Category Archives: News

Jobseekers Trained to Transform and Revitalize Polluted Land thanks to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Bronx, NY – Participants in The HOPE Program’s Sustainable South Bronx green jobs program celebrated their completion of twelve weeks of training and are preparing to enter the workforce. Thanks to a recent grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), participants gained the qualifications to redevelop brownfields, which are lands that have been polluted […]

New York Post: These local organizations train New Yorkers for surging sustainable industries

Read the full story Kermit was wrong — it is easy being green, thanks to local programs that provide free training for scores of jobs in the burgeoning environmental and sustainability sectors. These careers continue to soar in expansion. According to LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills Report 2022, the number of US jobs in renewables has increased by […]

RAIN (Raingarden Action In Neighborhoods) Coalition

In 2021, three NYC-based watershed organizations came together with a workforce development organization to pilot a new way of ensuring success for rain gardens throughout NYC, especially in lower income, outer borough neighborhoods. Entitled RAIN—Raingarden Action in Neighborhoods—the coalition includes Bronx River Alliance, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, the HOPE Program, and Newtown Creek Alliance. Together, we […]

Global Heroes: New Yorkers Find HOPE For a Sustainable Future

Read the full story In communities hit hardest by the pandemic, economic recovery has been stalled by a disparity between available jobs, expectations from employers, and the experience and resources available to jobseekers. This is especially true in New York City, where twice as many people are unemployed compared to the U.S. average. There are […]

Bronx-based environmental group fights climate change

Spectrum News NY1 THE BRONX BY AMY YENSI THE BRONX PUBLISHED 9:30 PM ET DEC. 16, 2021 Andrea Estrada is working her way through Highbridge Park, tools in hand, hoping that with each clip, she is chopping away at the impacts of climate change. “I have an interest in urban ecology and environmental justice,” said Estrada. Estrada […]

The e-bike revolution comes to the Bronx

Read the full article E-bike companies are teaming up with local non-profits to provide discounts to frontline workers. Could this be a nationwide model? By Andrew J. Hawkins@andyjayhawk  Dec 10, 2021, 10:00am EST   On a recent chilly December afternoon, a small parking lot in the industrial Hunts Point section of the Bronx was alive with the sounds […]

Investing in Workforce Development and Systems Change: Social Enterprise

By Iolanthe Brooks, Policy Associate Social enterprises—nonprofits that generate revenue to support their ongoing operations—present an innovative approach to workforce development, with the potential for systems-level impact. The Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) funded the work of three growing social enterprises: Drive Change, The HOPE Program’s Intervine, and Sweet Generation Bakery. In late September, a group of […]

New York Times: How ‘Cool Roofs’ Can Help Fight Climate Change

Painted rooftops reflect the heat instead of absorbing it, reducing the need for air-conditioning and cutting greenhouse gases. Workers applying a reflective coating on the roof of the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx this October. Sunlight bounces off the lighter surface, which results in a reduction in energy costs.Credit…Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times […]

Spectrum News NY1: HOPE Volunteers are Helping Bronx River Alliance Plant Trees

BY ROGER CLARK THE BRONX PUBLISHED 6:54 AM ET OCT. 22, 2021   BRONX, N.Y. — On a recent sunny fall day, Penny Brown joined dozens of volunteers along the banks of the Bronx River in the Olinville section of The Bronx. It’s a part of the river that looks downright bucolic despite the nearby Bronx River […]