(This post is a report on the growing Green Economy Movement in Buffalo. To read earlier post by Nate Drag from Great Lakes United about a brainstorming session for this summit, click here)
Upon entering a lecture hall in the Bulger Communication Center at Buffalo State this past Saturday morning, one noticed Stephen Colbert interviewing Van Jones on the screen. Unfamiliar with Jones, I listened closely as the tone was set for the morning’s summit: Jones described what, in his mind, is the chief moral obligation of the 21st Century. It is our duty to create a green economy that is strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Jones said the future of America, especially in impoverished areas, is in need of green-collar jobs, not jails. No longer should our modern industrial economy ignore the environment and the people that have to face its problems.
This past Saturday’s Green Economy Summit hosted by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt brought individuals from all fields together to discuss how this new economy can be set up in Buffalo. More than just environmentalists discussing the world’s increasing problems, solutions and ideas came from individuals as well as groups like Buffalo Reuse, PUSH, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Buffalo First, and the Massachusetts Avenue Project. Elected officials like Sam Hoyt (3rd photo), Antoine Thompson, and David Rivera (2nd photo) were on hand. Small business owners and community completed the group.
The summit broke into ten breakout groups to discuss in details the steps that each organization or individual can do in the next three months to make the Green Economy start to become the economy in Buffalo. These break out groups included: Food, Renewable Energy (Fuels and Electricity), Local Independent Business, Green Job Training/Green Manufacturing, Housing and Green Building, Transportation, Material Re-Use, Greenways/Remediation/Restoration, and Infrastructure. Each group took the many issues into consideration through the lens of the 5 Goals of a Green Economy:
1. Preserve, sustain, and restore the natural environment
2. Protect and nurture public health
3. Increase social justice through green economics
4. Strengthen local independent businesses and institutions
5. Reduce poverty by creating good green collar jobs
This summit is just part of a beginning process to transition Buffalo to a city for the next century. Assemblyman Hoyt closed the meeting stating that a majority of his best ideas aren’t even his ideas. He said through conversations with innovative and creative people, he is able to take ideas brought to him to a next level. While transitioning to a green economy will require investments by the entire community- the public, advocates, industry, academia, politicians- Sam concluded by saying that he and other elected officials job is to realize that the people of Buffalo and Western New York want our economy and our society to take serious steps towards sustainability. And it’s our job to continue to remind them.
For more detailed information on the discussions and break out groups and photos from the summit, visit the Green Economy Summit’s wikispace.