Global Green Responds to the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster

Since the Gulf oil spill started – the nation’s largest environmental disaster to date – Global Green has been on the ground, supporting the communities impacted, and helping to document the devastation, as well as continuing to fight for more legislative regulation of the oil industry and increased investment in renewable energy & clean technologies.

Learn more about our efforts and how you can help

Global Green Fights Poverty with Energy Knowledge

New Orleans homeowner Shirley Johnigan was distraught over high utility bills, which averaged nearly $400.00 a month, even though her income was 80% below the Area Median Income (AMI). “I was robbing Peter to pay Paul.  I couldn’t afford my medicine and my utility bill,” she said.

She sought help from Global Green’s Build it Back Green (BIBG) program. BIBG team members visited Ms. Johnigan’s house and performed a Home Energy Assessment.

Read the happy ending to this story

Leaders in Creating Sustainable Neighborhoods

Global Green’s Green Urbanism staff continue to be leaders in the development and use of the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system. Global Green has helped certify more LEED ND Pilot projects than any other organization in the country, including our own Holy Cross development which earned a Silver designation.

Now that the program has been formally adopted, Global Green is helping bring sustainable practices to the planning and revitalization of several 1940's vintage public housing developments. Earlier this year GUP was invited to assist in implementing green strategies for the 700 unit Jordan Downs public housing complex in Watts. Initially targeting gold certification, this project will set the standard for other public housing revitalization project in Southern California and nationally by showing affordability, environmental responsibility, and livability are mutually supporting concepts.

Learn more about our efforts to green urban environments

14th Annual Millennium Awards Celebrated in Los Angeles

Global Green celebrated the 2010 Millennium Awards honorees on Saturday, June 12. Hosted by Good Morning America’s Sam Champion, the event also raised funds for Global Green’s response to the ongoing Gulf Oil spill disaster.

2010 honorees U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The University of California System, The W Hollywood Hotel & Residences, James Cameron & Suzy Amis Cameron, and Global Green President Matt Petersen were celebrated by Pierce Brosnan & Keely Shaye Smith, Michelle Rodriguez, Amy Smart, Alison Brie, Sharon Lawrence, Judy Greer, Rhona Mitra, Walton Goggins, James Kyson-Lee, Cheryl Tiegs, Bahar Soomekh, State Senator Fran Pavley and others.

Learn more, see photos from the event

Making the National Energy Code More Energy Efficient

On June 14th the U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously adopted Resolution 49, introduced by Santa Ana, California Mayor Miguel Pulido, which specifically supports Global Green’s ongoing campaign to update the national model energy building code to make it 30% more energy efficient. According to DOE Asst. Sec David Rodgers, full implementation of the updated code would result in the equivalent of the removal of 1.4 million cars from the road every year for the next 20 years and could potentially save consumers up to $20 billion in annual energy expenditures. The code campaign will culminate in October when the International Code Council votes on energy efficiency proposals supported by Global Green and a wide coalition of environmental and clean energy organizations. 

We will be sending updates throughout the summer including ways you can get involved! Sign up to be an e-activist here

University Coffee Cup Recycling Pilot

Global Green, Pratt Institute, and The New School implemented a six-week paper coffee cup recycling pilot from April-May at The New School's cafe in Lower Manhattan. Designs by Pratt Institute's Center for Sustainable Design Studies were informed by in-store observations conducted during the Starbucks pilot last fall.

The New School pilot featured prototypes of paper cup, paper, bottle and can recycling and trash bins, and educational posters and tabletop toys developed for a university or cafeteria setting. Students of Pratt Institute’s CSDS and The New School examined consumer behaviors and contamination rates over the course of the trial. Global Green is in the process of compiling their results and discussing expansion to other universities.

Learn more about food packaging recycling

Next Generation Nuclear Security: Meeting the Global Challenge

Global Green USA and its partners in the Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG) hosted the nongovernmental summit Next Generation Nuclear Security: Meeting the Global Challenge on April 12, 2010 in Washington DC. The event brought together 220 participants from U.S. and foreign nongovernmental organizations, embassies, foundations, national labs, governments, the nuclear industry, U.S. congressional staff, and intergovernmental organizations and was an effort to engage international experts, the media, and the broader public on global approaches to securing nuclear material. Participants hailed from 38 countries, the EU and Caribbean Community, and the UN and IAEA. This gathering laid the groundwork for a robust, integrated, global approach to securing vulnerable nuclear materials and complemented the Nuclear Summit of the Obama Administration the following day.

Learn More

The Sustainable Rebirth of Youngstown, Ohio

Global Green's partnership with Youngstown, Ohio continues. A combined team from Global Green's Santa Monica and New Orleans offices is providing Youngstown with a carbon emissions baseline report, a model urban agriculture project, and a plan to redevelop the shrunken city in a sustainable way. Several visits have been made to the city, the carbon baseline is almost complete, and Global Green is getting ready to announce its project in one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by blight.

Learn more about the partnership

In honor of the 4th of July weekend, Global Green is leading a Coalition of Louisiana based organizations and prominent individuals who are signing a Declaration of Energy Independence.

Please lend your name to this document calling for fundamental energy changes to safeguard the principles & rights of the original Declaration of Independence.

Add your signature to the Declaration!

Sophia Bush & Austin Nichols Tour the Gulf

One Tree Hill actors Sophia Bush & Austin Nichols joined Global Green President Matt Petersen and others to tour the impacts of the Gulf oil spill on Grand Isle, LA.

Watch the video and read the blog account of their visit

Staff members from all of our offices have been submitting posts to our new blog for the past few months. While recently the focus has been on the Gulf oil spill, you can find entries that cover topics from recycling to energy-efficiency.

Read the Blog

12 Steps Toward an Oil Change - Actions You Can Take

Drive Less: Combine trips, drive a vehicle with better gas mileage, take public transportation, carpool with friends and neighbors, walk or bike instead, find shorter routes, or even just skip a trip.

Say No to Plastic: Plastic is made from petroleum. Use your own canvas bags, reusable water bottles, and try to buy as many things as possible in aluminum and glass, or paper. Why store food in plastic when you can store it in glass?

Eat Less Processed Foods: Corn instead of corn chips. Fruit instead of Froot Loops. Water instead of soda. All that processing, packaging, and even some of the flavors and colors involve oil and/or petrochemicals.

Think Locally: Buy products that are produced locally, instead of one’s that require transportation from a distance. Buy vegetables and fruits in season instead of one’s that are imported from another country.

More Actions You Can Take

In California, a deceptive ballot measure being bankrolled by two Texas oil companies has qualified for the November general election ballot. Proposition 23 would rollback California’s landmark Global Warming law AB 32 that Global Green helped to champion, which is helping to create clean jobs, improve our health, and reduce carbon emissions.

Over 300 business, environmental, faith-based and community organizations have already signed on in opposition to this ballot measure. Global Green opposes the Dirty Energy Initiative and will be sending regular updates about how you can help us fight this dangerous proposition.

Help spread the word. Follow on twitter @StopDirtyEnergy and facebook

Five Single-Family Homes Almost Completed at Holy Cross Project

The last two of the five single family homes in Holy Cross will be completed this summer and include a host of donated materials including spray foam from Huntsman Polyurethanes, Hardie Plank, and FSC cabinets from Columbia Forst Products. More potential donations are being offered from various vendors of cutting edge green materials for the Development Center, which will break ground end of August.

Check out our new Holy Cross Project Blog

Close the Loop with 360 Vodka

Want to make a donation to us without reaching into your own pocket? One of our sponsors, 360 Vodka, has a very special offer for you. Before you recycle their bottle, remove the swing-top cap and mail it back in the postage paid envelope (made from 100% recycled paper). They’ll reuse it, and we’ll receive a $5.00 donation!

Find out more

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