Sustainable Community Development Group

Thank you Mark Ruffalo! https://t.co/rot0uXIxRy

Mark Ruffalo on Twitter “100% for 100% of the people. https://t.co/aCp5ds4ndF”

The New Inequality Debate: https://t.co/vHXA7GfTQg

The New Inequality Debate More mainstream economists now find that the income mal-distribution reflects the political sway of elites, not economic imperatives.

UN report identifies innovative ways to boost investment for climate action in cities https://t.co/PjbgpqJE71

UN report identifies innovative ways to boost investment for climate action in cities Proven innovative policies and mechanisms are unlocking investment for much-needed climate-smart infrastructure in cities, according to a new report being launched today in Paris, France by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and international partners.

One New Environmental Justice Law You Should Know https://t.co/a6LX9h30xv via

One New Environmental Justice Law You Should Know California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) recently signed a law (S.B. 673) aimed at improving protections for low-income and minority communities from hazardous waste impacts. What makes it of national interest is one of its requirements that the California agency in charge of issuing new or modified related…

PRESS RELEASE: Green 2.0 Reports Lack of Transparency about Diversity by Major Environmental Funders https://t.co/r1zGEwlTQI

PRESS RELEASE: Green 2.0 Reports Lack of Transparency about Diversity by Major Environmental Funders For more information contact Erika West at [email protected] or (202) 930-6808 For Immediate Release: November 9, 2015 Contact: Erika West, [email protected], (202) 930-6808 Green 2.0 Reports Lack of Transparency about Diversity by Major Environmental Funders, While Many Smaller Foundations Di…

11 Cities That Could Dry Up Thanks to Climate Change http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/04/water-shortage_n_4378418.html?utm_hp_ref=climate-change

11 Cities That Could Dry Up Thanks To Climate Change For decades scientists have been saying that the United States' lakes, rivers and aquifers are going to have a hard time quenching the thirst of a growing population in a warming world.

The seven myths of sustainability

Common myths have grown up around sustainability, and if left unchecked they will stand

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/seven-myths-of-sustainabilityn the way of real progress

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/seven-myths-of-sustainabilityn

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/11/americas-homeless-kids-crisis/7450/

America's Homeless Kids Crisis The number of students without a home has hit a record high, according to new data from the Department of Education.

US emergency food providers brace as $5bn food stamp cuts set in

Snap funds expire Friday, leading to cuts in the food stamps programme that will affect every US household that depends on it

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/01/food-stamp-cuts-emergency-providers-brace

One hoarse town: The 5 dirtiest cities you don’t want to live in

http://grist.org/cities/5-highly-polluted-urban-areas-you-dont-want-to-live-if-you-can-help-it/

One hoarse town: The 5 dirtiest cities you don't want to live in Don't let the news that Americans are cranking out less CO2 fool you: We're still prolific polluters, and that's especially bad news if you live in one of these areas.

Study: Everyone hates environmentalists and feminists

New research suggests people tend to hold negative views of political and social activists http://www.salon.com/2013/09/26/study_everyone_hates_environmentalists_and_feminists_partner/

Study: Everyone hates environmentalists and feminists New research suggests people tend to hold negative views of political and social activists

http://www.motherjones.com/files/SkepticsvRealistsv3_0.gif

Check out this graph from Skeptical Science showing how the same data on climate change and rising temperatures can be inaccurately interpreted by deniers. Read the full article by Chris Mooney at http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/09/global-warming-pause-ipcc

http://www.motherjones.com/files/SkepticsvRealistsv3_0.gif

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680603/low-income-housing-that-anyone-would-love-to-live-in #1

Richardson Apartments in SF provide an excellent example of how social and environmental justice go hand in hand. Making affordable is great for the economy and provides opportunity to those that need it most.

Low-Income Housing That Anyone Would Love To Live In Housing for the poor doesnt need to be horrible. The Richardson apartments in San Francisco are offering up high-class digs in the hopes of helping to...

Check out this great case study of solar panels being installed on low-income housing developments:http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/51075.pdf

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/51075.pdf

The Harvard Kennedy School Social Impact Bond Technical Assistance Lab is paving the way for a new approach for government financing of social services programs. Engaging philanthropic and private sector investors to deliver better outcomes in social services and on social issues including homelessness, criminal recidivism rates among young adults, childhood preparation for elementary school, high school graduation rates and other issues plaguing under represented communities.
To learn more about Social Impact Bonds, check out http://hks-siblab.org and http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/blog/developing-social-impact-bonds-where

Harvard Kennedy School Social Impact Bond Technical Assistance Lab

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GROUP WINS NALGEP BROWNFIELDS LEADERSHIP AWARD!

Sustainable Community Development Group's President, Deeohn Ferris, wins the NALGEP Brownfields Leadership Award for Environmental Justice. NALGEP is the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals. In the past two decades, NALGEP's award winners are individuals who have provided vision and management for successful brownfields revitalization at the local, state, and national levels. The Brownfields Leadership Awards will be presented during NALGEP's 20th Anniversary Celebration at the upcoming Brownfields 2013 Conference in Atlanta May 14-17, 2013.

Link to the conference:
http://www.brownfieldsconference.org/en/home

Brownfields 2013: Home | www.brownfieldsconference.org For the first time, the Brownfields Conference has gone mobile! Get information about the 2013 Conference anywhere, anytime by downloading the mobile app by Guidebook. Read more...

JOIN US AT THE BROWNFIELDS 2013 CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA!

MAYORS ROUNDTABLE ON GREEN DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL AND SMALL TO MIDSIZED COMMUNITIES - MAY 16, 2013

Title: Greening Rural Communities – Smart Growth, Sustainability & Small to Mid-Sized Town Neighborhood Development

Description: The challenges of transitioning to the new more energy efficient economy, achieving smart growth and sustainable development take on different dimensions in rural and smaller municipalities due to smaller economies. Transition to the green economy is complicated by the tax base, the challenges of attracting and retaining employers and unemployment. Mayors are the front-line policy decision makers at the local level who are responsible for ensuring that all citizens benefit from the tools and resources of the emerging green economy while addressing key issues that principally affect distressed neighborhoods. Mayors will discuss ways that their development strategies have addressed equity and low income communities.

Link to the conference session: http://www.brownfieldsconference.org/en/Session/2071?returnurl=%2fen%2fsessions

US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES FUNDS
PAY FOR SUCCESS PILOT PROJECTS

The Employment and Training Administration of the US Department of Labor announces the availability of approximately $20 million in Pay for Success grants funded out of the Workforce Innovation Fund. This Fund supports innovative approaches to the design and delivery of employment and training services that generate improvements in the public workforce system and results for job seekers and employers.

Click on this link for more information: http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm

Find Grants The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor, announces the availability of approximately $20 million in Pay for Success grants, funded out of the Workforce Innovation Fund in the Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-74, Div. F, Tit. I). The Workforce...

USDA ANNOUNCES FUNDS FOR RURAL HIGH ENERGY COST GRANTS

The US Department of Agriculture announces the availability of up to $3 million to assist rural communities where home energy expenditures exceed 275% of the national average. Funds may be used to acquire, construct, extend, upgrade or improve energy generation, transmission or distribution facilities. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, federally-recognized Tribes and businesses.

Click on this link for more information: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome

U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture Home Page

FEDERAL RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL COMMUNITIES
A NEW GUIDE TO FEDERAL PROGRAMS

Federal Resources for Sustainable Rural Communities is a guide to programs from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and the US Department of Agriculture that rural communities can use to promote economic competitiveness, healthy environments and quality of life. This guide provides a menu of resources and funding that small towns and rural communities can deploy to capitalize on assets and encourage economic development.

Click on this link to download the guide: www.sustainablecommunities.gov/pdf/federal_resources_rural.pdf

http://bit.ly/M0xyKM

WHITE HOUSE WOMEN AND THE ENVIRONMENT SUMMIT

In honor of Women’s History Month, SCDG participated in the invitational White House Women and the Environment Summit hosted by the Obama Administration and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson at the White House on March 26, 2012. EPA Administrator Jackson was joined by Senior Advisor to the President, Valerie Jarrett; Tina Chen, Chief of Staff to the First Lady; Heather Zichal, the Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change; and a host of EPA officials including Assistant, Associate and Regional Administrators Michelle DePass, Nancy Stoner, Cynthia Giles, Gina McCarthy, Sarah Hospodor-Pallone, Gwendolyn Keyes-Fleming and Judith Enck. EPA will publish a web page with the Summit summaries and follow up activities.

SCDG APPOINTED TO NACEPT

SCDG’s President, Deeohn Ferris, is honored to accept the appointment by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson to the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology or NACEPT. The NACEPT was established by the Agency in 1988 to provide independent advice to the EPA Administrator on a broad range of environmental policy, technology and management issues. Council members serve as representatives from academia, business and industry, community and environmental advocacy groups, environmental justice organizations, professional organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments.

SCDG AUTHORS ARTICLE ON SUSTAINABILITY AT EPA
IN THE ELI FORUM
THE POLICY JOURNAL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW INSTITUTE

Sustainable Community Development Group authored an article in the March 2012 issue of the ELI Forum, the policy journal of the Environmental Law Institute. This article provides analysis, based on our work in communities, of the recently issued report by the National Academies “Sus...tainability and the US EPA.” We shared observations about sustainable communities and strategies to achieve them during testimony before the National Research Council of the National Academies in December 2010 and during ELI’s Associates Seminar in September 2011.

Some of our most important work is serving as bridge to federal and state policy makers, policy, research and technical assistance that provides a bridge to leaders, advocates and organizations – in terms of assessing community needs, addressing those needs and working with communities and other interdisciplinary stakeholders in ways that recognize their centrality to sustainable growth and development.

JOIN US AT THE NEW PARTNERS FOR SMART GROWTH CONFERENCE IN SAN DIEGO!

GENTRIFICATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Friday, February 3, 2012, 1:30pm-3:00pm.

“Revitalization, Gentrification, and Equitable Development: Evaluating a Decade of EPA's Programs” featuring experts in this session
moderated by SCDG President, Deeohn Ferris.

“Gentrification is often defined as the transformation of neighborhoods
from low to high economic value. This transition has the potential to cause displacement of long-time residents and businesses because of higher rents, mortgages, and property taxes. This session shares successful tools that community stakeholders deploy to ensure equity, shared prosperity and retention of long term residents including property owners, renters, small businesses and workers.”

JOIN US AT THE NEW PARTNERS FOR SMART GROWTH CONFERENCE IN SAN DIEGO!

RURAL MAYORS SMART GROWTH DELEGATION

Familiarity with smart growth tools and resources is critical for local elected officials. SCDG is hosting the engagement of a multi-state delegation of rural mayors in the San Diego conference through our Greening of Brownfields Program. This brownfields initiative builds the capacity of low income communities and communities of color to deploy sustainability programs, tools and investments as a driver for economic development. This is sustainability technical assistance for rural mayors supported by a partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

SCDG’s technical assistance tackles economic development; contaminated property cleanup, re-use and financing; job creation; and coaches mayors towards community wealth-building in the emerging green energy economy. If you are a rural or small town mayor interested in learning more about the program, click on the link below link and let us know.

Click on the link to provide input and receive updates: [email protected]

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GROUP'S
GREENING OF BROWNFIELDS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
FOR RURAL AND SMALL TOWN MAYORS
ANNOUNCES
OUR FIRST NATIONAL LIVE STREAMING SEMINAR
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
JOIN US IN 2012!

Sustainable Community Development Group has initiated planning for a national sustainable brownfields redevelopment technical assistance seminar that will occur via live streaming next year in 2012. This technical assistance event will assist mayors in producing rural economic development strategies and projects that link sustainability, environmental cleanup and smart growth with job creation, green infrastructure, affordable housing and transportation.

The date in 2012 for the sustainability seminar will be scheduled soon. Plans for this event are underway now. We are contacting rural and small town mayors to gather input on technical assistance priorities in smaller economies that should be addressed during this live streaming seminar.

Click on the link to provide input and receive updates: [email protected]

GREENING OF BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM
Sustainable Community Development Group (SCDG) is a private nonprofit policy and research group that specializes in programs which address diverse populations, people of color, low-income communities, and underserved neighborhoods. Our bulls eye is where economic and community development meets environmental quality and public health. Achieving sustainability is central to our approach. At SCDG, working with clients and partners, we deliver technical assistance and training; evaluation and organizational development; strategic planning; coalition and consensus building; intergovernmental relations, community outreach; and policy advocacy. Sustainable Community Development Group’s Greening of Brownfields Program supports mayors of under-developed communities with an emphasis on small-to-medium sized towns and cities in rural America. The Greening of Brownfields Program, which is funded by a Cooperative Agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency, assesses the unique environmental and energy challenges posed in smaller municipalities, tackles sustainable development, brownfields re-use and financing, and coaches these constituents towards participation in the new green economy. The Greening of Brownfields Program (GOBP) trains and assists mayors in sustainable economic and community development. Factoring in resources from the public and private sector, the GOBP delivers a decision framework and strategies aimed at achieving brownfields re-use, environmental quality, energy-efficiency and jobs. The Program is a portable model that is sensitive to the restricted human capital and the funding needs associated with redevelopment of distressed rural and small town communities. SCDG is targeting expansion of the GOBP to all mayors of small to medium sized places to support their underdeveloped communities, which are predominantly rural, with a focus initially on African American mayors whose communities experience the least resources. As the GOBP rolls out, SCDG continues to connect with this key elected constituency, the mayors who are on the front-line of local decision making. If you know or are an interested mayor, contact SCDG. For more information on the Greening of Brownfields Program, contact SCDG at by telephone at (202) 637-2467 or email address [email protected].
Visit us at www.sustainablecommunitydevelopmentgroup.org

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