Updated: photos are now up on the Event Photos page.
The Blue Green Alliance, a partnership of the United Steelworkers (USW) and the Sierra Club with the Natural Resources Defense Council co-sponsored a rally on Saturday, May 31 in Braddock to promote the creation of green jobs by increasing investments in renewable energy as part of its Green Jobs for America campaign. The rally and picnic brought out nearly 200 people to hear music and speakers, enjoy a picnic, peruse information tables, and tour some local examples of clean energy solutions.

See some pictures from the rally!

The Green Jobs for America campaign focuses on a commitment to clean, renewable energy to make the U.S. more energy-independent, to help end our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and to create hundreds of thousands of green jobs nationwide.

A wide variety of local labor, environmental, community, government and faith based organizations participated in the rally and picnic lunch in Braddock.

USW District 10 Director John DeFazio remarked that solutions to environmental challenges are already driving economic development and creating successful and profitable businesses in Allegheny County and across the state of Pennsylvania.

“With so many activists and resources in the state, Pittsburgh is a natural fit for the Blue Green Alliance’s green jobs initiative,” DeFazio said. “Our union will continue working with the coalition to promote policies and investment that will help rebuild America’s manufacturing base while combating global climate change.”

In addition to DeFazio, other guest speakers at the rally were Allegheny County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council President Jack Shea, Allen Kukovich, director of Governor Ed Rendell’s Southwest Regional Office. Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, Father Jack O’Malley, Katie Edwards, Clean Air Council, Andrew Butcher, CEO, GTECH Strategies, and Claudia Kirkpatrick, Chair of the Sierra Club Allegheny Group.

Along with the United Steelworkers, the Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, groups co-sponsoring the event were ACORN – Blue Green Alliance of PA – Fossil Free Fuel – Grow Pittsburgh – GTECH Strategies – Heritage Health Foundation – Jobs with Justice – League of Young Voters – Mon Valley Unemployed Committee – PennFuture – SEIU Local 3 – Steel City Biofuels – UNITE HERE.

Special thanks to East End Food Co-op for their kind donation of fresh organic apples to the event, to Fossil Free Fuels and Grow Pittsburgh for offering tours of their facilities to rally participants, and to all the hard-working volunteers who made the event a great success!