Over the last decade, PUSH Buffalo has built a powerful, grassroots movement guided by racial, economic and environmental justice and rooted in the realities of poor and working class people living in Buffalo. PUSH has modeled the Just Transition (transition from an extractive economy to a restorative economy that values people, climate justice and resilience) in the Green Development Zone (GDZ), a place-based initiative focused in a 25-block district on Buffalo’s West Side. Renewable ... Read More
Over the last decade, PUSH Buffalo has built a powerful, grassroots movement guided by racial, economic and environmental justice and rooted in the realities of poor and working class people living in Buffalo. PUSH has modeled the Just Transition (transition from an extractive economy to a restorative economy that values people, climate justice and resilience) in the Green Development Zone (GDZ), a place-based initiative focused in a 25-block district on Buffalo’s West Side. Renewable energy projects, green housing rehabilitation, urban farming and green infrastructure installations have transformed over 200 parcels within the zone. Projects in the Zone have generated more than 100 living wage jobs accessible to neighborhood residents in a range of sectors over the four years and have reduced carbon emissions by approximately 155 Metric Tons of CO2 annually. The Zone has gained worldwide attention as a model of building community wealth and power while reducing the carbon footprint through intensive interventions through energy efficiency and renewables. The GDZ is a destination for learning and each year is visited by hundreds of citizen activists, planners and policymakers from communities seeking to make similar transitions. The benefits of PUSH’s organizing model extend far beyond the boundaries of the Zone itself. By building a culture of change and engaging hundreds of low-income leaders in strategic campaigns focused on winning concrete victories, PUSH and it’s allies have won more than $100 million in new energy efficiency, housing and job training investments for communities across the state. The targets of these campaigns have included major energy and banking corporations, state agencies and local municipalities.
At PUSH Buffalo, we value the following:
Member Involvement – We base our decisions on member participation and consideration of alternatives
Inclusiveness – We encourage a diversity of opinions
Ownership – We take advantage of opportunities to create and control community resources
Results Oriented – Our plan is an accomplishment – we have outlined a series of measurable goals and outcomes that will ultimately lead to results
Relevant – We will respond to changing political and social climates by evaluating trends that are prevalent to the goals and objectives of our organization
Justice - We are committed to promoting social justice that gives real power to real people
At PUSH Buffalo, we hope to accomplish the following:
- Build a more democratic, action-orientated organization that addresses poor housing conditions and the lack of living wage jobs in our neighborhoods
- Decrease the rate of housing abandonment by reclaiming properties from neglectful public and private owners and redeveloping them for occupancy
- Lead direct action campaigns against corporations and government agencies whose practices contribute to the high poverty rate in our community
- Create a replicable model of grassroots neighborhood organizing and redevelopment that can be deployed in other low-income communities throughout the Rust Belt
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