In 2015, Sustainable South Bronx entered into a partnership with The HOPE Program...

Sustainable South Bronx addresses economic and environmental issues in the South Bronx- and throughout New York City- through a combination of green jobs training, community greening programs, and social enterprise. In 2015, we joined forces with The HOPE Program. Since that time, we’ve strengthened our green jobs training program, expanded NYC °CoolRoofs in partnership with the New York City Department of Small Business Services, and earned a historic grant to launch solar installation and green infrastructure training in the Bronx through our social enterprise, Intervine.

 

History
Founded in 2001, Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx) began out of a desire to advocate for parks and green development in the South Bronx and to promote environmental justice in a neighborhood that has borne, and continues to bear, a heavy environmental burden for the rest of the city.

Programs and Impact

  • SSBx - Our classroom-based and hands-on green jobs training program. We are proud that 84% of graduates secure paid jobs and X% are working one year later! Throughout the training, our students green the local community through hands-on projects such as tree surveys, water quality testing and shoreline restoration.

  • NYC °CoolRoofs - We hire 70 individuals each year in transitional paid jobs in coating rooftops with a reflective material, easing buildings' energy consumption and mitigating the urban heat island effect. Last year, we were responsible for over 1 million square feet of rooftop coated and $X in earned income for New Yorkers developing the skills to enter the green economy.

  • Intervine - Our social enterprise which trains and employs community members to create and maintain green infrastructure. Some of our recent projects include renovating Bryant Hill Community Garden, maintaining the Fordham Road Business Improvement District, and maintaining greenroofs.

Across all of our programs, SSBx and The HOPE Program know that jobs provide not only financial stability for individuals, but also justice and dignity for communities who have been disenfranchised by the labor market, and we focus on serving those New Yorkers with particularly high barriers to employment.

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