The Green Tea - March 2023
GFA March Update 2023
Dream.Org is taking steps to ensure communities most affected by climate change will be heard and have access to the funding they need. Green For All is gathering critical information that will help guide our efforts throughout this process. There are also actions you can take now so front-line communities don’t get ignored again, but instead get the representation, investments, and benefits they deserve.
What’s Happening With Us
Dream.Org’s very own VP of Sustainability and Green For All National Director Jessie Buendia spoke at The Climate Hub at SXSW 2023 on March 13. Showing the power of women who take action during Women’s History Month, Jessie talked about climate justice and getting help to the people hit first and worst by pollution. The Climate Hub features some of the most innovative climate solutions and offers a cash prize to the best one, while allowing everyone to learn, connect, and grow their network and influence.
Dream.Org has created the Donald McEachin Climate Action Award to honor the long environmental legacy of the Democratic Representative from Virginia. He was intrinsic to the creation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the growing support for climate justice within Congress. At a special event on February 28, Ms. La’Veesha Allen Rollins and Rev. F. Wayne Henley from McEachin’s Congressional District in Charles City County, Virginia were the first recipients of this award for their community-based work.
Green For All has partnered with a coalition of organizations to form the 10k Communities Initiative’s Rally Up!, giving people, projects, and partners a place to connect and find capital and talent needed to provide assistance to communities that need it. Our goal is to build a better pipeline for climate projects and provide training and funding where it is needed.
Dream.Org is a Phase One winner of the Department of Energy’s Community Clean Energy Coalition Prize! This prize is meant to help achieve the Justice 40 initiative, which will dedicate 40% of climate funds to historically neglected frontline communities. Now, because of this prize the Green For All Business Council will help us put our climate justice plan into action.
The Green For All team met with partners on the ground in Fresno, CA to kick off our Transformative Communities Listening Sessions. Our Transformative Communities pilot program will connect Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds with climate solutions that build work and wealth opportunities for communities most impacted by climate change and pollution. At our roundtable in Fresno, we brought together local stakeholders to determine top needs so we can assist them to leverage IRA funding and resources for their community.
Level Up Your Activism
Dream.Org is always working to find ways for the people to find their power, and make this world green for all. These are our latest actions you can take.
The East Palestine Ohio derailment and the toxic disaster that followed continues to devastate the surrounding environment and local residents’ health . The simple fact is, there are over 1,000 incidents of train derailments every year in the United States. Weak safety regulations mean your community can easily be the epicenter of the next environmental and public health disaster. The DERAIL Act has been introduced to Congress, and is a good first step towards reducing risk and protecting your community. Tell your Representative to pass the DERAIL Act.
A lot is happening to shape how we distribute climate funding in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency is launching its Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program soon, but before they do they are requesting input. This is your chance to tell the EPA how they should implement this program. Sign the petition and get your comment in before April 10.
More breaking news from the EPA: they announced a $20 billion initiative which will help climate investments reach impacted communities across the nation. This means we are one step closer to creating a National Green Bank. Dr. Robert Bullard pointed out the climate justice benefits of green banks, saying, “When we talk about green banks, we talk about investments in communities that have long been neglected and addressing those issues with the urgency of now.” Sign to help establish a National Green Bank so we can get climate funds to frontline communities.
