In The States

The Blue Green Alliance is currently concentrating efforts in six states:

Michigan                                Ohio                                         Washington
Minnesota                              Pennsylvania                           Wisconsin

The alliance plans to expand to additional focus states in 2008.  Meantime, the BGA is working on local campaigns in more than 20 other states across the nation. The BGA creates a formal structure for expanding these campaigns into carefully crafted initiatives, elevating our outreach to our constituencies, and, ultimately, creating a renewed, vibrant base of Americans who will work for good jobs, a clean environment, and a safer world.

Michigan

The Michigan Blue Green Alliance includes more than 42,000 USW and Sierra Club members, as well as many other partners.  Over the past year, BGA staff and activists in Michigan have held a series Town Hall meetings, co-sponsored major Climate Action Day events, and made presentations about the job-creating potential of renewable energy to more than 15,000 USW local union leaders and members.  The Michigan BGA is also collaborating with Women of Steel to support USW's toxic trade/get the lead out campaign.   

Minnesota

The Minnesota Blue Green Alliance is comprised of more than 30 groups, including Sierra Club North Star Chapter, Steelworkers District 11, MN State AFL-CIO, Clean Water Action, Apollo Alliance, AFSCME Council 6, SEIU Minnesota State Council, Teamsters Joint Council 32, Minnesota Building Trades, Environment 2004, Fresh Energy, Izaac Walton League of America Midwest Office, Institute for a Sustainable Future, and the League of Rural Voters. In recent months, MN BGA has held Town Hall meetings throughout the state, including events in Eveleth, Hibbing and Tower.  The MN BGA worked with mayors R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis and Chris Coleman of St. Paul to launch the Twin Cities’ Initiative on Green Manufacturing, which will release a report in January 2008 addressing the best ways to attract green manufacturers to the area. Read about this effort in a September 2007 interview with BGA Executive Director David Foster in Twin Cities Business.  For more information, contact Joshua Low, Associate Regional Representative: jlow@bluegreenalliance.org.

Ohio

The Ohio Blue Green Alliance includes organizations representing 635,000 Ohioans. Some of the groups involved in the Ohio alliance are Steelworkers, Sierra Club, Ohio AFL-CIO, IUE-CWA, FLOC, Ohio Farmers Union, Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, Ohio Environmental Council, Policy Matters Ohio, Apollo Alliance, Environmental Health Watch and the OH League of Conservation Voters.  The USW and Sierra Club recently toured the state to promote the BGA.  Read about the tour here.  The Ohio BGA also recently piloted a global warming training for activists -- developed in collaboration with Wellstone Action.  For more information, contact Susan Knight: sknight@bluegreenalliance.org.  

Pennsylvania

During the summer of 2006, the Pennsylvania Blue Green Alliance sponsored leadership training programs held during USW's "summer school." These sessions, held at the union's Linden Hall in Dawson, PA, featured a workshop activity designed by the Public Health Institute. Each workshop presented a panel of environmentalists and union leaders who described their personal experiences (both the good and the not so good) in attempting to build blue-green alliances. The last portion featured a power-point presentation by BGA executive Director David Foster, outlining alliance strategy.  For more information, contact Rachel Martin: rachel.martin@sierraclub.org.

Washington

The Washington Blue-Green Alliance has grown to 30 organizations including USW, Sierra Club, Apollo Alliance, NW Energy Coalition, WA State Labor Council and the WA Building Trades. Currently, the alliance is focusing on renewable energy issues, toxics and building a statewide Fair Trade Coalition.

Wisconsin 

In Wisconsin, the BGA leverages the power and size of the USW's 35,000 members and retirees, and the Sierra Club’s John Muir Chapter, with its 14,000 members.  Wisconsin BGA is playing an active role on Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle’s Task Force on Global Warming, represented by USW District 2 Director Jon Geenen and Sierra Club Great Lakes Program Director Emily Green.  This body will create a state plan of action to deliver to the Governor to reduce Wisconsin's contribution to global warming. The Task Force will first address administrative policy recommendations and “opportunities for addressing global warming and economic growth.” The WI BGA will generate labor-environment support to ensure real progress by the Task Force.