![]() |
|
Before Vice President Biden arrives in
Philadelphia tomorrow to
discuss the Middle Class and Green Jobs, the
Sustainable Business Network of Greater
Philadelphia and the Green Economy Task
Force will hold a press conference to highlight
exciting efforts already underway in the Philadelphia
region.
The
John S.
and
James L. Knight Foundation
will announce two significant investments in local
efforts to prepare Philadelphia workers for jobs in the
green economy. Van Jones, New York Times best-
selling author and Founder and President of Green
For All, will highlight Philadelphia's leadership in the
green jobs movement.
The John S. and James L. Knight Green Jobs Training
Center will move low-skilled workers into higher-
paying careers with advancement opportunities while
filling positions created by the city's growing economy.
The training center, the only one of its kind in the Mid-
Atlantic states, will be run by the Energy Coordinating
Agency and funded with a $1.1 million grant from the
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
A city-wide green jobs apprenticeship program is also
being designed by the Sustainable Business Network
of Greater Philadelphia, thanks to a $125,000 Knight
Foundation planning grant. The Green Economy Task
Force -- comprised of 100 agencies including private
sector businesses, environmental groups, workforce
development agencies, and unions -- will serve as an
advisory board to the planning and implementation of
the project. This
month, the Sustainable Business Network hired Kate
Houstoun, an active member of the Task Force and a
local wokforce development leader, to lead the
development of Green Job Corps.
|
|
Press Conference Information |
![]() |
When: Friday, February 27; 8:30 am -
9:30 am
Location: Jon M. Huntsman Hall
The Wharton
School of
the University of Pennsylvania
MBA Lounge, 2nd Floor
3730 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Speakers:
Press Conference hosted by the Sustainable
Business Network of Greater Philadelphia and
Philadelphia's Green Economy Task Force
- Mayor Nutter, City of Philadelphia
- Van Jones, Green For All
- Matt Bergheiser, John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation
- Mark Alan Hughes, Philadelphia's Director of
Sustainability (invited)
- Leanne Krueger-Braneky, Sustainable Business
Network of Greater Philadelphia
- Liz Robinson, Energy Coordinating Agency
- Bill Gensis, Gensis Group Construction
Services
- Janet Ryder, AFL-CIO
This event is open to the public. Space is available on
a first-come, first-serve basis. Please enter on Walnut
Street between 37th and 38th. Take elevator or stairs
to the second floor.
|
|
Event Partners |
![]() |
The Sustainable Business Network of
Greater
Philadelphia (SBN) is a business organization
that
brings together local leaders who share a common
passion to grow successful businesses that are
socially and environmentally responsible. SBN
cultivates socially and environmentally responsible
commerce in the Philadelphia region by providing its
membership with assessment, education, advocacy
and business development and opportunities. SBN
works with businesses from startups to older
companies who want to create or maintain
organizations that respect their employees, value the
community and protect the earth. The Sustainable
Business Network currently has over 450 members
throughout the Philadelphia Region. For more, visit
www.sbnphiladelphia.org
The Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) was
established in 1984 to help people conserve energy
and to promote a sustainable and socially equitable
energy future for all. In the past year, as one of the
largest contractors of the federally funded
Weatherization Assistance Program, ECA's energy
conservation services saved low income families an
average of 20% of their energy costs and prevented
the emission of 2,074 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
ECA also provides LEED for Homes, ENERGY STAR
Homes, and Home Performance with ENERGY STAR
services, and recently became the first Building
Performance Institute (BPI) Affiliate in
Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit www.ecasaves
energy.org
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and
invests in the vitality of the U.S. communities where
the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight
Foundation focuses on projects with the potential to
create transformational change. For more, visit
www.knightfou
ndation.org.
![]()
|
