Compass VI Conference
The Compass VI Conference on Green Jobs was held in Nashville on Friday and Saturday, December 4-5, 2009. It brought together grassroots activists, labor, environmental and economic justice organizations, green businesses, government officials, concerned citizens, and youth from around Tennessee who want to rescue our economy and save the environment by creating family-supporting, career-track green jobs.
Here are links to Gene TeSelle's report on the conference and a page of photos from the conference, and to several dowloadable Powerpoint presentations:
* Strategies and Policies for Building an Equitable Green Economy, by Rubin Lizardo of PolicyLink.
* A bottom-up approach to green economic development and community transformation, by Dan Leroy and Torin Kexel of Green Opportunities.
* Green Jobs, by Julian McQueen of Green for All.
* Tennessee and the Apollo Alliance, by Ron Ruggiero of Apollo Alliance.
Below is an archived copy of our earlier advertisement for the conference.
Compass VI Conference on Green Jobs
Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5, 2009
Cohn Adult Learning Center, 4805 Park Avenue, Nashville, 37209
Biographies of plenary speakers
Mission and Goals
Mission: The Compass VI Conference on Green Jobs, to be held in Nashville on December 4-5, 2009, will bring together grassroots activists, labor, environmental and economic justice organizations, green businesses, government officials, concerned citizens, and youth from around Tennessee who want to rescue our economy and save the environment by creating family-supporting, career-track green jobs.
Goals: 1) To bring together the key green jobs as pathways out of poverty players from around the state along with key partners to create a strategy plan in support of a Green Jobs Corps in Tennessee (Friday). 2) To educate and inspire the public and our allies about the green jobs movement nationally and locally (Saturday). 3) To encourage youth to become actively involved in the green movement (Saturday).
Registration
Follow this link for registration. Register early and save money. Early registration deadline is Friday, November 27th.
Youth Agenda
Workshops, performances, etc. intended specifically for youths are described on a separate page; registration for the youth track is on that page as well. FREE for ages 16-24.
Location
The conference will be held at the Cohn Adult Learning Center, 4805 Park Ave, Nashville, TN 37209 (see map). Driving directions from the highway: Take I-40 west from Nashville, to exit 205 (46th Avenue). Turn south, go across Charlotte Pike and then one block further, to turn right onto Park Avenue. Follow it 2 1/2 blocks. Driving directions from downtown Nashville: Take Charlotte Pike, going west; turn left onto 46th Avenue; after one block, turn right onto Park Avenue; follow it 2 1/2 blocks. There is free parking on the street but you may have to walk a block or two.
Housing
Housing information is available on a separate page.
Volunteer
Fill out this online form and/or one of these downloadable forms, about volunteer work in preparing for Compass VI or helping out during Compass VI.
Sponsors
Sponsors of Compass VI are listed on another page. We would be delighted to add your organization as a sponsor. More details are in this form.
Schedule
Friday, December 4th, will be Strategy Day. A networking session will be held for people who are working to bring green jobs to their communities.
Saturday, December 5th will be People’s Day, with speakers, workshops, films, music, poetry and other activities centered around the movement for green jobs in Tennessee.
On Saturday we will also have a Youth Agenda (free for ages 16-24) that will feature special youth workshops and performance by Youth Speaks of Nashville. It will run concurrently with the above schedule on Saturday. It has registration on a separate page.
For a detailed schedule, click here.
Biographies of some of the speakers
Ruben Lizardo - PolicyLink (www.policylink.org)
Ruben Lizardo leads equitable public investment efforts to ensure public investments in infrastructure generate community benefits. His work includes research and public education, training and technical assistance to strengthen community and civic participation in decision-making, and working with public officials to develop investment strategies and policies that further equity and economic vitality. Prior to joining PolicyLink, he was the capacity-building director of California Tomorrow, where he led advocacy, training, and technical assistance efforts to address diversity and equity issues. He also served as director of the Community Planning and Economic Development Program at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. He is a former president of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission and was awarded The California Wellness Foundation’s California Peace Prize for his work to address root causes of youth violence. He currently serves on the boards of Californians for Justice and Justice Matters.
Julian Mocine-McQueen - Green for All (www.greenforall.org)
Julian is an Oakland native raised behind the redwood curtain of Humboldt County. He is a graduate of San Francisco State University who came to Green For All through his organizing work with The League of Young Voters. Julian’s passion for saving our people and our planet finds a vehicle in his work as Green For All's Field Organizer. Julian works with people around the country who are putting government investment dollars to work on a local level to build the green economy. He trains local leaders to build the green economy from the ground up by serving as the facilitator of the Green For All Academy. He trains leaders with the tools they need to communicate the promise of the green economy and to engage disadvantaged communities in support of green jobs and climate protection strategies. Julian works everyday to link local partners, lift those local best practices and models to national prominence, and leverage the success stories for large-scale change. Julian has been featured in The Nation, Wiretap magazine and The San Francisco Xpress, and has been recognized by the California Labor Archives for excellence in writing.
Ron Ruggiero - Apollo Alliance (www.apolloalliance.org)
Ron Ruggiero joined the Apollo Alliance in September 2008 after more than 15 years of organizing, representation, and negotiation experience in the labor movement. He is a graduate of the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute. In 1997, he was awarded the SEIU Western Region Organizer of the Year. After organizing thousands of workers across the country, he began representing workers and negotiating contracts, including unique partnership efforts between labor and management within Kaiser Permanente. Most recently, as staff director at SEIU Local 49, he helped lead a local-wide revitalization effort. This culminated in the local being awarded “Most Improved Local” for member political engagement by the international. In 2007, he joined an ad hoc environmental committee within SEIU and helped launch the “Negotiating Green” handbook. He also began attending local Apollo Alliance meetings in Oregon. He liked what he saw. “It is clear to me that building the clean energy economy can both solve the climate crisis and help us solve our inequality crisis by revitalizing family wage-paying jobs in the United States.” Ron enjoys hiking and camping with his wife, Cindy, and their two young sons, Justus and Zade. He holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of California, Davis.
Benjamin Smith - Youth Speaks Nashville (youthspeaksnashville.org)
Benjamin Smith is founder and executive director of Youth Speaks Nashville, a youth development organization which places poet mentors in schools and youth organizations. Previously, Benjamin worked for six years in various youth development organizations including the YMCA, Conservations Corps and Summerbridge. This experience included designing programs, curricula, and lesson plans as well as training ans supervising staff and volunteers. He subsequently worked for six years at Levi Strauss & Co. where he planned sizable events and managed the licensed Dockers business. He is a singer-songwriter who has played in country, jazz, rock and Americana bands. Benjamin graduated from Brown University in 1994 with a degree in English and American literature.
