M. Hayes, area director, Communications Workers of America.

This article was published as an op-ed in The Buffalo News

~        ~        ~ 

SEE ALSO: 

- NY RENEWS: Cut Pollution, Fund Solutions for NY

- NYS Assembly Passes Climate Bill Promoting Renewable Energy, Green Jobs, and Community/Worker Protections

Film Premier: 'HAPPENING - A Clean Energy Revolution' - Features Buffalo Activists

PUSH Buffalo and the WASH Project star in new film "HAPPENING: A Clean Energy Revolution" premiering TONIGHT, Monday 12/11, at 8:00PM on HBO!

Free Screening TONIGHT at 8:00PM at the Frank Merriweather Library, 1324 Jefferson Ave., Buffalo

Watch the Film Trailer:

As described by director Jamie Redford, HAPPENING is personal journey into the dawn of the clean energy era as it creates jobs, turns profits, and makes communities stronger and healthier across the US. Unlikely entrepreneurs in communities from Georgetown, TX to Buffalo, NY reveal pioneering clean energy solutions while my discovery of how clean energy works, and what it means at a personal level, becomes the audiences’ discovery too. Reaching well beyond a story of technology and innovation, ‘Happening’ explores issues of human resilience, social justice, embracing the future, and finding hope for our survival.

HAPPENING features PUSH Buffalo, the WASH Project and the effort to combat climate change and achieve energy democracy in Buffalo's neighborhoods.

Panel Discussion: Buffalo at the Crossroads - Advocating for Climate Justice in a Cold City - Friday March 10 at 4:00 - 5:30 pm

Click for a Map to O'Brian Hall on the UB North Campus

Panel Discussion of Book: HALF EARTH - Our Planet's Fight for Life

Important Climate Bill Passed by NY State Assembly - Fueled by People Power

Photo: Twitter @32BJSEIU 

By David Kowalski

Hundreds of New Yorkers stood together at the State Capitol in Albany on June 1st, rallying to move the NYS Assembly to pass an important new bill, the Climate and Community Protection Act.

If passed, the bill would require that New York move away from dirty fossil fuels, which cause pollution and global warming, and shift to clean, renewable energy that would lead to new jobs, healthy communities, and help stabilize the climate.

People participating in the rally comprised a broad coalition of environmental justice, climate activist, conservation and labor groups.
 
Buffalo was well represented by members of the Climate Justice Coalition of WNY, Sierra Club Niagara Group, PUSH Buffalo, Massachusetts Avenue Project,  and concerned citizens -- three bus loads of people!

Also present were representatives of unions and the Working Families Party along with the national president of the Sierra Club, Aaron Mair, and the NY state chapter chair, Roger Downs.

We rallied outside with hundreds of others and listened to speakers representing different groups tell their stories and express the need for the legislation and their demands. Then we marched through the Capitol building while the Assembly was in session, making our voices heard with chants and our messages visible with signs.

After gently directing the chanting throngs of concerned citizens in the Capitol hallways and also in the area with a full view of the Assembly Chamber, a Capitol official said to me "this is the way democracy is supposed to work." Right on!

Here is a 1 minute Video that features people from Buffalo (it also includes Sierra Club officials cited above). The video shows a few of the activities at the outdoor rally and also the march inside the State Capitol and a view of the Assembly Chamber:

                                                         Video: David Kowalski

To view Photos taken at the Capitol Climate Rally, Click Here
National Sierra Club president, Aaron Mair, speaks on clean energy, jobs & justice: Listen Here 

~     ~     ~

The Assembly vote was cast hours after we left Albany to return to Buffalo.

The Assembly heard the call of the people and passed the Climate and Community Protection Act (A.10342) by an overwhelming vote of 96 to 43.

We stood together for Climate, Jobs and Justice -- and We Won!

Thanks go to Assembly Member Steve Englebright for sponsoring the bill and to the many co-sponsors (Englebright appears in the last slide of the video speaking to us in the Capitol).

Now, New York is on a path to 100% clean renewable energy legislation.

The Assembly legislation requires the state to transition electricity generation to 50% renewable energy by 2030, 100% by 2050, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050.

Importantly, the legislation places emphasis on environmental and economic justice, prioritizing the safety and health of disadvantaged communities. Furthermore, it protects communities and workers by creating new jobs and providing a justice-based transition.

The Assembly legislation is now in the hands of the NYS Senate and has been referred to the Environmental Conservation committee.

The photo below gives an idea of the size of the coalition that rallied on the Capitol steps (Click image to enlarge):

For more information about the bill, see 'The New York Assembly Just Passed The Nation’s Most Ambitious Climate Bill' at Think Progress.

To see how your Assembly Member voted, click here.

Thanks to NY Renews for organizing the rally and spearheading action on the bill.

Green Drinks: Renewable Energy, Efficiency, and Clean Transportation

Green Drinks @ Ulrich's 1868 Tavern
 
Date: Tuesday, May 24th

Time: 5:30 - 7:30 PM

Location: 674 Ellicott Street Buffalo, NY 14203

Green Drinks is on Tuesday evening at Ulrich's 1868 Tavern.

Renee Vogelsang and Elizabeth Broad will be stopping in Buffalo on their “Road to Renewables” tour across the state in a Ford Fusion Energi, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. We're excited to welcome them to Buffalo!

Elizabeth Broad and Renee Vogelsang - NY'ers for Clean Power

The event will promote local campaigns for renewable energy and announce the “New Yorkers for Clean Power” statewide campaign to increase the deployment of clean energy across New York State.

The campaign will focus on education, organizing, and advocacy to engage the public, local governments, and businesses to advance a range of renewable energy, efficiency, and clean transportation solutions.

Delicious German food will be provided courtesy of PUSH Buffalo, this month's Green Drinks sponsor.

RSVP to Melanie at Mshorey107@gmail.com will receive a free drink ticket. Please write GD RSVP 5/24 in the subject line of the email!

New Coalition Funded to Create a Clean Energy Economy

$4 million grant to help coalition push green energy initiatives

By Mark Sommer |  The Buffalo News | March 17, 2016

A coalition of eight local groups announced Thursday an effort to bring renewable energy and good-paying energy jobs to the Buffalo Niagara region.

Crossroads Collective will pursue its goals with $500,000 a year over the next eight years, thanks to a $4 million grant from the Boston-based Chorus Foundation. Buffalo joins communities in Kentucky, California and Alaska among the four chosen nationwide.

“When we say 100 percent clean energy, 100 percent clean jobs, we’re not saying 90 percent, we’re not saying 70 percent,” said Aaron Bartley, executive director of People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH Buffalo). “We’re saying our communities demand and need 100 percent good jobs now in sectors that will heal the earth, bring climate justice to our communities and confront the climate crisis that is confronting our world, and that are rooted in the needs of our people.”

Franchelle Hart, executive director of Open Buffalo, said the newly announced coalition wants to propel Buffalo into a cleaner energy future. Legislation will be pushed on a state level to codify renewable energy objectives. Low-cost home insulation will be expanded. Cultural initiatives will promote the green economy message. And there will be money for researching who benefits and how from the energy status quo.

A new report by the Partnership for the Public Good, one of the eight groups, indicates state energy policies that switch to green energy initiatives could provide significant health and economic benefits. The partnership’s Sam Magavern praised PUSH’s Green Development Zone, a 25-block area he said has become a national and even international model.

“Almost nowhere in the country have they figured out how to rebuild a blighted neighborhood with green affordable housing, with urban farming, with community gardening, with storm-water management, and to do it with the people in that community leading the charge, making the plans and getting some of those high-quality jobs in the process,” Magavern said of PUSH’s efforts.

“There is a better and cleaner way to deal with our energy needs,” said Niagara Council Member David A. Rivera. “We’re asking our state legislators and everyone to join in with us and codify this and make it a part of the law,” he said. 

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Rise Up for Climate Justice Rally - Sept. 24, 2015 | Photo N. MacFarlane

TALK: Energy Democracy! What can We Learn from Germany?

Sierra Club ~ Niagara Group

Climate and Clean Energy Writers

will feature a presentation from:

Aaron Bartley

Executive Director of PUSH Buffalo

Energy Democracy!  

What can we learn from Germany? 

Aaron recently traveled to Germany and witnessed entire communities that produce, maintain, distribute, and sell their own renewable energy. Let's hear what he learned and how PUSH Buffalo sees it applying to WNY!
 

Monday, March 2, 6:00-7:30 PM

Unitarian Universalist Church

695 Elmwood at Ferry (Garden Entrance), Buffalo

For a printable flier, click here.

PUSH creating Green Jobs in Buffalo

National organization, Green for All, is partnering with PUSH Buffalo

Green for All, is partnering with People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) to develop a "Green Jobs for Buffalo" Program. Green For All, headed by Green Jobs champion, Van Jones, J.D., up until March 2009, has continued to thrive under the leadership of Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO.

"When we talk about a green economy, no place is pushing us more clearly forward in the right direction, than Buffalo", said Ellis-Lamkins.

PUSH has focused its efforts in establishing a Green Development Zone to create a national model of urban revitalization by concentrating strategic investments in green-design housing rehabilitation, environmental sustainability projects on vacant land, community gardens, and other urban agriculture projects.

The Massachusetts Avenue Project is partnering with PUSH to provide local economic opportunities, access to healthy food, and social-change education.

Green Jobs for Buffalo will address community development needs and yield positive results for people, for the planet, and for profits. It will promote equitable opportunities and benefits, environmental restoration and protection, and economic growth and prosperity.

Green for All will work with PUSH to maximize opportunities for public investment in Green Jobs for Buffalo. Watch this terrific video from Green for All, feel the Buffalo pride, and support PUSH and its partners:



Visit Green for All to see: In Buffalo, Green For All Launches a Policy Proposal to Green the Community Reinvestment Act

Earlier posts about PUSH Buffalo are here.

Environmental Summit at Daemen College

Daemen College
will host the

6th Annual Environmental Summit

Saturday, September 25
8:30am-12:30pm

Free and Open to the Public
Exhibitors Invited

This year’s event “This Land is Your Land: Reclaiming Your Home, Your Neighborhood, Your Community" will feature speakers, workshops and panel discussions on issues related to improving our communities from housing to green space.

Opening remarks on “Extreme Home Makeover: The Aftermath” will be presented by Aaron Bartley, Executive Director, PUSH Buffalo.

Exhibitors Invited: If your organization or business is interested in reserving a free informational table, please contact Brenda Young at byoung@daemen.edu.

Restoring and Greening the Neighborhood

PUSH Buffalo, Homefront Inc., and the Massachusetts Avenue Project are restoring vacant and abandoned houses on Buffalo's West Side and re-energizing them using environmentally-friendly solar and geothermal heating systems. In addition to these green rehabilitation efforts, their strategy focuses on job creation and urban agriculture, and it is being looked at by NY State as a model for neighborhood redevelopment.

NY Gov. David Paterson recently proposed the Sustainable Neighborhoods Project to revitalize vacant homes across the state by using existing state resources to create long-term affordable city housing. He said that he would start with Buffalo’s 23,000 vacant houses, and that the Sustainable Neighborhood Project will invest in environmentally-responsible projects that develop blighted property, vacant land, community gardens and urban agriculture.


In The Buffalo News:
State looks at West Side as model for redevelopment
Developers using environmentally friendly strategies to curb vacant housing
PUSH Buffalo activists view Paterson's pledge and a subsequent visit by the governor's aide as an indication the state may be nearing a decision to help fund their multimillion-dollar neighborhood development.

I think they're assessing our work," said Aaron Bartley, executive director of PUSH, one of the groups spearheading the development. "The level of interest they've shown tells me they're interested in what we're doing."

What PUSH and its partners, Homefront and the Massachusetts Avenue Project, are doing is overseeing a redevelopment strategy that emphasizes more than just housing rehabilitation. It also focuses on job creation and the environment.

The plan targets a 25-block area directly south of West Ferry Street and west of Richmond Avenue, with an eye toward rehabilitating abandoned homes and revitalizing vacant lots and public spaces.

The primary focus is on housing, with plans for a green-designed rehabilitation of about 200 housing units, three-quarters of them vacant.

"If we really want to make a dent in the housing problem on the West Side," Bartley said, "we have to hit at least 100 vacant housing units."

If this development has an edge over others, it may be the proven track record of the three community groups leading the effort. Each of them has had success in redeveloping vacant properties.

Together, they have completed a green-designed rehabilitation of six vacant housing units and are working on 17 other units right now.

Read the report by Phil Fairbanks in The Buffalo News.

Weatherization Saves Energy & Money

Obama promotes home energy-efficiency spending
President Barack Obama called Tuesday for new federal incentives to make millions of homes more energy efficient as a way to create jobs, save money for homeowners and reduce pollution. He said that insulation is "sexy". "Here's what's sexy about it: saving money," Obama said homes and offices are responsible for 40% of U.S. energy consumption, and that homes built in the first half of the last century can use about 50% more energy than modern dwellings.

"The simple act of retrofitting these buildings to make them more energy efficient - installing new windows and doors, insulation, roofing, sealing leaks, modernizing heating and cooling equipment - is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest things we can do to put Americans back to work while saving families money and reducing harmful emissions," Obama said.

About $8 billion of the $787 billion economic stimulus bill is dedicated to energy-saving investments in homes. Read the full AP report in The Buffalo News.

High heating bills of poor targeted
PUSH Buffalo is demanding help from National Fuel to reduce heating bills of low-income residents. At a recent rally, some signs read “We want to green our homes, not National Fuel’s wallet.” The federally funded Home Energy Assistance Program provided about $50 million to National Fuel last year to help underwrite the heating bills of low-income residents in Erie County. The PUSH Buffalo campaign is seeking a commitment from National Fuel to help weatherize 1,000 units in 2010. PUSH says weatherizing costs about $6,500 per house, and lowers heating bills by 30%-40%.
Read the report by James Heaney in The Buffalo News.

Music Video: "Double Panes"
A music video to promote saving energy and money through home weatherization, energy efficiency, energy audits, insulation, and double-pane windows (hence the title). It's by a group of Stanford University students having fun for a good cause. Check it out:

People United for Sustainable Housing

PUSH wins grant for Green Rehab - 9/12/2009
People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) has been awarded $1.87 million to rehabilitate 11 apartments in three vacant buildings on the West Side using green designs.
The focus on energy conservation and affordability helped secure $1.47 million from the state Department of Housing and Community Renewal, and $400,000 from the City of Buffalo. The two-to four-bedroom apartments, at 397, 398 and 460 Massachusetts Ave., will be among properties on several square blocks to also feature community gardens and sustainable projects created by the Massachusetts Avenue Project.  
“These buildings themselves will set a new standard for green, affordable housing in Buffalo,” said Aaron Bartley, PUSH Buffalo’s executive director. “We will have extensive solar electricity on two of the three buildings, and cutting-edge heating systems to reduce utility bills and carbon emissions.” Bartley said he is hopeful the project will become “a national model of neighborhood-based green development.” Read the full report by Mark Sommer in The Buffalo News.

WNY AmeriCorps and PUSH Buffalo Announce Major Inner-City Job Training Initiative 
PUSH Buffalo and WNY AmeriCorps came out today to announce the availability of 60 paid training positions in housing renovation for out-of-school individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 as well as dates for two open houses for interested applicants. The positions will be funded through the Federal YouthBuild program, which combines on-site construction training with daily GED classes for high-school dropouts in neighborhoods with high poverty rates.  
Watch a video announcing the job training program below:

Article and video from  ArtVoice. For more information, visit the Web sites for PUSH Buffalo and WNY AmeriCorps.