Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 15, 2013 -- An innovative partnership and program to increase energy savings and jobs in the Southern California region will be announced at a Green Cities, More Jobs: Summit for Economic Development press event on Monday, November 18, 2013 from 11:30 a.m. at the East Rancho Dominguez Library (4420 E. Rose Street, East Rancho Dominguez, CA 90221). The year-old LEED Platinum-certified library is a prototype of the initiative.
The unique partnership between L.A. County, Citi Community Development and Emerald Cities Collaborative, was forged to train low and moderate-income residents to green L.A. County public buildings – libraries, firehouses and other community facilities – to use no energy and emit no green house gases. Citi contributed a $225,000 grant to establish the E-Contractor Academy training program for local small contractors.
“We must lead the way in bringing more sustainable building practices to Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Ridley-Thomas. “It is imperative that we change our ways for the future of our children and grandchildren. Green building is here to stay and we are embracing it for its environmental, economic and social benefits,” added the Supervisor.
The L.A. County retrofit program is part of the larger Southern California Regional Energy Network (SoCalREN) pilot program authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to provide greater local government control of energy efficiency initiatives. The SoCalREN includes more than 50 municipalities committed to lowering their buildings’ energy consumption. The jobs and business development component of this energy investment emerged through a special partnership with Citi Community Development and Emerald Cities Collaborative.
According to Denise Fairchild, President/CEO of Emerald Cities, a national nonprofit sustainable development firm, through SoCalREN, “We are helping residents and contractors from low and moderate income communities compete for L.A. County projects and for more than $2 billion a year of state and utility energy efficiency investments.”
“The E-Contractor Academy will help to ensure that small contractors can access and manage public contracts with all of their rigorous workforce, procurement and safety requirements,” said Citi Community Development Officer Victor Ramirez. “It will also create jobs by connecting community-based residents – small minority-owned contractors – to union construction and apprenticeship programs.”
Press Event Information:
L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas will host the November 18 event to describe the SoCal-REN and L.A. County energy efficiency program. Mayors from L.A. County 2nd Supervisorial District are invited to hear about the financing and technical assistance to participate in the program. Representatives from Citi Community Development, Emerald Cities Collaborative and graduates of the E-Contractor Academy will describe their experiences as part of the E-Contractor Academy Program.
A tour of the LEED Platinum library, provided after the program, will demonstrate the energy efficiency features of the design, and function of the building.
For more information on the L.A. County Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program, the E-Contractor Academy, or to arrange interviews, contact Evelyn Aleman at 818-943-2481 or email evelyn(at)mipr(dot)net. You may also visit the website, http://www.E-ContractorAcademy.com.
About the E-Contractor Academy
The E-Contractor Academy – created by the County of Los Angeles and the Emerald Cities Collaborative, and sponsored by Citi Community Development (Citibank) – is designed to prepare small contractors to compete for and perform energy efficiency retrofit projects for and within the County of Los Angeles, and billions of dollars of similar energy efficiency contracts throughout California. For more information, please visit http://www.emeraldcities.org.
About Citi Community Development (CCD)
Citi Community Development (CCD) is leading Citi's commitment to achieve economic empowerment and growth for underserved individuals, families and communities by expanding access to financial products and services, and building sustainable business solutions and innovative partnerships. Our focus areas include: commercial and philanthropic funding; innovative financial products and services; and collaborations with institutions that expand access to financial products and services for low-income and underserved communities. For more information, please visit http://www.citicommunitydevelopment.com.
Evelyn Aleman, Media Image Public Relations, http://www.mediaimagepr.com, (818) 943-2481, [email protected]
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