By Ruth McCormack
Working at the intersection of economic revitalization and environmental sustainability, SLATE-Z is exploring the question: what is a “Green Job” in South Los Angeles?
For the past year our Jobs Workgroup has led a Job Growth Series, with green jobs as one of its central themes. Joelle Sabater, an AmeriCorps VISTA lead for SLATE-Z, led the first two occurrences of the series. In conjunction, she examined the state of green jobs in South Los Angeles, which culminated in a report: the State of Green Jobs in South Los Angeles.
The report explores the historical need for a climate-resilient economy, policies that are now spurring economic growth, and work that SLATE-Z partners are currently undertaking. There is not one definition of a “Green Job” in California. Sabater interviewed leaders in the Promise Zone to understand how this has affected their work. The broad definition creates a need for focused working groups to address aspects of this emerging sector. SLATE-Z is continuing its Job Growth Series in 2025 to connect its partners and create new career pathways for South Los Angeles Residents.
SLATE-Z is in its tenth year, with eight as the backbone organization for the South Los Angeles Promise Zone. Promise Zones are a 10-year designation by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department focused on the economic improvement of residents, students, and businesses. Only two years are left in the designation, and through five levers of change SLATE-Z has been hard at work to convene its partners to revitalize the economy in South Los Angeles.
To learn more about the State of Green Jobs in South Los Angeles, read our report, linked here.