2008 Grantees

Green Jobs Philly

CONTACT INFO

Paul Glover
GreenPlanners
514 Wellesley Rd
Philadelphia, PA 19119
(215) 805-8330
E-mail

Web site

Philadelphia’s eco-economy is featured in this bimonthly newsletter sent to thousands of local officials, organizations, businesses and job seekers.  The focus of GreenJobsPhilly is on grassroots initiatives because most new jobs in a tight economy will be created by small local businesses. This site also makes it free and easy for Philadelphians to offer and request green jobs, services, grants and loans.  Plans are to translate content to Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. 

Check back for future news and updates.

• November 2008
 
 

All Things Green and Local

November 2008

On Sept. 15, 2008, 3,706 residents, public officials, neighborhood organizers and environmentalists in Philadelphia received an e-mail announcing the launch of GreenJobsPhilly, a new Web site publishing news and promoting opportunity in the evolving local green economy. The site is a clearinghouse of everything green when it comes to jobs, services and grants sought and available on the local level.

Project director Paul Glover said he’s contacting businesses, nonprofits and government agencies, inviting them to post jobs on his site. Job seekers are also posting jobs wanted.  The response has been very positive; the listings are free.  Ten jobs have been posted; 31 job seekers have deposited their descriptions into the job bank. Glover said the presidential campaign and the economic downturn on Wall Street have given new attention to the green-collar jobs as a solution for both climate change and rising unemployment.

As of Oct. 16, GreenJobsPhilly had distributed four editions of its twice-monthly e-newsletter. Each edition includes comprehensive coverage of related legislation, book reviews, links to resources and research, job opportunities and more. Glover said people in the community are sending him event listings and other content, which he is editing and compiling in the newsletter.

The newsletter spotlights some of the green job seekers and quotes from their posts on the Web site. For example:  “I love to help people make their flat roofs last longer and use less energy, while avoiding costly repairs. I specialize in small repairs, cool roof coatings, and vegetated roofs. I’m certified by two different companies in green roof installation, and have over two years of experience on flat roofs and nine years of construction experience.“  Anyone need a roofer?

Glover is proud of one promotional gimmick he’s using to attract e-subscribers. Every e-mail in his database is assigned a number and on a monthly basis, he randomly picks a person to receive a $10 gift certificate donated by the Infusion Coffee Shop in the Mt. Airy neighborhood.

Glover, a longtime community organizer, isn’t relying on viral marketing to get the word out.  He’s been pounding the pavement, speaking at schools, church groups, doing outreach at every environmental-themed community event. In early September, he joined over 200 businesses and groups at the GreenFestPhilly, an outdoor fair. 

Word about the site is getting out. The Philadelphia Daily News’ enviro-blog, “Earth to Philly,“ recently applauded the new site.  Glover published an article in Grid magazine and wrote a textbook also named Green Jobs Philly, which he uses in his green jobs course at Temple University.  The Philadelphia Student Sustainability Coalition has asked him to serve as an advisor.

Glover said he’s still in the learning curve, as he manages new web publishing tools, databases and college interns.  He’s reserved the right hand column of the home page for advertising, but hasn’t decided yet what to charge for it.

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