City of Seattle and Moontown

The city of Seattle got a big federal grant just the other day. The funding was awarded to much fanfare and bombast as the mayor flew to D.C. in order to accept the reward from the Department of Energy. The city has decided to use the funds to weatherize the buildings of south Seattle including both public and private.

It is a good day for sustainability folks as the money is going directly to people who need it and it is a great first step towards making the city carbon neutral. What is important now is how the city contracts the actual work that will start to take place within the next few months and I offer up for your consideration: Moontown Foundation.

Moontown Foundation is the brain child of Stacey Nolan, a giant in the sustainability, environmental, and green jobs crowd here in Seattle. The foundation is based around green jobs in energy efficiency, weatherization, solar power, and raising awareness of the impact of global climate change.

If the city of Seattle has not considered organizations such as Moontown, perhaps they can take a second look. Using local organizations to do the work that was awarded to them would not only help the local economy, but show the city's dedication to real sustainability.

I'll let the foundation speak for itself here.

Moontown: Who we are

Moontown Foundation’s programs include outreach and advocacy, curriculum development and recruitment, career orientation workshops, and launching demonstration programs designed to:

• Raise awareness of the impact of global climate change on poor and historically disadvantaged communities in both the United States and the emerging world;
• Introduce underrepresented minority teens and young adults to green career opportunities in the clean and renewable energy industry sectors (i.e., wind, solar, and biofuels);
• Implement effective education and training programs that meet industry demand, recruitment and supports our the target demographic groups;
• Link basic and remedial education with occupational skills training that are in demand now;
• Involve employers and labor unions in the determination of core skills and competencies; and
• Ensure that supportive services, integrated with education and training are delivered by organizations with direct access to targeted demographic groups.