Daily Archives: December 19, 2020

Imagine it's 2050 and the world is well on its way to meeting the goals set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. Use of coal, oil, and gas has fallen drastically. Energy and materials are used efficiently. Public transportation thrives; the worlds cities are green, dense, and walkable.Because this green boom was designed by diverse stakeholders with environmental justice in mind, it has created more equitable societies around the world.Everyone agrees, these huge shifts began in the early 2020s with the economic recovery from COVID-19.

That's a thought experiment, of course, but it could be a reality. A recentpaperin the journalSciencecalculated that if 10 percent of the $12 trillion already committed to economic recovery were invested in clean energy and energy efficiency, the world could be on a path to meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Instead of the modest rate of decarbonization that is currently underway, investments could steer economies strongly away from fossil fuels.

Properly designed, that turn away from fossil fuels could also improve racial, gender, and economic equity. For instance,researchersargue that energy efficiency assistance to African Americans can improve health and provide an equitable solution to energy insecurity. In Portland, Ore., a tree planting program lead to a decrease in violent crime;researchers foundthe effect was greatest in low-income neighborhoods. Tree planting is an efficiency measure that reduces energy needed for cooling and has been shown toimprove mental health and community trust. A solar-powered drip irrigationprojectin Benin improved crop production, income level, and food security for women farmers.

These examples show that, nationally and globally, a COVID-19 recovery could advance climate and equity goals. Unfortunately, this opportunity is not being grasped to its full potential. According to theEnergy Policy Tracker,less than half of global recovery investments in the energy sector are green. Analysis by theRhodium Groupshows that nearly a fifth of the European Unions recovery spending could be considered green, but most countries have made far weaker commitments. So far, India, China and the U.S. are all directing less than 3 percent of their planned recovery spending in a "green" direction.

While green investments and policies can increase equity, it is hard to say if the green elements of recovery plans put forth so far will be equitable.

The mostcomprehensive databaseof stimulus spending, maintained by the IMF, shows little standardization or consistency on equity provisions. When equity considerations do figure into a countrys stimulus package, they rarely apply to green investment. The handful of national plans that integrate equity considerations and green investments are vague and difficult to quantify. Some countries COVID-19 stimulus packages refer to a just transition, but fail to specify how funds will be spent in an equitable way.

In other words, not much of the worlds planned recovery spending protects the future climate. Of the small fraction that will be green, not much is explicitly designed to be equitable.

There are some exceptions, though, and this is good news. Around the world, bright spots show the potential for COVID-19 funds to fight climate change while simultaneously increasing equity. For example:

These isolated examples represent possibility. But how can that possibility be realized on a larger scale?

On the climate side it is fairly straightforward. From big renewable infrastructure projects to weatherization of the smallest dwellings, recovery dollars should be poured into the clean energy economy. Public transportation, faltering as riders opt for other modes of transport during the pandemic, provides another opportunity for massive investments that can spur recovery, provide good jobs, and keep cities moving. And avoid investment in infrastructure for extracting and burning fossil fuels.

To seize the equity opportunity, decision makers must recognize that equity never improves by accident. Green investments produce improved equity only with intentional planning, which can take many forms. For example:

If enough money is injected into an economy, recovery will happen. But struggling communities around the world are calling for more than recovery. They are calling for a transformation that includes justice and decisive climate action. Visionary leaders, like those behind the projects weve described above, are showing that a transformative recovery is possible. But it wont happen by accident and it wont happen with the plans currently on the books. Theres still time for a transformative recovery, but theres less of it every day.

Cassandra Breeze Ceballos is the Multisolving Program Associate and Elizabeth Sawin is Co-Founder and Co-Director ofClimate Interactivea think-tank that helps people find solutions to climate change and related issues like equity, health, food, and water. You can learn more aboutmultisolvingon Climate Interactives website, where you can also explore adatabaseof green, resilient, equitable recovery measures being taken around the world. You can alsofollow Sawin on Twitter.

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COVID-19 recovery spending could catalyze transformative change, but time is running out | TheHill - The Hill

"Chicago was the center of Black entrepreneurship," says Marquis Miller, chief diversity officer for the city of Chicago and former vice president of the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

While these firms served their own Black communities, they also did business with non-minority firms, whether it was advertisers reaching Ebony readers or supermarkets carrying ethnic hair products.

Perhaps the area's largest Black-owned company is a legacy of that tradition: George Johnson's son Eric in the 1990s acquired small food companies to form Baldwin Richardson Foods. It has grown to be a manufacturer of ingredients and a McDonald's supplier, with sales of $272 million last year.

Gradually large non-minority companies began to diversity their suppliers but largely in fields that have lower barriers to entry. Some had success in airport concessions, liquor distributing and in the McDonald's system as suppliers and franchisees.

Construction firms took advantage of the opportunity to participate as subcontractors. They made money but became comfortable and made the mistake of not building bonding capacity, Moore says.

That was in contrast to Atlanta, where three-term Mayor Maynard Jackson elevated newer Black companies. He used minority set-asides so successfully in the expansion of what is now Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport that it spurred the Federal Aviation Administration to recommend similar initiatives at other national airports. "Jackson made sure Blacks built bonding capacity," Moore says.

Black business in Chicago nevertheless became associated with construction. Rogers recalls serving as board president of the Chicago Park District during the 1990s and organizing an event for the executives of the museums on parkland to meet minority entrepreneurs. The invitation to the event was a picture of a worker with a shovel and hard hat with the tagline, "Digging up business." "These decision-makers thought about Black and Brown businesspeople with a shovel in their hands," Rogers says.

Fortune 500 companies have meant well by signing on to the Billion Dollar Roundtable, pledging to spend $1 billion with minority- and woman-owned businesses. But many young Black firms don't have manufacturing capacity and end up passing along goods such as computer equipment, corporate gifts or masks. Revenue isn't the best barometer if the margins are minuscule, Rogers says, adding, "You're not creating real jobs or wealth."

Everyday business is a series of small transactions, Blackwell says. "We don't need a $30 billion plan to save the world."

A NEW GENERATION

Younger Black-owned companies are forgoing the pass-through route, winning customers and building capacity. Entrepreneur Nosa Ehimwenman in 2012 started general contractor Bowa Group in Chicago after spending 10 years at national builder Gilbane.

Ehimwenman credits Joan Archie, executive director of construction compliance at the University of Chicago Medical Center, for opening Bowa's first opportunitya group of lab, office and clinic renovations. Bowa, which means "to build" in the Edo language of southern Nigeria, went on to serve as general contractor for a Starbucks concession at O'Hare International Airport, becoming the first African American firm to be a primary contractor at the airport. One of Bowa's biggest clients is megadeveloper Related Midwest, a supporter of minority- and women-owned businesses.

Bowa has grown to revenue in the range of $35 million with a workforce of around 60. The contractor's bonding capacity, which was less than $1 million at the start, has grown to $100 million. "That doesn't happen if you're a pass-through," Ehimwenman says.

Another contractor making progress is Trice Construction in Chicago, headed by second-generation owner and attorney Stephanie Hickman. Hickman left her job in human resources at Commonwealth Edison to acquire her family's business, which poured concrete for residential garages and home projects on the West and South sides and in the south suburbs.

Hickman knew the firm's future would lie in utility work. It pivoted by patching streets for Peoples Gas after the utility had to drill through the concrete for repairs. She spent years attending industry networking events to get her name before potential clients and added to bid lists. Although she had earlier worked at ComEd, it took seven years to build enough capability to win a contract. Today, utility work represents 60 percent of revenue at the company that she calls lower middle market. ComEd and other utilities have been "intentional about positioning us for success and growth," she says.

While Trice declines pass-through work, it participates in government projects that typically set aside 26 percent for minority firms and 6 percent for women-owned firms. The difficulty is that minority firms can become too big to qualify and end up competing with much larger non-minority contractors. "You don't have the same constraints outside government, so we look to build our business in the private sector," Hickman says.

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Supplier diversity needs to focus on industries of today and tomorrow - Crain's Chicago Business

Alibi Drinkery in Lakeville and Neighbors on the Rum in Princeton were among dozens of businesses that threatened to open their doors in violation of the executive orders. And on Wednesday they served dozens of customers at each restaurant despite the prohibition aimed at mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.

When staff at each business were notified by law enforcement that they were operating in violation of the law, they said they were aware and planned to continue, according to news release from the attorney general's office.

I know its tough out there for businesses and employees and help is already on the way but what these establishments are doing is wrong. Not just wrong in breaking the law wrong in exposing their loved ones, their customers, their employees, their communities, and potentially every Minnesotan to COVID-19. People will get sick, and some will die, because theyre breaking the law, Ellison said. The businesses were holding accountable today know what they need to do to comply with the law and instead, theyre flouting it.

EARLIER:

Ellison in his lawsuits against the businesses asked that the court stop the owners from violating or threatening to violate the executive orders and sought restitution for the state. He also requested civil penalties of up to $25,000 for each violation or threatened violation of the order.

Gov. Tim Walz's recent extension of coronavirus-related business closures, as well as Ellison's enforcement of the laws, have sparked a new round of political fighting between the executive branch and Republican state legislators. State Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, at a Thursday news conference was joined by business owners who said the executive orders are crushing them.

Gazelka issued a warning to Ellison: The Legislature "holds the purse strings," and in 2021 will be writing a two-year budget for the state. That includes setting the budget for Ellison's office.

"We're going to look at how many $10,000 fines he inflicted upon these people that were absolutely desperate," he said. "And I'm going to expect that to come out of his budget."

Later in the day Thursday, Ellison also filed for a restraining order against Alibi Drinkery as owners continued operating despite the pending lawsuit. Owners of the Neighbors on the Rum restaurant closed voluntarily.

On Wednesday night, the businesses received notice from the Department of Public Safety that their liquor would be suspended for 60 days due to the intentional violations.

Most bars and restaurants are playing by the rules and following the law," Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said in a news release Wednesday. "Those that have chosen not to comply are putting the health of the community at risk, and we will hold them accountable."

A handful of other restaurants and bars reportedly opened their doors early in an effort to publicly defy the governor and make up for lost revenues. Ellison his office continues to investigate other reports of businesses opening out of compliance with the law.

The "pauses" on indoor dining were set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, but Walz on Wednesday extended the closures through the new year citing ongoing concern about hospital capacity to accommodate patients with COVID-19. Walz also announced elementary schools could reopen for in-person learning next month and that restrictions on gyms, outdoor activity centers and social gatherings would be relaxed.

Health care practitioners and hospital groups applauded the decision, saying it would give them a bit of continued reprieve amid the continued tide of COVID-19 hospitalizations. But business groups, and in particular the hospitality sector, said the decision not to allow indoor dining would deal a critical blow.

Follow Dana Ferguson on Twitter @bydanaferguson, call 651-290-0707 or email dferguson@forumcomm.com

Forum News Service correspondent Sarah Mearhoff contributed to this report.

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Ellison sues Minnesota bars that opened in violation of executive orders - Pine Journal

By Kevin Dallas, Wind River President & CEO

In this digital age, the importance of having tech-related training and skills cannot be stressed enough. The statistics tell us that not all kids have the same equitable access to opportunities. According to data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, African Americans make up 7% of the tech industry, with only 2% holding executive roles in the sector; meanwhile, Hispanics make up 8% of the tech sector with 3% at the executive level; women hold 36% of tech roles, with only 20% at the executive level.

At Wind River our vision is an AI-first world that drives deep transformational economic and social change where technology empowers and protects organizations and societies. With a company culture that comprises attributes of customer focus, growth mindset, and diversity and inclusion (D&I), Wind River has a responsibility to our customers, our employees, and our communities. In addition to growing the business and making an industry impact, driving positive social change through front-line contribution to the education of underrepresented youth in our community is a top priority.

Enter Wind River

As one of very few Black CEOs in the tech sector, its a personal commitment and a commitment for the Wind River Executive Leadership Team to make access to technology more inclusive and equitable for underrepresented groups. A few months after joining Wind River, I was introduced to the Oakland Promise initiative launched by Oakland Mayor, Libby Schaaf. Led by CEO Mia Bonta, the Oakland Promise has been working toward advancing Oaklands community by supporting the citys young people to achieve their postsecondary educational aspirations. This unique cradle to career program offers Oakland youth the resources, support, coaching, and incentives they need throughout their school years to empower them to thrive in the higher education environments and careers of their choosing.

The Oakland Promise services are provided through four core programs at each stage of a young persons development. Through these programs, Oakland Promise offers college savings accounts (529s), Early College Scholarships, 2-4 year College Scholarships, financial guidance for parents and students, college building culture programs and critical resources to empower students to develop their college and vocational bound identity and persistence.

According to Oakland Promise:

1. Among their 1800 Oakland scholars:

79% are First-Generation in their family to go to college

88% are from families classified Very Low Income

91% are from underrepresented groups

2. 88% of their scholars persist from year 1 to year 2 of college/post-secondary, compared to state average of 70% and national average of 74%.

3. The median annual household income for a Black family in Oakland is $37.5K, and simultaneously the average total amount of loans taken out to attend a public post-secondary institution is $27K.

4. Only 45% of Black-identifying middle school students in Oakland strongly believe they will go to college.

Wind River will invest in a real front-line program for Oakland Promise students.

Through this partnership we all win, because in addition to supporting our local youth, this will grow our pipeline of new diverse talent. Our program will include:

College internships that provide exposure to cutting-edge projects and innovations with real-world relevance

Mentorship from some of the brightest minds in the technology field

Graduate career opportunities at Wind River

Mia Bonta shared these words with me, "At Oakland Promise, we are so glad to partner with Wind River to not only help Oakland students expand their horizon of potential careers, but help them see the ways they can contribute to the world through fascinating STEM-related fields."

Mia Bonta, Oakland Promise CEO

Were showing our commitment to investing in Oakland and lifting up and elevating young diverse talent. This will continue to be a priority for Wind River as we seek to be intentional in expanding our already-inclusive organization to further diversify our teams. In fact, weve recently brought in a D&I lead to help drive and accelerate this effort. Im proud of who we are, and who were continually evolving to become.

For more information on Oakland Promise visit: https://oaklandpromise.org/

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Wind River Invests in Underrepresented Youth in the City of Oakland - WIND