In 2017, Hester Street (HST) partnered with PUSH Buffalo to lead the New York Greenworks Initiative, building and refining the leadership capacity of community-based organizations to develop “First-Mover Projects” – state-funded, environmental justice programs with a green economy focus – in support of New York’s climate future. With backing from the New York Department of State (NY DOS), we envisioned the initiative in alignment with the NYS Just Transition Framework, and the environmental targets adopted in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
Our team collaborated with PUSH to build a training curriculum and institute for 10 BIPOC-led grassroots organizations, “Green Leaders,” across the state, leveraging PUSH’s existing Green Development Zone model: a place-based strategy to promote affordable housing construction, community-based renewable energy projects, green jobs training, and sustainable community workforce development.
As implementation technical planning and capacity-building lead, HST developed a versatile, accessible curriculum and training institute to enhance the capacity of each Green Leader to plan and execute transformative community development initiatives over a two-year period. We led training sessions with a focus on community-engaged planning and design, housing-centered land redevelopment, green infrastructure, community-based renewable energy solutions and urban agriculture.
In 2020, HST and PUSH transitioned materials from an in-person leadership institute to a virtual setting, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. We led the 2-week virtual institute the following year. By the end of the institute, each Green Leader produced an action plan for improving community organizing practice, and resident-led planning and design for green development and sustainability in their communities.
In order to fund the implementation of their First-Mover Projects, the New York Department of State released a non-competitive request for proposals to participating Green Leaders. PUSH and HST provided the Green Leaders with preliminary technical assistance to strengthen their potential application focus in anticipation of the release of funds from NY DOS.
