GJC-Boston Huddles For Strategy Retreat

Last Saturday morning, many Bostonians probably slept in late, and then decided how to spend a lazy Spring afternoon. Not these folks.

On May 15, several Boston-area organizations within the Green Justice Coalition brought staff and members to the large, sunny room offered by Project HipHop in Dudley Square, for a strategy and planning retreat lasting several hours. It was the first chance for many to meet members of other GJC groups, and to dig in to the details of the GJC’s work. It also allowed for folks who are not part of the day-to-day decision-making to voice their opinions on the GJC’s direction, and to suggest ideas for how to move forward.

In the house were Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), Boston Climate Action Network (BCAN), Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE), Community Labor United (CLU), Boston Workers’ Alliance (BWA), New England United for Justice (U4J) and Clean Water Action (CWA). About 30 people first got to know each other a bit, then dove into the difficult work of guiding the Coalition.

Several staff began by framing problems we are facing. Mimi from U4J took participants through an exercise looking at who our groups represent: class, ethnicity, geography, issues we focus on, etc.  We found we cover most parts of the city, but we have less presence in South Boston. We also saw that together we are organizing across a broad range of issues, and are trying to connect diverse constituencies through our work.

Following this, Namasha from CWA showed a film called “The Story of Stuff,” looking at the lifespan of products in the current consumer economy- from extraction of raw materials to production, distribution, consumption and disposal. The film and discussion after made clear that in this linear system, we both suffer and also contribute to vast suffering, and that we need to develop an alternative structure for the economy: continuing down this path is neither just nor sustainable.

A discussion of the Green Justice model followed, led by Soledad from CLU. Over a working lunch, small groups then brainstormed solutions to each of four main areas of concern in GJC work. These were: community mobilization, incentives for tenants and landlords, local hiring with strong standards, and financing options. Some of the ideas reiterated actions which GJC is already trying, like a sliding scale for grants to poorer people, which would be replaced with loans as their income increases. Or creating a responsible contracting system by requiring a multilingual process and certification, or creating a bridge for pre-weatherization funding for lower-income folks.

But novel ideas came out too- like a tax credit for renters who agree to retrofits, or conducting outreach at churches and hair salons in addition to doorknocking, or allowing access to weatherization funding more often than allowed currently.

This exercise showed GJC groups at our best: building on our strengths and working together to tackle the challenges in our way. Alas, time ran short and important parts of the agenda had to be scrapped, but all involved agreed to gather again soon and build on the foundation that the group had laid down.