The Green Tea - December 2022

As 2022 comes to a close, the Dream.Org Green For All team is energized by what we’ve accomplished together this year and is excited about what’s on the horizon for 2023.  Together, we‘ve made an impact in 2022, and we look forward to building on that momentum in the new year! 

Investing in future Black and Brown green leaders 

This summer, Dream.Org launched the Green For All Clean Energy Scholarship program in partnership with Google Nest. We sought out 50 diverse recipients who are looking to begin or advance their careers in the green energy sector and awarded them $3,500 to help them pursue their green dreams.

On December 10th, Green For All Clean Energy Scholarship recipients and funding partners gathered in Las Vegas for the Clean Energy Scholars Summit to network with leaders in the clean energy sector, scholarship program funders, and each other. With support from Google and the Green For All Business Council, Dream.Org helped attendees receive professional development training, gain insight into the clean energy sector, and deepen their knowledge on climate justice work, setting them up for success as they embark on green career paths. 

Making a difference in how government agencies identify disadvantaged communities

Earlier this year, Green For All submitted over 6,000 signatures to the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) in support of including environmental, health, and socioeconomic factors in the Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool. This mapping tool will help government agencies determine which communities are classified as disadvantaged, and ultimately be used to track how government agencies are delivering on Biden’s Justice40 promises. 

In November, an updated version of the tool was released based on public feedback. Our policy experts did a deep dive to uncover which of Green For All’s recommendations were integrated into the updated version.

Here’s how we made a difference:

1. Redlining data can now be used to identify burdens in communities that have historically been left out. 
2. Funding can now be used in areas that surround disadvantaged communities if they meet specific income requirements.
3. Students enrolled in higher education are no longer included in low-income calculations. 
4. Race and age demographics are now visible for each census tract. 
5. There’s now a plan for long-term improvement of national datasets that shape the tool. 

Even though the CEQ took many of our recommendations into account in the tool’s latest version, there is still work to be done to ensure that government agencies are directing funding to impacted communities: 

• Conduct a race analysis. While the inclusion of redlining data and increased transparency on race demographics are welcome improvements, the CEQ should still conduct a race analysis to prove that race-related indicators are accurate representations of race. By adding race back into the data, the analysis should back up the CEQ’s claim that explicitly including race isn’t necessary due to the effectiveness of other factors. 

• Make a Spanish version of the site available.  In order to make the tool accessible to everyone, the CEQ needs to prioritize language justice in its distribution of a tool that’s designed to benefit communities of color. 

Launching our 2023 federal policy platform

Earlier this month, we published our top 6 federal policy recommendations for equitably distributing Inflation Reduction Act funds. Help us get a kickstart on our 2023 policy goals and tell the White House and Congress to unlock funding for communities in need!