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The BlueGreen Alliance Foundation today announced the release of a thorough analysis of measures for affordable housing investments in all 50 states and three cities. This includes both a report and a scorecard ranking all states based on their criteria for allocating Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) through Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs).

The report is available at: https://buildingclean.org/qap-report

“QAPs serve as a valuable tool to advance progressive solutions in affordable housing,” said BlueGreen Alliance Foundation State Initiatives Manager and report author Jeff Hurley. “This report shows there is significant room for improvement. I hope our findings will help improve states’ QAP requirements and affordable housing standards.”

The BlueGreen Alliance Foundation undertook this project to encourage states to create good jobs, protect health, and enhance equity in affordable housing. To achieve this, the report focuses on what the pillars of QAPs should be: healthy building practices, energy efficiency, worker-friendly labor standards, and racial equity.

The report found the locations with the highest overall scores in three categories were Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, and the District of Columbia with an A-; Colorado, Michigan, Washington, and Oregon with a B+; and Delaware, Georgia, and Maryland with a B.

The report found the locations with the lowest overall scores were Maine, Kentucky, and Tennessee with an F, and Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and the City of Chicago with a D.

“Ultimately, this is a call for states to improve their QAP process with a focus on reducing disproportionate exposure to communities of color,” said BlueGreen Alliance Vice President of Health Initiatives Charlotte Brody. “The bottom line is that the investments we make in affordable and low-income housing should foster a healthy and equitable future for all, not just reduce energy waste and pollution.”

“While housing finance agencies have a litany of priorities to consider when developing their QAPs, this report shows that the health of residents and workers, the energy efficiency of housing developments, labor standards, and racially equitable housing policies cannot be ignored,” said Hurley.

“Just 2% of the real estate industry in the United States includes Black-led companies. Access to capital remains the most significant barrier for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) developers,” said Deborah De Santis, the CEO of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). “The BlueGreen Alliance Foundation report is an important tool for understanding how jurisdictions can begin to address the systemic racism and discriminatory practices used in rental housing development and leasing and create more equitable access to housing for people who face persistent discrimination.”

It celebrated the past decade of work and looked forward to new challenges and opportunities that the partnership is tackling today.

Hundreds of supporters from around the country showed up to honor former Executive Director David Foster, United Steelworkers International President Leo W. Gerard, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, former Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope, and Apollo Alliance Chairman Phil Angelides. They received BlueGreen Alliance Visionary Awards for their work in forming and maintaining this strong partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations.

We want to give a special thank you to all of the sponsors, allies, and supporters who attended the event.

“Leadership, innovation, forethought, and fearlessness; these are the qualities that define America, and these are the qualities that define the BlueGreen Alliance.” That was the main message of U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez during his keynote address of the 2016 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference in Cleveland.

Secretary Perez keynoted the morning session of the Conference—which was presented by the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation—along with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Both leaders focused on how economic progress and environmental protection go hand-in-hand and called for an end to false choices that pit the two against each other.

U.S. Senator Brown focused on driving job creation by repairing America’s infrastructure and growing a clean energy economy. “For the first time in the history of the industrial age, economic growth is no longer tied to an increase in carbon emissions; we know that now. It’s only a start, but dozens of nations are showing it can be done. The landmark Paris Climate Agreement not only sets the stage for a long-term reduction in carbon emissions, but it will provide opportunities for American businesses—for manufacturers, for entrepreneurs—to lead the world in these new and emerging technologies,” said Brown.

“We have a real opportunity with fixing methane leaks, putting lots and lots and lots of plumbers and pipefitters to work in dealing with climate change in an important way,” Brown continued.

Hundreds of labor, environmental, business, and civic leaders attended the event. Workshops, the BlueGreen Champions award ceremony, and more dynamic speakers took place in the afternoon.

BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Kim Glas opened the afternoon plenary with a call to action. “America faces huge challenges when it comes to our infrastructure; there is no doubt that we need to take drastic actions to repair it. To get this done, we need strong leaders who are ready to tackle this challenge.”

Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga left the audience with an important message, “The labor and environmental movements are unique, but we have much more in common than we have in differences. Working together [the labor and environmental movements] we can ensure that new energy jobs of today and tomorrow create middle-class job opportunities in manufacturing, generation, and distribution. Leaders in the labor movement have recognized this and have built a coalition that is vital to achieving our goal of a stronger, fairer, and more prosperous America.”

Utility Workers President Mike Langford, Sierra Club Executive Director Mike Brune, and CERES President Mindy Lubber led an afternoon plenary panel, moderated by USW’s Assistant Legislative Director Roxanne Brown, to discuss clean energy jobs, transition, infrastructure, and the importance of Buy America provisions to ensure the domestic manufacturing of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.

“We know that the U.S. is spending $450 billion less each year on infrastructure that it needs to, and as a result, we are missing out not just on safer communities and systems but we’re really missing out on a huge economic opportunity,” said Roxanne Brown, when opening the panel. The Sierra Club’s Michael Brune said that the main challenge we are facing right now is not that we will switch to a clean energy economy, but how we will provide good, sustainable jobs, during and after this switch.

“It is guaranteed that clean energy will continue to get cheaper,” said Brune. “It will become, in many cases, cheaper than most of the fossil fuels that are contributing to climate change. What is not guaranteed is whether or not those clean energy jobs will be good jobs, much less great jobs. That is the main focus, our main challenge. As a community right now, [it is our priority to make] sure that those clean energy jobs are good, high-road, family-sustaining jobs,” he continued.

Utility Workers Union of America National President D. Michael Langford said the United States needs to take a different approach when it comes to rebuilding our infrastructure in the face of climate change and more severe weather events. “The whole utility infrastructure was really turned upside down [by Superstorm Sandy]. There were literally hundreds of thousands of people without power, gas, water…Our folks see this stuff first hand all the time because the women and men of the utility workers operate and maintain all generation—gas, electric, water, nuclear, coal, renewables—and they also operate and maintain our distributions and transmission systems. They see the vulnerability and the lack of actual new technology being put into place…they are also consumers of that product; they live in the communities and its important to them to rebuild these communities.”

CERES President Mindy Lubber highlighted the opportunity before us. “To get to a 2-degree world by 2050, we need to be investing around $1 trillion a year to build the world economy and energy future we want…the issue is how do we create that future and where are the jobs, and how to we make sure that when we’re manufacturing solar panels or wind turbines or preparing all the materials for them, that those jobs are good jobs for the United States labor force and other countries for labor forces at reasonable salaries to allow people to support families and to build a future for their families.”

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren at the 2015 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference in Washington, D.C.

Labor, environmental, business, non-profit and civic leaders gathered today in Washington, D.C. for the 2015 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference. The Conference focused on Energizing America—how to make the investments in our energy infrastructure to help address the threat of climate change, create family-sustaining jobs and increase global competitiveness.

Influential leaders from around the country held and attended workshops at the day-long conference, took part in plenary sessions featuring dynamic speakers, and networked and shared their experiences about how to create a stronger, cleaner American economy.

“Our energy infrastructure is critical to determining how we address the threat of climate change, how we create family-sustaining jobs and increase global competitiveness, and how we protect the environment,” said Kim Glas, President of the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation. “The opportunity to build relationships and discuss the ideas that can translate into meaningful action in communities across the country as we’ve done today has never been more important.

At the Conference, the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation awarded its Green Jobs Champion Award to Vice President Joe Biden in recognition of his efforts in support of critical investments in renewable and energy efficient technology and other policies that have laid the groundwork for our country’s growing clean energy economy.

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Previous winners include, Senator Jeff Merkley (OR); Congressman George Miller (CA); Dr. Steven Chu, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi; Senators Sherrod Brown (OH), Edward Markey (MA) Debbie Stabenow (MI); and U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush and Henry Waxman (CA).

“Vice President Biden encompasses all the best in a leader who tirelessly fights to protect the environment, for the interests of working families and to grow America’s economic competitiveness,” said Glas. “We’re pleased to award him with the 2015 Green Jobs Champion Award.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Labor, environmental, business, non-profit and civic leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. for the 2015 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference. The Conference focused on Energizing America—how to make the investments in our energy infrastructure to help address the threat of climate change, create family-sustaining jobs and increase global competitiveness.

Influential leaders from around the country held and attended workshops at the day-long conference, took part in plenary sessions featuring dynamic speakers, and networked and shared their experiences about how to create a stronger, cleaner American economy.

“Our energy infrastructure is critical to determining how we address the threat of climate change, how we create family-sustaining jobs and increase global competitiveness, and how we protect the environment,” said Kim Glas, President of the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation. “The opportunity to build relationships and discuss the ideas that can translate into meaningful action in communities across the country as we’ve done today has never been more important.

At the Conference, the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation awarded its Green Jobs Champion Award to Vice President Joe Biden in recognition of his efforts in support of critical investments in renewable and energy efficient technology and other policies that have laid the groundwork for our country’s growing clean energy economy.

Previous winners include, Senator Jeff Merkley (OR); Congressman George Miller (CA); Dr. Steven Chu, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi; Senators Sherrod Brown (OH), Edward Markey (MA) Debbie Stabenow (MI); and U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush and Henry Waxman (CA).

“Vice President Biden encompasses all the best in a leader who tirelessly fights to protect the environment, for the interests of working families and to grow America’s economic competitiveness,” said Glas. “We’re pleased to award him with the 2015 Green Jobs Champion Award.”

Around the country, big and small companies are taking steps to become more energy efficient and produce less of the carbon pollution that drives climate change. These efforts have resulted not just in savings for the companies, but a net benefit for our economy and environment.

Each year, the EPA honors companies, cities, partnerships and even individuals with its Climate Leadership Awards. The 2015 awardees include the Mayor of Bridgeport Connecticut, as well as companies working to make a difference like UPS and partnerships like the Chevrolet Clean Energy Campus Campaign.

UPS were one of the recipients under the Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management category for setting, and achieving, their goals to reduce the company’s carbon intensity from transportation by 10 percent by 2016. They’ve already surpassed that goal in 2012 and 2013. And, this the second time UPS has received a Climate Leadership Award.

General Motors is a primary stakeholder in the Chevrolet Clean Energy Campus Campaign. This partnership created a way for colleges and universities to bring the benefits of carbon pollution reductions to their own campus and communities in order to create even more energy efficiency and clean energy gains on campuses. Top-performing schools that surpass the campaign’s benchmarks for energy leadership are able to measure and sell their carbon reductions as certified carbon credits. They can then utilize the money to fund new efficiency and clean energy projects on campus.

We’re been proud to have UPS and GM sponsors of our Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference because they’re a company that is truly working to become more efficient and reduce their carbon footprint.

When announcing the awards, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said, “Our winners are demonstrating that a healthy environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. These organizations are providing the leadership, commitment, and solutions needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet head on the challenge of a changing climate.”

Anytime a company makes the right choice—from reducing carbon pollution to adapting clean energy—it puts pressure on their peers to do the same. UPS, GM and the other recipients should all be proud of the work they’ve done so far. We certainly are.

The following blog post is from Susan Diegelman, Director, Public Affairs, AT&T

Machine-to-machine (M2M) technology and the broadband networks that deliver its value are revolutionizing how we are shaping a greener environment. Thanks to M2M solutions, cars have become more than just machines that help us get from point A to point B and our building systems have never run more efficiently. If deployed en mass, M2M technology could provide solutions to America’s infrastructure challenges.

The proliferation of broadband technology and M2M solutions has enabled us to more efficiently carry out green building practice; creating safe, healthy, sustainable and intelligent buildings. During the “Smart Buildings Make Happy Workers” panel at the Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference, U.S. Green Building Alliance detailed how their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, have helped make “green buildings” into a standard practice. Several practices that were considered revolutionary at the start of LEED are now common practice and some are even now standard building code—lessening the overall impact the commercial building sector has on the environment.

The following blog was originally posted on GM’s Fast Lane blog. Read more about the workshop Mike Robinson took part in here.

Mike Robinson refers to himself as “fanatically pragmatic.”

During a panel at the annual Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference in Washington D.C., our vice president of sustainability and global regulatory affairs said GM looks at sustainability as a mainstream, long-term business strategy where decisions are driven by how to best take care of customers, employees and shareholders.

And since we’re running a business, these decisions need to make sense from a financial, people and environment perspective.

Mike was joined on his panel by representatives from International Paper, Alcoa and UPS to talk about sustainability and the bottom line.

The next wave of young professionals will come with a built-in sense of sustainability, as the generation has grown up with recycle bins at the curb.

When asked what big companies are looking for in new professionals, Mike said, “We look at it from the opposite perspective: Are we doing the best we can to attract the next generation of sustainability-oriented millennials? Because that’s what we stand for.”

On whether the auto industry itself is sustainable, he added that GM is looking at long-term demographics. With the middle class expected to double in size and consumers wanting more goods, societies will demand access.

This will require a level of integration among government and producers that doesn’t exist today, and it may mean less vehicles in some spaces and different vehicles in others. Necessity is the mother of invention, he said, and the industry in its current form is not sustainable.

Meanwhile, the company continues to apply efficiency fundamentals to not only its products, but also to how they are made. Mike discussed dedication to a clean economy through responsible manufacturing around the world.

He stated, “We do things we aren’t required to do. Seventy percent of our sales are outside the U.S., from plants in countries without regulation. We run those plants like they were in the U.S. You need to look long-term how to be a responsible corporate citizen.”

Hundreds Attended Conference Focused on Repairing America’s Infrastructure to Create Jobs and Address Climate Change

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Labor, environmental, business, non-profit and civic leaders gathered this week in Washington, D.C. for the 2014 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference. The Conference focused on finding solutions to repair America’s infrastructure systems—energy, communications, transportation, water, and buildings, such as schools—to create family-sustaining jobs, address climate change, and keep communities safe and healthy.

Leaders from around the country held and attended dozens of workshops, took part in plenary sessions featuring dynamic speakers, and networked and shared their own experiences creating a stronger, cleaner American economy over two days.

“We’re proud to once again put together the largest discussion in the country on how we can repair America’s infrastructure to create family-sustaining jobs, while ensuring our communities are safe and healthy and America lives up to its obligation to address climate change,” said David Foster, the President of the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation. “Now, the leaders who joined us at this Conference will be heading to their hometowns to begin the hard work of moving America forward to a cleaner, more prosperous economy.”

At the Conference, the BlueGreen Alliance awarded its Green Jobs Champion Award to Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) and Congressman George Miller (CA) in recognition of their efforts to advocate for working families, promote clean energy, and protect the environment.

Previous winners include, Dr. Steven Chu, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi; Senators Sherrod Brown (OH), Edward Markey (MA) Debbie Stabenow (MI); and U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush and Henry Waxman (CA).

“Senator Merkley and Congressman Miller are both exemplary leaders in moving America forward to a cleaner, fairer, more efficient economy and creating good jobs for American workers,” said Foster. “We’re proud to honor them both with the Green Jobs Champion Award.”

The 2014 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference was a great success and we wanted to say thank you to all who came and made this it an incredible event. The effort to Repair America is growing stronger every day, and we hope you will bring home new ideas and a new energy to help make this happen.

The highlights from the Conference are numerous and include speeches by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Amy Klobuchar, Congresswoman Donna Edwards. Over two days, hundreds of business, labor, environmental and civic leaders also took part in over 50 workshops focused on repairing America to both address climate change and create family-sustaining jobs for workers in every part of the country.

PLENARY SESSION RECAP

In the first Plenary Session on Day One of the Conference, United Steelworkers International President Leo W. Gerard and BlueGreen Alliance Foundation President David Foster kicked off the morning. Speakers included Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and a panel on the infrastructure needs of our nation.

Day One’s afternoon session featured EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Congresswoman Donna Edwards, and a panel on repairing America to build a strong economic and environmental foundation for our nation.

Day Two featured U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Dr. Beverley Wright from the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Larry Schweiger, and a panel featuring experts on U.S. trade policy and what “fast-track” is and how it would impact our economy and environment.

Click on “Read More” below to see videos of each of the plenary sessions or view individual speeches on our YouTube page.

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