Check out this CNN piece on Rev. Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus’ efforts to bring their “Green the Block” message to Washington:

A recap of this week’s equity news

“Nutrition grant will refresh local ‘food deserts’,” - The Courier-Journal
Grant to boost nutrition at two corner stores

They’re called “food deserts” — poor, urban neighborhoods where residents lack cars to drive to distant supermarkets, prompting many to rely on nearby fast food or convenience-store fare.

Now, after months of delays, a project is about to bring healthful food to two such “deserts” in Louisville by helping two corner stores in disadvantaged neighborhoods begin selling fresh fruits and vegetables.

“How Obama can partner with philanthropy,” - San Francisco Chronicle
 
With violence in the Mideast, the spreading economic crisis, the tragedy in Mumbai and the risk of state failure in troubled regions, President-elect Barack Obama has had a glimpse of the in-box that awaits him. Already on his checklist had been the problems of new poverty at home; uneven access to health care and quality education; the climate crisis; and the need for post-war reconciliation and reconstruction abroad.

Yet the president-elect was quick to acknowledge on election night that, “government can’t solve every problem.” He will need to tap all available sources of innovation, including from the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. In the case of the social sector, its most important asset may be its independence, not only from governments but from the snap judgments of markets or electoral politics, influenced by the 24-hour news cycle. In a world of complex problems, the social sector - philanthropy and those it supports - may be the only sector able to take risks, withstand criticism and make long-term investments in the public interest.

“A Pitch for Mass Transit,” - New York Times

Unlike President Bush, Barack Obama is going to enter office with a clear appreciation of the urgent problems of climate change and America’s growing dependency on foreign oil — and a strong commitment to address both.

One way he can do this is to give mass transit — trains, buses, commuter rails — the priority it deserves and the full financial and technological help it needs and has long been denied.

Over the last several years climate change has become increasingly part of mainstream conversations. Yet equity continues to be strikingly absent from the popular discourse on the subject. Instead, climate change has been framed as a global environmental problem whose impacts affect all of us the same.

The critical questions are these: who is contributing to the problem, who is most affected by the problem, and who will pay to solve the problems climate change causes?

As we debate how to address climate change, we must reframe our thinking. Climate change is about equity. It will have profound impacts on the environment, public health, and the physical form of our communities, as well as many other aspects of our social, economic, and environmental well-being.

To contribute to a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding climate change within the social equity movement, PolicyLink commissioned, Understanding Climate Change: An Equitable Framework. We hope that this paper will inspire leaders to learn not only about climate change but to also bring their knowledge, experience, and alliances to the climate change debates and to help develop equitable solutions.

Share your innovative solutions that promote equity and that move us toward a climate-friendly society.

This post was written by Chione Flegal, a PolicyLink Senior Associate working to ensure public investments promote social, economic, and environmental equality.

We hear about climate change all the time now. The Olympics have gone green. Car commercials tout their MPG rating the way they used to tout heated seats. And even a Texas oilman is going on TV to promote clean energy.

But don’t be fooled. Just because “being green” has entered the mainstream doesn’t mean that climate change affects us all equally — or that the costs and benefits of addressing climate change will be shared fairly. In fact, while we all lose if climate change advances unabated, some of us risk losing a whole lot more. Similarly, how we address climate change has the potential to create clear winners and losers.

A recent report published by the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC) notes that African Americans have 19 percent lower carbon emissions per capita than Anglos. This is striking considering that African Americans already spend an estimated 25% greater share of their income on energy than the national average. Unfortunately, while African Americans may contribute less to climate change, African Americans, and other people of color and low-income people will bear the lion’s share of the costs associated with a warming planet. Increased exposure to toxic air pollutants, economic hardships related to rising fuel costs, and heat-related deaths are just the beginning of the many climate hardships that these communities will face.

In fact, these communities are ALREADY experiencing many of these problems. One study found that 80 percent of Latinos and 65 percent of African Americans live in areas that fail to meet federal EPA air quality standards, as compared to 57 percent of whites. Not surprisingly this has huge health impacts. According to researchers, Latinos, African Americans and Asians in California’s South Coast Air District, have a lifetime cancer risk from exposure to  ambient air toxics, that is nearly 50 percent higher than the cancer risk for Anglos.

The solutions we use to address climate change will profoundly impact people of color and low-income communities. In fact, in many ways, these communities will serve as a measure of how effective our solutions really are. As we continue to debate the question of how to address climate change, we must reframe our thinking. Fundamentally, climate change is not simply another environmental problem. Climate change is an equity problem. Only by viewing it in these terms can we develop climate policy that serves us all.

For more information on climate change as an equity issue, please see the new PolicyLink report, “Understanding Climate Change: An Equitable Framework”

From all accounts, Van Jones — founder of the Ella Baker Center, current head of Green For All and longtime Friend-of-PolicyLink — gave a stem-winder of a closing keynote at this year’s Netroots Nation conference last month. The super-smart folks over at Talking Points Memo grabbed him for an interesting interview during the conference. Jones repeats his mantra, “Green Jobs, Not Jail,” to full effect.

“What is the meaning of this green movement for people who can’t afford a hybrid?”

Check it out below: