David Schwartzman’s Green Justice Program
Green Justice coalitions and campaigns are now springing up around the nation (see http://www.thenation.com/article/154165/doing-green-jobs-right). Community, environmental justice and labor groups now recognize that the only effective way to confront the coupled challenges of pollution and the threat of catastrophic climate change is to “connect the dots” between the now all too separated parallel struggles for economic, social and environmental justice.
Millions of the now unemployed and underemployed in the United States can find meaningful union jobs with full benefits in the newly emerging green industries, such as wind and solar power, weatherization and energy conservation, mass transit and organic farming especially in urban areas, if such industries are promoted starting with governmental incentives and funding. Going solar has the huge potential of curbing air, water and soil pollution while sharply and rapidly reducing the carbon emissions (especially carbon dioxide) driving global warming. Another world is possible, another United States is possible, and of course another DC is possible. Increasingly self-sufficient communities are organizing based on locally produced organic food and solar power. Lets begin by Greening DC with a Green Justice approach. What follows is an outline of the exciting possibilities that you have the power to make real.
We must preserve public property for public use, including community gardens and green space. Lets encourage, subsidize and support “Grow Food in DC Coops” in neighborhoods, especially those with high proportion of low-income residents who suffer most from bad nutrition, high food prices and lack of exercise. Focus on involving children, youth and the elderly in our urban gardening programs. Urban farming in the District could be a vital component of our local carbon-emissions reduction program, by replacing the commercial supply of food from fossil-fuel intensive industrial agriculture.
Let’s create apprenticeship programs focusing on urban agriculture, energy conservation and solar energy technologies in our public schools and community, partnering with non-profits, businesses and unions, improving the quality of life for all residents. More on this on this website, http://www.davidschwartzman.com/Issues/Green_Collar_Jobs
Let’s subsidize solarization of rental housing and the expansion of Solar Coops. Solar Coops are spreading throughout the District, following the impressive example of the Mt. Pleasant group, now in Capitol Hill and Ward 8. I attended the Solar “Congress” founding meeting on Thursday September 9, 2010 where I found a dedicated group of city-wide activists. Once on the City Council I will work with great enthusiasm to make energy conservation and solar energy sources both affordable and available to all our residents.
Combined these innovations in bring green justice to our community will contribute to fulfilling the potential spelled out in the Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008 and DC’s Green Collar Job Initiative.
But we should go further!
Let’s end the childhood asthma epidemic by curbing air pollutants (and unhealthy indoor environments), as well as carbon emissions in Metro DC, while expanding clean bus service, reducing Metro fares, with students, elderly, disabled riding free, paid for with congestion charges on car commuters, starting with downtown DC during the work week. Congestion charging must be planned from the community level up to insure economic and social costs do not fall on those unable to bear them. Lets begin the planning process now!
We should continue to lobby for a regional congestion charge approach but we can implement a local congestion charge within the limits imposed by Home Rule, since both resident and non-resident car commuters would be affected. See my Testimony against Pepco rate hike: http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/testimony/pepco_rate_hike; and for a DC congestion charge: http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/testimony/2010_04_01_wmata_rate_hikes )
Lets clean up the Anacostia River, promote water harvesting, green roofs and rain gardens, and expand access for bikes and pedestrians in DC neighborhoods and downtown.
Finally, lets establish a DC Municipal Bank to leverage our tax revenue and fines into green economic development and truly affordable housing instead of giving our taxpayers money to Wall Street to invest (note the precedent of The Bank of North Dakota).
