In the wake of BP, on the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina ...Policylink, Mississippi NAACP, Oxfam America, Gulf Coast Restoration Network, BISC, Center for American Progress, and a host of other social justice and environmental restoration organizations  from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Florida, and nationwide have released "One Gulf," a Report calling for Secretary of Navy Ray Mabus and the US Congress to develop a national plan to put the gulf coast on a road to resiliance.

Per the Report, this Resiliancy Plan should:

• Create livelihood opportunities through investments in multiple resiliency strategies, including ecosystem restoration, adaptive technologies, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.
• Ensure jobs are good jobs and reach target populations, using inclusive contracting practices and multiple employment mechanisms.
• Help current workers and employers transition into resilient workers and employers.
• Ensure a governance structure that incorporates community participation, federal-state and interagency cooperation, accountability, and transparency.
• Create adequate immediate and long-term federal funding.

Verde Energy and the OR & SE Idaho District Council of Laborers, Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA) have executed a Weatherization Services Agreement for the Clean Energy Works Portland Pilot.  This Agreement provides Verde Energy with many benefits: Verde Energy can hire new Verde Energy Crew Members from LiUNA's Weatherization Training Program, a certified Clean Energy Works Portland training program, and Verde Energy will also have access to other LiUNA resources such as marketing and political advocacy.

The Weatherization Services Agreement also illustrates Verde Energy’s commitment to safety, good wages, benefits, asset-building, and continuing education for Verde Energy Crew Members. Click here to download a copy of the Verde Energy-LiUNA Agreement.

The Verde Energy Business Plan is available for download!

Verde and the Native American Youth & Family Center have completed the Verde Energy Business Plan.  Business Plan development was funded by Earned Income from Verde Landscape, by NAYA, and by the Audubon Society's Together Green Fellowship, a Local Economic Development Grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and other funders.

The Plan sets annual goals for Business Organization, Marketing, Human Resources, Business Property, and Financial Performance.  By the close of FY 2015, Verde Energy supports 20 full-time Verde Energy Crew Members, recruited by NAYA and by Hacienda CDC from their constituencies.  Verde Energy commences operations in July 2010, offering weatherization labor to for-profit weatherization contractors working on single family home retrofits.  Over time, Verde Energy offers weatherization subcontractor services and weatherization prime contractor services, and begins providing these services to multi-family housing and small commercial properties.