Green The Block 2010 Days of Action: March's Theme, "Women in the Green Economy"

This March, Green The Block returns with the first in our series of national service and action days. Each of these days is designed to help people by improving their access to educational materials, job resources and relevant community service.

The theme of the first event, in honor of Women’s History Month, is “Women in the Green Economy.” With the help of our Green The Block coalition members, and you, we will highlight the opportunities for and leadership of women in the Green Economy. Why women? Why now? We know that women are leaders in our current economy in many ways, and we are already seeing their leadership in developing a green economy.

In 1967, women made up a third of the American workforce; today that number is up to nearly half, and mothers are the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of American families. These changes represent a dramatic shift in how we live and work. That, according to one recent study, “… fundamentally changes how we all work and live, not just women but also their families, their co-workers, their bosses, their faith institutions, and their communities."

We also know that women have long been locked out of opportunities available to their male counterparts and often bear the brunt of economic hardships.  It was female heads of household working at the poverty level, for example, who were hardest hit by the recent economic downturn. In September 2009, more than 1.1 million working-age female heads of household wanted a job but could not find one. Ninety percent of working-age adults in the United States who earn less than $15,000 a year working full time are women.

Our goal is that green jobs, created in the new clean-energy economy – jobs in manufacturing, construction and information technology, all sectors in which women are underrepresented – will go to those women give them avenues out of poverty. These jobs often pay 20 to 30 percent more than sectors where women are better represented. In addition they often provide better benefits, greater career and training opportunities and higher job satisfaction.

For these reasons we are taking the opportunity of Women’s History Month to highlight the need for focused support of green job training and placement for women, and to shine the light on a few of the thousands already leading the way in the green economy.

Evelin Palacios, Women’s Action to Gain Economic Security (WAGES)

Before co-founding her new eco-housecleaning co-op, Evelin Palacios worked with toxic products. Her boss did not allow gloves, saying she could work better with bare hands. She worked 10+ hours a day for $50. Daily she struggled with cracking skin on her hands, headaches, and dizziness.

Today Ms. Palacios is working for herself on her own terms, without the dangerous toxins! She became a business owner by joining the WAGES co-op, and now earns three times what she made before. She is a leader within the collective as well. Her co-workers elected Ms. Palacios to the Board of Directors, where she helps guide the co-op’s growth and create more green jobs.

Evelin Palacios’s story is one that we need to tell. She is a leader and pioneer in this emerging economy.

This March, please join Green The Block as we celebrate Ms. Palacios and dozens of leaders like her.



Help us educate and explore opportunities and resources, so more women can exercise their vision and leadership in the green economy, just like Evelin Palacios.