AAEA To Participate in CBC Legislative Conference

Center President Norris McDonald is speaking at The 2009 Congresional Black Caucus (CBC) Annual Legislative Conference's Entrepreneurship Series. The Entrepreneurship Series is sponsored by Mastercard, Community Loans of America, and Bank of America.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) produces the Annual Legislative Conference, a four-day event held in September at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Thousands of elected officials, business and industry leaders, celebrities, media, emerging leaders and everyday Americans attend the Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) and its dozens of policy forums, general sessions, massive exhibit showcase, job fair, book signings and vast networking opportunities. The Congressional Black Caucus – comprised of the African-American members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate – headline ALC every year.

The series will include the following workshops with remarks provided by distinguished and nationally recognized panelists before an expected audience of 250 – 300 per session:

Thursday, September 24, 2009 2pm-4pm

Initial Start-Up Considerations: Strategies for Establishing & Running A Successful Business Venture. Establishing and running a lucrative business venture can be a daunting task for even the most experienced entrepreneur. This workshop, part one of a three part CBCF Entrepreneurship Series, helps to demystify the process of starting a business for potential entrepreneurs and enhances the business know-how of existing small business owners. Highlights of the program include keynote remarks and strategies for success from celebrity entrepreneurs who have turned their ambition into multi-million dollar enterprises. Additional panelists will discuss, topics including developing a sound business plan, business taxes and corporate entities, and resources to assist aspiring entrepreneurs.

Friday, September 25, 2009 10am-12pm

Financing Forum: Preparing for and Obtaining Business Financing The current economic climate has significantly impacted the global credit market making access to capital more difficult for entrepreneurs and small business owners. In these times, understanding your personal finances and the loan product that is best for your business is critical. Part two of the three part CBCF Entrepreneurship Series, will include strategies from financial planners and bank executives that will address, the 5 C’s of credit and will provide insight on what they look for in potential loan applicants or investment opportunities. The workshop will provide information on various financing options including microloans, small business loan products, and venture capital products for the budding, established and mature business enterprise.

Saturday, September 26, 2009 11am – 1pm

Putting the Eco in Economy: Green Entrepreneurship and Business Opportunities Environmental protection and the need for proactive approaches to address climate change have become a leading priority of the Obama Administration. The process of “going green” is revolutionizing the way we do businesses and has created opportunities for entrepreneurship and business expansion. Part three (3) of the CBCF Entrepreneurship Series will define the expanding green economy, discuss how and where the stimulus funds will be allocated and provide insight from businesses that are revolutionizing their operations by greening their business products and services. Confirmed Speakers/Organizations:

Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Chair, Congressional Black Caucus
Norris McDonald, President, Center for Environment, Commerce, Energy
Julie Cunningham, CEO, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials
Dr. Farrah Gray, Entrepreneur, Author “Reallionaire”
Aaron W. Smith, Author “In the Black: Live Faithfully, Prosper Financially”
Harry Alford, CEO, National Black Chamber of Commerce
Connie Evans, CEO, Association for Enterprise Opportunity
Kim Ellis Hunter, Partner, Deloitte & Touche
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Green For All
Jerome Ringo, President, Apollo Alliance
Van Ton-Quinlivan, Pacific Gas & Electric
Keni Washington, Managing Director, Earth-SOLAR
David Hinson, Director, Minority Business Development Agency
Kenneth Yancey, CEO, SCORE
Diane Farrell, Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the US
Karen Mills, Administrator, US Small Business Administration

Biographies

CBCF YouTube Videos of All Sessions

The Racial Environment In America With A Black President

Sophia Nelson of the Root provides an interesting perspective in her article, "The Uppity Negro Syndrome," where she writes:

The furor over former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s remarks that “an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man" reminds me of a scene from John Singleton’s 1997 film, Rosewood, which dramatized the real-life lynching and burning of a rural, predominantly black Florida town in January 1923.

In the scene, the two men talk about the alleged rape of a white woman and the false rumor that a black man named Jesse Hunter had raped her. (It was alleged that a local Rosewood resident named Sylvester Carrier, a private music instructor who played the piano, was harboring Hunter.) This, of course, was false, but it was used as an excuse to inflame tensions and anger.

Then came the line that’s still etched in my mind: “Oh, that's them uppity folks that own a piano,” one of the white men says. “I don't even own one.”

This bit of dialogue sparks what culminates in a 200-person, white lynch mob that burns Rosewood down, killing dozens of black women, children and men. Black people died because of a classic case of “uppity Negroes” not “knowing” their place.

My point is this: President Carter is speaking a truth that few Americans are willing to hear. He grew up at the height of Jim Crow in the Deep South—the man knows racism when he sees it. Most white Americans simply cannot face the ugly past of “race in America” and how much it is still with us today.

In my opinion, folks, it’s the piano, stupid!

EPA Region III Chesapeake Bay Program Seeking GS 11

The Chesapeake Bay Program Office (CBPO) is located in Annapolis, Maryland and it is an EPA Region 3 field office. President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order in May, 2009 ordering the federal government to improve ecosystems within the Bay watershed. The first EO reports were publically released last week. CBPO is seeking an energetic GS-11 who has congressional/public relations, regulatory or enforcement/compliance experience to help implement the EO.

Contact: Cassandra Rice, Attorney Advisor, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD 2140, Ofc 410-267-5722 Fax 410-267-5777

AAEA Assists in Passage of California Climate Bill

AAEA worked with the Union of Concerned Scientists and a large coalition of other groups to get the California Legislature to pass AB 1404, Global Warming Compliance Offsets & Air Quality Act. AB 1404 ensures that policies used to reach California’s global warming pollution reduction goals maximize environmental and public health benefits for the state—particularly through limiting the use of compliance offsets and prioritizing what offsets are used to benefit California communities. The legislation was cosponsored by Assembly Members Kevin De León, left, V. Manuel Pérez, right, and Wilmer Amina Carter, below. The bill now goes to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be signed into law.
The bill:

1. Limits the use of compliance offsets to no more than 10 percent of the emission reductions expected to be achieved through market mechanisms in each compliance period of AB 32 implementation. This limit applies regardless of whether a cap-and-trade program is implemented.
2. Establishes requirements for verifying and tracking compliance offsets to ensure that they are real, not double-counted or sold more than once, and do not cause harm to the environment or public health.
3. Requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to prioritize the use of offsets that provide air quality benefits to communities already suffering from disproportionate levels of air pollution, particularly focusing on the air basin in which the offset purchaser resides, and that provide environmental and public health benefits to the state of
4. Prohibits offsets from the Kyoto Protocol’s international Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to be used for compliance with California global warming regulations. A large majority of CDM projects do not actually reduce emissions. They have been proven to be “non-additional,” which means that they would have occurred under business as usual without CDM funding

Special thanks to Erin Rogers for pushing us to support this legislation and for consistently keeping us in the loop to aggressively participate in the lobbying effort. (UCS)

Sierra Club Seeks Executive Director

The Sierra Club is seeking its next Executive Director. The Sierra Club stands at a critical moment in its history. This is a unique opportunity for a passionate and savvy executive to play a pivotal role in transforming the world by leading the transition to clean, sustainable energy sources.

The Role of Executive Director

The Executive Director is the Sierra Club’s highest ranking staff member, responsible for strategic and inspirational leadership as well as overall operational management of the Sierra Club, Inc. and its 530 staff, who are organized in five primary divisions and managed through a senior staff leadership team of eight. The Executive Director reports to a 15-member Board of Directors, itself elected by the Club membership. The Executive Director serves as a key external face of the Club, responsible for nurturing relationships with the non-governmental organization community, government officials, philanthropic agencies, donors, the media, and others. The Executive Director also leads the staff in its strong partnership with the Club’s unique and invaluable volunteer cadre.

FULL DESCRIPTION

Contact:

Stephanie C. Mardell, Associate
Isaacson, Miller
649 Mission Street Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94105

P: 415.655.4911
C: 617.448.3077

F: 415.655.4905

smardell@imsearch.com

http://www.imsearch.com/

Latest Version of Eco-Islam Available For Download

Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences

The latest IFEES Eco Islam magazine (Issue 6) is ready to download. In this edition, IFEES has a special report on the deforestation in Indonesia and the "Sumatran Declaration".

Other articles include:

- New initatives from the Mindanao region of the Philipines
- Stopping Bird Hunting in Lebanon
- Green Muslims in Washington DC
- Update on the Prince Charles' Rainforest Project
- Book review on "199 ways to please God"
- The Green Religion and much more.

You can support IFEES to continue raising the importance of these issues through the production of educational literature, training programmes and supporting such campaigns. Your support will also help us to set up a global network of Muslim environmentalists from Aceh to Zanzibar.

EPA Announces Houses of Worship Can Now Earn Energy Star Label and Reduce Their Carbon Footprint

Approximately 370,000 can track their energy use

America’s houses of worship can now earn the Energy Star label, joining the nation’s schools, hospitals, hotels, and other facilities in their efforts to fight climate change, save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. EPA’s energy tracking tool, Portfolio Manager, currently allows facilities to track energy use and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, set targets for investment priorities and verify efficiency improvements. Now the estimated 370,000 houses of worship across the United States can use Portfolio Manager to receive an energy performance rating, and the most energy efficient among them can earn the Energy Star label.

Worship facilities in the United States spend more than $3 billion annually on energy costs. Improving the energy efficiency of America’s houses of worship by just 10 percent would save nearly 2 billion kilowatt-hours each year, preventing more than 1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions and representing a cost savings of about $315 million annually.

Through Energy Star, EPA provides a proven energy management strategy and free tools for public and private organizations to save energy and money through increased energy efficiency. EPA has also made additional enhancements to its tools including the ability to specify on-site green power generation and use. This feature provides a better assessment of a building’s actual energy efficiency and a more complete picture of associated carbon emissions.

Learn more about Portfolio Manager

Learn more about Energy Star for congregations