Green Prosperity Initiative

The Green Prosperity Initiative seeks to build a multi-stakeholder network to support a growing green economy while producing regional economic outcomes across three areas: savings, opportunity, and talent.

Our vision is of a California where investments in energy efficiency are just that—investments. Green Prosperity is not a sinkhole that needs one grant after another without ever achieving any measurable success. Green Prosperity is a transformative initiative that builds the tools and equipment to harness the ingenuity, inspiration, and innovation that will move the Sierra Nevada region away from regulations and incentives for energy efficiency to a widespread baseline commitment to energy efficiency that lays the foundation for economic and environmental innovation.

The Green Prosperity Initiative works synergistically with two training and leadership tracts; the Energy Efficiency Training Program and the Sierra Leadership Institute Energy & Climate Program. At the core of these courses is the opportunity to train workers for careers in the emerging green jobs field while simultaneously developing climate and energy leadership. A unique component of the Sierra Leadership Institute is that attendees apply in teams representative of diverse community interests, and will work with program staff to turn concepts developed in the course into viable projects.

The initiative also incorporates an online energy monitoring program referred to as the Savings by Monitoring Energy tool, or SMEasure. More information can be found on our website or at www.SMEasure.org.

We are partnering with a variety of state and national partners and funders on different components of the Green Prosperity Initiative, however, the program is primarily funded by Pacific Gas and Electric Company as an Innovator Pilot program. Our overarching regional Green Prosperity concept is part of the California Stewardship Exchange, coordinated by Collaborative Economics and funded by the Morgan Family Foundation.

This graphic represents the model for change that the Green Prosperity Initiative strives for, the objectives of which are to simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy and financial savings, expand business opportunities, and grow green talent and jobs. In this light, the Green Prosperity Initiative is complimentary with two of SBC's other programs, the Sierra Nevada Energy Watch (SNEW) and Green Communities. Please visit those project pages for information on how SBC is delivering energy and financial savings to small businesses in PG&E territory and working with local governments to perform greenhouse gas emissions inventories. Graphic courtesy Climate Prosperity Project, Inc.

Objectives
Provide an opportunity for local workers, entrepreneurs, and leaders to support and work in the emerging green economy, giving them the tools they will need to succeed in the Sierra Nevada Region's and California's changing business climate.

Move energy and climate change leadership beyond the fringe of environmental leaders and into the mainstream. Provide relevancy of energy and climate issues to a wider audiences including communities of color, low-income, and non-native English speakers.

Provide energy and climate literacy training for workers, engaged citizens, and community leaders that builds upon the participants' ability to communicate the benefits of greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Demonstrate that the energy efficiency movement provides great economic benefit. It saves money that can be reinvested in the local economy to create additional jobs and support local businesses.

Process
One component of the Green Prosperity Initiative is to establish an energy and climate module of the Sierra Leadership Institute. This will function to develop collaborative leadership across key members of Sierra communities for the purpose of driving clean energy projects in their communities—such as energy efficiency retrofits of municipal facilities, renewable energy investments, or climate action plans. Rather than focusing on building individual leadership skills, the curriculum will focus on team leadership. Regional teams will attend a weeklong training workshop during which they will learn collaborative leadership skills alongside the following: the climate and energy policy landscape in California, climate and energy science, codes and standards, California energy regulatory agencies and energy efficiency strategic planning efforts, and opportunities and resources for clean energy transformation that will most benefit their communities.

The second component of the Green Prosperity Initiative aims to provide trade, construction, and building and operations workers with training in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green building. Workers will gain skills that they may need to compete in the emerging green job field. In addition to gaining technical skills, participants will also receive training on energy and climate issues, communicating the benefits of green practices to customers, as well as sustainable business practices.