AUSTIN, TEXAS — Clean energy developments in New England, New York, and New Jersey will benefit from a major boost this year with support from TD Bank after four US-based nonprofit organizations were named 2022 TD Ready Challenge winners.
While all of the winners pledged to use the funding to expand clean energy developments in their respective communities, three of the four groups emphasized a focus on helping to provide more jobs and job training in the green economy.
The 2022 TD Ready Challenge is a program that provides up to $10 million in funding to 10 Canadian and American NPOs that are dedicated to addressing climate change and providing viable solutions to North America’s transition into a more sustainable economy. Winning organizations receive $1 million each to help them achieve their goals and further the expansion of the green economy.
NPOs Pledge to Help Develop Sustainable Jobs
Of the US groups that won the prestigious award, most specifically highlighted the need to support further development of jobs in the clean energy sector.
The four winning groups include Bridges to Green Jobs, the Maine Farmland Trust, the Rowan University Foundation, and the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation.
In particular, Bridges to Green Jobs said its group “provides a pathway to quality jobs in green energy and climate resiliency for communities that have been disproportionately affected by climate change and historically excluded from and underrepresented in the green jobs sector and adjacent industries,” such as construction and related trades.
“We will expand in Boston and scale to Newark and Detroit over a two-year period,” Green Jobs announced.
For its part, the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation said, “An equitable clean energy transition requires large-scale green capital deployment, a qualified workforce to implement projects and community participants that are engaged in an authentic way.
“[Our] program addresses barriers to capital deployment through green finance while building a more inclusive technical workforce and increasing community engagement through training and education.”
Additionally, the Rowan University Foundation pledged to work with the South Jersey Workforce Development Board to “establish a Green Jobs Academy to build pathways to required industry credentials in offshore wind and solar power to meet the state’s growing need to respond to the climate crisis, by developing a home-grown, green energy workforce, supporting those affected by carbon-based industry closures.”