Working With What We Have

The Green Summit brought together a collective of investors. These investors were either socially based like the Weequahic Super-Neighborhood Covenant, capitol institutions like B.A.L.L.E., and non-profit entities like the Brick City Development Corporation. Each are looking for a return on effort, while working towards the same goal, an economically independent, socially-sustainable Newark, at the forefront of the global Green transition.

In order to ensure the fruition of this lofty goal, we must identify all cross-sector resources available in the city, and determine what their individual purposes are. What I am sure a surveyor would find-especially in this post-Lehman brothers society is: all non-profits are not created equal, not all micro-business owners are economically available to go Green (even if they are willing), and sustainability is a relative term. There are hundreds of non-profits that may or may not achieve their mission statements. There are hundreds of businesses that may or may not perpetuate the quality of life standard the collective is trying to achieve.

The millions of non-profit dollars available must be awarded to those who produce results. Micro-businesses must understand the appreciated value of going Green, while being presented with cost-effective measures to adhere to such. The strength in the Green plan will grow as this sifting process occurs, and transparency is created in the City of Newark.