The new documentary The Greening of Southie follows construction workers in Boston as they adapt to the new rules and regulations of green development (sometimes unwittingly).
"At a construction site in South Boston a couple years back, a foreman was explaining some rules for the job to an increasingly flustered tile-worker. They'll have to use some new non-toxic adhesive. All the waste must be recycled. And the real kicker-there's no smoking in the building. 'You don't understand,' said the foreman, 'this is a green building.'
'That's right,' the tile-worker quips. 'I don't understand.'
The encounter, related in the opening scene of the documentary The Greening of Southie, is far from unique. For all the talk of "green jobs" these days, it's relatively common on construction sites (and in manufacturing plants, for that matter) for workers themselves to be the last to know that their collars have changed color from blue to green.
Filmmakers Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis see this as a problem. 'The extent to which these guys were left out of the conversation about green building was surprising,' Cheney told me. 'It seems like a tremendous missed opportunity if we stop at simply calling these 'green jobs' and don't help the workers understand why this might be a good idea, why it's important.'"
FULL STORY: Workers Appraise Their New “Green Jobs”

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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