Overview
The Green Economy Network is a coordinated, cross-sector partnership bringing together workforce organizations, postsecondary institutions, employers, public agencies, and philanthropy to build a strong green economy that creates good jobs, expands economic mobility, and improves quality of life through buildings, transportation, and other infrastructure.
The Challenge
In New York City, economic burdens and legacy pollutants leave under-resourced communities especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Efforts to mitigate this urgent challenge can potentially create high-quality, good-paying jobs. However, the communities most affected by climate change often face the greatest difficulty in accessing these jobs. New York City needs a collaborative, unified strategy to prepare the green workforce—with a focus on including those most affected—and to meet the city’s lofty climate goals by 2030.
At the time of the partnership’s first convening in 2020, stakeholders highlighted the following:
100,000
green economy workers in NYC 2009
40%
emissions-reduction goal by 2030 requiring the creation of new jobs and expanded workforce training
230,000
green jobs projected in NYC by 2030
Approach
The Green Economy Network (GEN) is a coordinated, cross-sector partnership bringing together workforce organizations, postsecondary institutions, employers, public agencies, and philanthropy to build a strong green economy—one that creates good jobs, expands economic mobility, and improves quality of life through investments in buildings, transportation, and infrastructure.
As New York City and State implement plans for climate and equity, the Green Economy Network aligns data, policy, practice, workforce, and economic development. It has built a community of practice among organizations and people working in this space.
The network brings together hundreds of nonprofits, public agencies, and employers to assess the green economy, strengthen understanding of challenges and opportunities in the sector, connect workforce organizations with employers, and support progress toward decarbonization goals. The Network is committed to:
Advancing public investment strategies that support clean energy workforce development at scale.
Building and strengthening employer partnerships to define hiring needs, inform training, and align partners across the ecosystem.
Establishing clear, scalable pathways for jobseekers to enter and advance in green economy careers.
Impact
The Network has completed the investigate, imagine, and incubate phases of JobsFirst NYC’s partnership development process and is currently in the implementation phase, which will impact green career pathways, ultimately benefiting jobseekers and employers alike.
$185K
Funds Raised & Leveraged
200+
Individuals Engaged
100+
Organizations Involved
Green Economy Network Members
