The Green Good

Ballad of the Black Gold

2010-05-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Big ups to the Ogoni People

Reflection Eternal "Ballad of the Black Gold" from Sam Ellison on Vimeo.

The Road Paved to Hell

2009-07-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

This video shows some well intentioned people trying to instill an environmental awareness within inner-city kids. Unfortunately, such efforts will likely be in vain. As a minority, it is incredibly difficult to remove the thought from my family and my brown friends, that environmental values only belong to white people. The environment will not matter to these kids until it matters to their older siblings,their parents, and their community. It will not matter to their parents until more pressing economic and equity issues have been addressed. Asking the parents to do otherwise is unfair, which makes asking their kids to care even more unreasonable.

It is possible that one of these kids might get it. However, they still have to grow up in a community where the environment does not matter. How does that child stick to her/his beliefs, in the face of reality that says those are the least of his/her concerns?

I like Bicycles and Rap

2009-07-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

So here you go you suckas.

'

I'm not feeling the last cat on the mic. Shame too. It was a dope video otherwise.

Dora Grows Up

2009-07-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

I remember hearing an NPR story about how Dora the Explorer was the brainchild of social science scholars to create what is most lacking in the media: independent females of color who are curious about the world.

However,according to a Mattel press release their will be a new older Dora, along with the younger one. The older Dora will be all about fashion. They've also added the option of changing the color of her eyes. I can understand the customizing of eye color. Little girls want a Dora doll that looks like them. Unfortunately, they are targeting the new Dora to tweens. The same age girls start realizing dominant standards of beauty. If little girls of color are being told that the white standard is the better, it will be unfortunate when they choose blue eyes because they perceive it as more beautiful.

E-Waste in Ghana

2009-07-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

Where do you think that TV, computer, iPod, and cell phone ends up?

The Problem with Conspiracy Theories

2009-07-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Recently, on Fresh Air, Terry interviewed an investigative journalist who has studied the social effects of conspiracy theories. The recent shooting at a play (about a fictitious conversation between Emmet Till and Anne Frank) was by a guy that believed the Federal Reserve controls the Obama Administration. He understood it as Jewish people controlling Black people to subordinate Whites. People who belive in these theories fall victim to all sorts of logical fallacies. Unfortunately, this appeals to oppressed people because it helps them make sense of a world that seems unreasonably unfair. Sadly, they lose credibility and are agents of their own disempowerment.

With that said, I like this Sabac Red video (Peace to www.grandgood.com GRANDGOOD for putting me on to this). It's a little too conspiratorial and extreme, but its good place to start.

Laid to Waste

2009-07-11T11:53:00.001-07:00

Green Gentrification

2009-07-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

Wealthy folks usually buy up the green stuff. So its no surprise that they want to buy green condos. Furthermore, its no surprise that this whole green building trend will be part of the gentrification process. This currently is happening in Carrboro, NC with the Greenbridge Condo development. If it contributes to the destruction of lower-income communities, then is it sustainable? Is it conducive to urban sprawl? What about the local businesses in that area?

The upsetting contradiction is the following: There is a group of condo-buyers that are enlightened enough to want environmentally-friendly dwellings but unenlightened enough to be agents of gentrification. This makes the whole Greenbridge enterprise seem disingenuous and helps reinforce the notion that "green" is a shallow trend. More importantly, this causes terms like "green" to have negative associations in these low income communities.

Big Ups to Costa Rica

2009-07-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

According to the New Economics Foundation, Costa Ricans have the highest reported life satisfaction in the world. They also live longer than Americans (78.5 years), yet their ecological footprint is one quarter of the size of cats to the north. That explains why I hardly ever meet Costa Rican immigrants in the States.

Transportation

2009-07-08T23:07:00.001-07:00

Street Farmer NY Times

2009-07-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

The following quote was taken from the NY Times, profiling a person for whom I have great reverence, my eco-coach--Willy Allen.

"[Allen's] essential view is that people do the best they can: if they don’t have any better food choices than KFC, well, O.K. But let’s work on changing that. If they don’t know what to do with okra, Growing Power stands ready to help. And if their great-grandparents were sharecroppers and they have some bad feelings about the farming life, then Allen has something to offer there too: his personal example and workshops geared toward empowering minorities. “African-Americans need more help, and they’re often harder to work with because they’ve been abused and so forth,” Allen said. “But I can break through a lot of that very quickly because a lot of people of color are so proud, so happy to see me leading this kind of movement.”

He nailed it when he acknowledged the difficulty in outreach because of past histories. However, these communities still see the importance of what he's doing. A lot of first generation Latinos are parents of migrant farm workers. Its expected that they do something better than grow food. These young people are pushed away from these industries because of the stigma and low pay. They are often pushed to be nurses, teachers or businesspeople. It's my goal to make these cats passionate about creating an alternative to what their parents did.

Ethylyne Ripened Tomato

2009-07-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

The new doc Food, Inc. is helping raise awareness.

However, in some neighborhoods of color, there isn't even the option of buying such tomatoes.

Green Barrio Economies

2009-06-30T15:08:00.001-07:00

Many in the Latino community have been closely watching the current administration’s policy objectives to predict possible future conditions for Latinos. Its no secret, that private interests benefit from the immigrant situation. As a result of implicitly allowing illegal immigration, increasing numbers of undocumented workers are pitted against unionized workers and employers often hire undocumented immigrants who are willing to work for less. These low wages prevents economic empowerment among these individuals. The following are recommendations for future prosperity in working-class Latino communities: Unions that do not discriminate based on immigration status, Latino workers who actively participate in the green economy through job training, Latino entrepreneurs whom receive institutional support for their start-up, and Latino consumers whom support their local businesses in developing a strong barrio economy.
There is no denying that it is unlawful to illegally cross a border and the United States should be a country that lives by the rule of law. Ironically, this adherence to the law in the United States is a key reason that so many immigrants are attracted to this country in the first place. However, there are more compelling reasons for immigration, than the country’s lawfulness. These individuals are in a desperate situation—a desperation that is proven when we read newspaper headlines about an immigrant losing his or her life while attempting to cross the border. This desperation comes from the inability to feed a family—a result of high unemployment in weak economies throughout Latin America.
Many of these countries have a small middle-class and Latin-American politicians have no intention of developing one. According to a 2007 New York University report “With few exceptions--Uruguay, Costa Rica, Venezuela--the countries of Latin America have the highest levels of income inequality in the world. In the late 1990s, for example, the income share received by the highest income decile [10% of population] was 47.2% in Brazil, 47.0% in Chile, and 43.1% in Mexico, in contrast to 30.5% in the United States.”1 Despite the poor economic conditions, which is at the root of illegal immigration, developing a larger latin american middle class is rarely discussed as foreign policy.
If the federal government were really serious about immigration they would encourage policies that create a strong middle-class in Latin America. For example, the federal government could create an economic incentive for U.S. firms to contract with those Latin American manufacturers which employ unionized workers. This would force those manufacturers that want U.S. contracts to pay living wage to their workers. A living wage will deter the need to look for employment in the United States. But these policies are absent—too many U.S. private interests benefit from immigrant labor and too many Latin American private interests benefit from an economy of disproportionate wealth.
So we arrive at the current situation, one where working class citizens are pitted against undocumented immigrants in a poor job market. These conditions create antagonism toward illegal immigrants—many of whom are thought to be from Latin America—though it should be noted that illegal immigrants from non-Spanish speaking countries like China and Haiti are in a similar predicament.
Politicians and entrepreneurs throughout the United States believe that green jobs and green innovation can pull us out of this recession and prevent climate change. Latinos have often worked in food production and construction. Provided with the right training Latinos will be in a position to be leaders in sustainable food production and green construction, which are key growth industries in a green economy. Recent White House actions show support for communities of color to take leadership roles in this new green economy—policies such as the Green Jobs Act, creates pathways out of poverty by using green jobs training. This act was spearheaded by Hilda Solis, a key decision maker on issues affecting the working class in the White House.
The current administration also believes that strong unions will play a critical role in the economy. In a recent speech, President Obama said, “We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests.”2 Empowered unions can grow the middle-class and fulfill the American Dream of upward mobility. When Van Jones, special advisor to the Obama administration on green jobs, proposed a strategy before the Vice-President, he said, “We have to engage our labor unions, the best trained workers in [Green Industries] are in unions. That’s the bottom line.”3. If unions allow undocumented immigrants to join their ranks, they will gain increased bargaining power because the competing employees (undocumented workers) have joined them. However, there has long been tension between union workers and undocumented Latino workers—and this divisive relationship does not allow for a united workforce. The kind of workforce that is needed for the task ahead. Although some unions already allow undocumented workers, all unions need to grant membership to undocumented workers to create this unified workforce.
But Latinos must not only be union leaders, they must also be entrepreneurial leaders. Latinas especially have demonstrated the ability to start and manage their own businesses, whether it’s selling tamales or running beauty salons. Now, more than ever, we can realize this potential by encouraging Latino entrepreneurs to start businesses. More local businesses means more currency can circulate within the barrio without the need to shop at big-box chains. This local circulation of currency can increase the value of their dollar and keep wealth in the community, as demonstrated by the progressive European-American communities in Burlington, Vermont and Portland, Oregon. Furthermore, they could market there product to European American communities to funnel that money back into the community. It’s difficult to have economic solidarity when prices at non-local businesses are low, especially when recent Latin American immigrants have little income—but the exploitation of this position by big-box companies perpetuates economic disempowerment and prevents economic self-sufficiency.
A strong barrio economy is possible—but it needs local consumer support and institutional support. A non-profit agency that can create supportive environments for green Latino entrepreneurs is needed. An organization like this could offer business and skills training to those in the community interested in starting a business, as well as provide them with ongoing legal , IT, and accounting support. This agency could also train them in high-demand skills, such as green construction, clean energy, sustainable landscaping, and organic food production. Since many Latinos already work in the conventional but unsustainable counterparts of these industries, they can and need to seize these opportunities to reintroduce wealth back into their barrio economies.
If Latinos join the green economy, this could very well influence a cultural paradigm shift. As workers in green industries, Latinos will be more aware of the affect outside business have on the health of members in their community. Polluted air, water, and soil are most common in low-income urban communities. Introducing local green businesses in these communities will reduce air pollution, and as a result, can reduce children’s asthma as they play in beautiful new green spaces. With increased incomes these purveyors of green products could also be consumers. If there are more fruits and vegetables available in these communities, this could have an impact on the diets of Latinos. Consequently this could lower the frequency of diabetes in the Latino community. Given all this, these workers have the added incentive of helping to prevent climate change through their labor.
Some may argue that these current communities are plagued with more pressing problems and that these ideas hardly seem like an adequate remedy. However, Criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling suggest otherwise in their “broken windows” theory. They state, “Crime is the inevitable result of disorder. If a window is broken and left in disrepair, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. Soon more windows will be broken and a sense of anarchy will be spread from that building to the street from which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes.”4 This idea was implemented by the New York City Police—and “crime rates in New York City plunged. Between 1990 and 1998, murder declined by over 70%, robbery by over 60%, total violent offenses by over 50%, and total property felonies by over 60%. These declines were the steepest ever recorded”5. Neighborhood appearance communicates the level of order to its residents. Green spaces and energy efficient buildings communicate that the community cares. Furthermore, if someone owns a business in the community they have an economic stake in that community, and therefore its appearance. When creating community, small details matter.
One can now envision a future for Latinos where they can be not only business owners and union members, but where they can also prevent climate change by working in green industries. A barrio can be reinvented. From Little Havana (Miami) to Adams Morgan(DC) to Pilsen (Chicago), these neighborhoods will offer services that other communities want—services like green construction and products such as organic produce. These neighborhoods will be leaders local produce, green construction and energy. These communities will be reinforced by creating and sustaining economic strength. These goals will be reached when new local economies are self-sufficient—no big-box chains needed.