TalkBlack Atlanta: Black Professionals Go Green

Last month, I had the great pleasure of meeting an exciting group of engaged and green black professionals at a TalkBlack Atlanta panel discussion on the virtues of living a greener lifestyle. Joining me were two green civic activists from Greater Atlanta (that's me in the center talking with my hands as usual), including Tony Anderson, a recent Morehouse graduate. Mr. Anderson, a protege of Van Jones, wowed the audience with his passion and knowledge of the enviromental justice and green living movements. He is definitely one of the future black and green leaders to watch.

What specifically impressed me was that many in the audience were already taking steps to live green and were themselves well informed about many of the environmental issues impacting the lives of people around the globe. There was a brother that was starting up several green businesses, another one is building a green chapel and the co-founder of TalkBlack, award winning journalist, Chandra Thomas, has written many articles on sustainability and green living for national publications.

The icing on the cake was that the meeting was held at Wonderland Gardens, an African American run non-profit, established to provide awareness of nature, gardening and earthly stewardship.

Black and Into Green Talks Black and Green in Atlanta

Next time you are in the ATL, sleep at the Kimpton Palomar, attend a TalkBlack event and tour the Wonderland Gardens. You will have a blast!

I hope to have the video of the panel discussion to post soon.

Socially Responsible Finance Career Options

While this article was written for finance professionals, the resources provided could benefit many other professions and occupations. In July, I am going to highlight socially responsible investing (SRI), which is the art of putting your money where your values are. You could call it conscious investing. Hot in the world of SRI is community development and sustainability. Excited?! Can't wait that long (because it could be late in July)? Check out the website www.socialinvest.org. It was referred to me by an SVP at UBS, a firm that specializes in SRI (we bankers love our acronyms). It is a great resource for any business, individual or institution valuing the triple bottom line in their investments.

Climate Change Bill Details

Click here for an easy to read breakdown of the climate change bill that recently passed. A big win for Obama in the fight against global warming, though many undesirable compromises had to be made. It's a start. The next challenge is for the Senate to pass their version. As my cousin states on her voice message recording - "You know what to do."

Find a Stimulus Funded Project Near You

This website is a privately owned version of www.recovery.gov. First heard about it on NPR. It tracks American Recoveryand Reinvestment Act dollars across the country, click on your state, then your county to see how stimulus funds are being allocated in your area. You can also register to receive email updates of future funding heading your way and comment on existing projects and grants. Great tool for non-profits, contractors and suppliers.

Waxman-Markey Climate Change Votes

Click here to determine how your representative voted on this historic piece of climate change legislation. Keep in mind that some Democrats may have voted against the bill due to the fact that they live in states rich in coal and oil, you must convince them that alternative energy is the right way to go for our economy, our future and our national security. To arm yourselves with knowledge read, Green Prosperity: How Clean Energy Policy Can Fight Poverty and Raise Living Standards in the United States. Noting the funding sources of the report, there are probably some biases towards clean energy, but these will just offset the aggressive advertising you are likely to see sponsored by the oil and coal companies in the next few months, as they seek to protect their interests. Diverse and disadvantaged populations will probably be the target of these ads, as they try to frighten us with tales of high prices and loss of jobs. Heck, we are already paying high prices because of the nature of our housing stock have borne the brunt of the millions of Americans laid off in the last year. Where are these coal mining companies and oil companies in our communities the other 350 days of the year? I am proud to say that my energy company is at least taking steps to get off of the coal train and experimenting with solar, wind and biofuels, although it was the result of federal action.

Affordable Accessible Green Products

The stainless steel water bottles featured in this photo, were found at CVS for......$3 bucks!

I am finding that eco-friendly and safer products are becoming more mainstream. A common complaint from African Americans has been that these greener and safer products are out of reach financially and geographically. I have noticed over the course of the last year that green goods can now be found at your local drugstore, Wal-Mart, your grocer and even your local discount retailer. This is why it is so important to shop your values, even if you have to cut back elsewhere. At some point the retailers will respond and your preferred products will be more affordable and accessible over time. You have the power to change the world, one dollar at a time - make it rain.

Well Fargo Passes $3 Billion Mark in Environmental Financing

Well Fargo Passes $3 Billion Mark in Environmental Financing

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Grain "Meat" Sausages - Soy Free Meatless Alternative

I might pick up some of these soy-free, meatless sausages to enjoy with my week of vegan dinners. Found them at Whole Foods. Too much soy protein is not good for you.

Do What I Wanna Do Week

First of all happy Father's Day to all the big poppas out there! We especially appreciate you earth sensitive fellas. Keep up the good work. Now that I have dropped my son Michael off at an OSU business camp for a week, I have gained control of the laptop again! Woo hoo (missing the exclamation point, because a certain 15 year old spilled water on the laptop, tried to dry it with a blow dryer and melted the number one/exclamation mark key and the tab button, so I have to hit the key a million times to yield a result). When you have a teenager, you will find yourself pining for your laptop, digital camera, ipod, towels, cookies and a whole host of other stuff, this is why many parents breakdown and just get the kid their own stuff. So what am I planning to do with my week off of parenting? Here is the rundown:

• Clean up the clothes room (some of you know what I'm talking about) and donate, compost or throw away items (I know. Boring.)
• Work in my garden as long as I want with no pangs of guilt - planting a tree, some vines and some collards
• Get caught up on my blogging (there is sooo much to tell you), writing and reading
• Eat vegetarian meals every nite (I might just eat that bowl of black beans and rice until I run out)
• Stay out as late as I want and work out at the gym as late as I want
• Help out the two grandma's with their chores (one is moving, the other has a driveway full of mulch that needs to be placed)
• Work late (ugh)
• Text my Michael every day to see how his day is going (try to restrain myself and text only once a day)

This isn't the most exciting weekly agenda, but to a parent, it's a little slice of heaven (exclamation point)

I wish you an awesome green week too (exclamation point)

Green Pathways Out of Poverty through Partnerships and Recovery — Green For All

Green Pathways Out of Poverty through Partnerships and Recovery — Green For All

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Timeline for Green ARRA Programs — Green For All

Timeline for Green ARRA Programs — Green For All

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Will clean energy hurt low-income Americans? — Green For All

Will clean energy hurt low-income Americans? — Green For All

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Vegan Antipasti Recipe

I was searching for a virgin sangria recipe, when I came across this delish vegan antipasti recipe.
Check it out friends. (I would definitely add some artichoke though)

In Bloom This Week In The Garden

Bearded Iris - Tough plant

Layers of Love - Peonies, Hostas, Roses, Ferns

L) Violas and Sculpture R) Magnolia Flower

Thirsty For Some Hot Green Reads This Summer

Ahh! It's that time of the year again. That time when you get a thirst for some great summer reading and some honey sweetened ice tea or a virgin mojito! I think it is a by-product of all of those years of summer reading lists we were assigned in high school. Anyway, this year I am looking for some great green reads, preferably fiction. I found two books today, A Walk In The Woods and The Secret Life of Bees, both reveal clues to my personal interests, the wildnerness and the lives of African American women. Funny enough, I found them in the summer assigned reading section of the bookstore. I also found this list of 22 fictional green reads, courtesy of the Weber County Library (thank you Weber County librarians, whereever you are). I am going to continue to seek out some hot eco-reads to share with you as I discover them.

Do you have any favorites to share?

Summer reading list: Green reads for teens and tweens | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Summer reading list: Green reads for teens and tweens | MNN - Mother Nature Network

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Summer reading list: Great green reads for kids | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Summer reading list: Great green reads for kids | MNN - Mother Nature Network

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Unique Vegan Sweet Stuff

Hello my vegan friends. I found some unique treats for you made from rice syrup, including---CHOCOLATE. Click here for information on where you can purchase these products and others.