Last week, Chicago hosted the Green Festival at Navy Pier. This two-day event featured some of America’s most progressive green thinkers such as Van Jones, Amy Goodman, and Naomi Davis – to name a few. The event featured 350 local and national businesses and organizations vetted by the Green Festival for either their organic, sustainability, or social justice practices.

Everything from food and body products, to compost toilets and consumer-ready solar panels was featured at the festival. Ford Motors even featured a new Focus made of organic materials such as corn husk, sweet potatoes, and wheat straw. My personal favorites were all the organic wine and beer but they were nothing compared to the Community Action Area where I met artist and musician Dan Bellini with Occupy Chicago.

Bellini is a Chicago artist who found himself promoting Occupy because of his Guy Faux masked cartoon drawings. Bellini was a long-time activist, who decided to occupy Facebook with his drawings, when the 99% protest began last spring. After making nearly 300 drawings, Dan decided to contact Occupy Chicago and get involved.

“Its therapeutic to march,” he said. ” It helps to get the anger out.”

Once Dan started marching and drawing, the next step was promoting the movement.

“The Green festival was just the next event, and it was really cool,” he said.

From Dan’s perspective, the most interesting aspect of the festival, were the people who attended. According to the Green Festival, the majority of attendees are females with higher degrees between the ages of 30-40.

“The people that I met were looking for ways they could get involved and get help out,” he said. “People are trying to be responsible, but its an uphill battle for them. And events like this allow them to come together. We may not be able to change everyone’s minds, but at least we can come together and do business.”

Check out more of Bellini’s work on Occupy.com and catch the next Green Festival in Washington D.C.

The Green Room Mixtape, which is a collaborative project between The League of Young Voters and Green For All, is set to be released this Earth Day, featuring music from Dee-1, Kendrick Lamar, BJ The Chicago Kid, FowL, DJ Cavem, Thurz, Yancey Deron, Stic-man, Hassani Kwess, Franz Diego & J-Hard, and more, coming as soon as 4.20.12. Keep it locked!

You always hear about the no good, absent father. But seldomly do we hear about the ones that really wanna be a good father but can’t because they’re dealing with a crazy ex-girlfriend that happens to be the mother of their child. If you can relate to that, you might agree with this plea from Don Trip featuring the Dungeon Family’s own, Cee-lo Green.

Take A Listen HERE

3 of the dopest MC’s from the Mil got together on a track and here’s the end result. Oh, and don’t mind me #Swag

Download Pizzle’s Fame In Vain Here

In 2008, Time Magazine named Van Jones one of its “Heroes of the Environment” for his work as a climate activist dedicated to the creation of an inclusive green economy. In March of 2009, Jones was appointed by President Barack Obama to be Special Adviser for Green Jobs, a new position to develop environmentally-conscious industry and employment around the country.

Jones’ work in the Green movement was derailed in July of 2009 by controversy over his past political activities and allegations of ties to Marxist organizations and 9/11 “Truthers.” Only two months after the scandal broke, Jones gracefully resigned from his post.

No one has been appointed to replace him.

We asked some of America’s leading thinkers and political activists one simple question:

What would the Green Movement look like if Van Jones were still in the White House?

• Dr. Cornel West
• Julian Mocine-McQueen
• Malia Lazu
• Ethan Case
• Chuck Creekmur

Dr. Cornel West: Professor at Princeton University/ prominent intellectual 

“Van Jones means so much to me. He was here at Princeton. I have a great love and great respect for him.

I would say that if Van Jones was in the White House, there would be a strong prophetic voice for poor and working people and a brilliant progressive figure conversant with the constraints of public policy. This unique combination of idealism and realism trumps any vulgar cynicism too often operative in the White House.”

Julian Mocine-McQueen: San Francisco League of Young Voters

“I think that having Van in the White House was an incredible opportunity to have a true visionary help set a course for green economic development and sustainability. Having said that, I truly believe that Van’s values and vision are still represented by many of the president’s advisers and President Obama himself. I think that the political climate, as it exists now, will make it hard for the president to set a really innovative path. The effects of big money and lobbyists are still incredibly strong with or without Van.

I think the only way we’ll be able to see the president act out the vision of someone like Van is to strengthen the people’s movement. Van was cool because he was bringing the people’s voice, but he was only one person. It is our duty as citizens and activists to use our voice and our numbers to demand that the country get serious about prioritizing the transition to a green and just economy.”

Malia Lazu: MIT Fellow leading at the Urban Labs

“The idea that diversity at every level of decision-making will promote a healthy democracy is a core belief of progressive politics. However, diversity only brings benefits when different thinking is given a real voice in the strategic process. There was hope that change in the White House would mean a change on how politics is done. Hires of thoughtful leaders like Van Jones and Patrick Gespard represent a new set of ideas and political solutions that would help invite the most oppressed in this country to be educated and get meaningful employment by rebuilding their communities.

Lobbyists and money heavily influence White House strategy. I do not believe the White House, as an institution, allows for experts like Van Jones to push for a more radical political strategy. Van is a strong leader, who is well-respected in the streets and beltway, I would dare suggest, he is in a better position to influence White House policy now that he is no longer there.”

Ethan Case: Development Director at SustainUS

“I work with SustainUS, a youth-led, volunteer-run group advancing sustainable development through youth empowerment and I have had a growing sense over the past few months that young people are fed up with the state of environmental justice. We need concrete steps toward a future where our generation and our children are not suffering from the devastating effects of poisoned water, dirty air, and climate change. Recently, young environmental leaders like Courtney Hight have openly criticized the president, while Tim DeChristopher and others have called for young people to participate in acts of civil disobedience to communicate the demand for environmental justice to our unresponsive leaders.

If Van Jones were still working for the White House, We might hear the president say something about how the immense cost of environmental inaction now will have a huge impact upon our generation later. We might hear the president talk about how mountain top removal is ruining the health of Appalachian citizens and we might hear the president say that the CO2 we burn today will mean the destruction of millions of homes in Bangladesh and the South Pacific in fifty year’s time.

If Van Jones were still around, we might see an administration upholding environmental justice rather than an administration asking us to wait until after the next election.”

Chuck Creekmur, CEO at Allhiphop.com
“I believe that Van Jones would have changed the face of the Green Movement in the way President Obama changed the way people see the presidency. Through the White House, he would have been able to introduce “being green” to an impoverished or ignorant segment of the population that wouldn’t normally care about the environment.

More importantly, Van Jones is a genius and a trailblazer that has applied his passion to the environmental causes. It’s unfortunate that he doesn’t have the President’s ear, because this is one of the most pressing issues facing our generation.”

The growing issues of our crippling addiction to oil and inefficient energy consumption are not going to solve themselves. It’s about time that President Obama brought some influential thinkers with big ideas to the table. In order to face the issues head-on, the administration needs a green leader who doesn’t just talk, but has the ability to motivate people to act. Who would you nominate to take Van Jones’ position?

This article was originally published by 99problems.org, a project of the League of Young Voters, in collaboration with YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions, of which Van Jones is a former contributing editor.

Check out a quick word from Wiz below:

Our friends over at Green For All just got off the road with Pittsburgh’s finest, Wiz Khalifa. As part of the Campus Consciousness Tour, a project of Reverb, Green For All created the “Keep it Fresh” campaign to help educate and and engage with thousands of students on 20 different college campuses.

A tour of the Cube from Mike Page on Vimeo.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in an elevator? This “green” living cube was created to demonstrate how efficiently people could live in a very small space- only three meters by three meters!

It’s good to see people coming up with innovative ways to live in a less wasteful way.  Once upon a time, I thought my NYC apartment was small, but this takes it to a whole different level.

Is this the next step in greener living or the most efficient way to cause a claustrophobia-induced panic attack?

Want to save money and energy? Check out these easy ways to do it. Don’t forget to enter our $25 gas card giveaway!

1. Turning down your thermostat by one degree can cut 8% of your fuel bill.
2. An energy-efficient washing machine will use one-third less electricity for each wash, which could save you more than the cost of the appliance.
3. If every household replaced one roll of regular toilet paper with one recycled post-consumer waste roll, 424,000 trees would be saved.
4. Every three months, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild the nation ’s commercial air fleet.
5. The energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a television for three hours.
6. The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle will light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.
7. Recycling a glass bottle also causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials.
8. Recycling and reusing the material in “tin” cans reduces energy use by 74%, air pollution by 85%, solid waste by 95% & water pollution by 76%.
9. It takes 75,000 trees to print a Sunday edition of the New York Times.
10. The amount of wood & paper Americans throw away each year is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.
11. If Americans recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save 25 million trees a year.
12. Producing one ton of paper from recycled pulp saves 17 trees, 3 cubic yards of landfill space & 7,000 gallons of water. It also reduces air pollutants by 60 pounds, saves 390 gallons of oil & conserves 4200 kilowatt hours of energy – enough to heat a home for half a year.

[Green in BKLYN]

Almost exactly one year to the day that the oil spill in the Gulf began, young activists took over a BP gas station in D.C. last weekend. This wasn’t your usual protest- people gathered to throw a beach party at a BP gas station.  LaShunda Campbell was at the angry demonstration, along with more than 1,000 others.

“The idea behind this protest was ‘you flood our beaches, so now we will flood your stores!’” LaShunda said.

The idea for the flashmob originated following calls that threatened to shut down the EPA and the public embarrassment that came after watching one of our congressmen publicly apologize to BP, following the 86-day oil spill. Since the disaster, some have complained that they can no longer have beach parties on the Gulf Coast, so they thought that they would bring their party to BP instead.

Over the weekend, Power Shift, the bi-annual environmental training conference, brought more than 10,000 kids to Capitol Hill. Their presence ignited a lot of fury about the Obama administration’s inability to pass a comprehensive climate change bill.

The BP oil spill. Nuclear disaster in Japan. The #GasIsTooDamnHigh.

These news stories have come and gone from the front pages of our newspapers, but their long-lasting effects on our environment are here to stay. For many of us, they are a bitter reminder that we need to invest in more sustainable and clean forms of energy. Environmental causes are not just Al Gore’s pet project anymore: the devastating effects of global warming and corporate irresponsibility are becoming too intense to ignore.

That’s why more than 10,000 young people descended on Washington D.C. this past weekend to lobby for clean energy for Power Shift 2011. The conference set a record as the largest gathering of grassroots organizers in history.

Power Shift started in 2007 as a training program for green organizers. The attendees strategized new ways to combat global warming and environmental degradation through political action. Since then, the bi-annual event has grown to bring thousands of concerned young people to not just talk about the problems, but start working toward solutions.

Check out The League’s photo slideshow @PowerShift11:

Join the #GasIsTooDamnHigh movement. The League wants to hear what you have to say about rising gas prices and the green movement.

Enter to win a FREE $25 gas giftcard!

Take our poll and tell us “What’s Too High?”

Lil Wayne decided to add his flavor to the Green Bay Packer’s new anthem,”Green & Yellow”. The battle of the Black and Yellow vs Green & Yellow is intensifying as people are weighing in from all across the country to get a piece of this championship. I hope Wiz Khalifa is ready for this war he started a half a year ago.

Shouts out to Prophetic and Pizzle who’ve been rallying real hard for the Green & Yellow and are sitting really nice because of it. Now…Lil Weezy-ana

Of course, we could trip and get on weezy’s case for chiming in but he is legitimately repping for the packers because of his relation with Brett Favre. Check it out at MTV

Sports & Hip Hop Collide as Super Bowl 45 finally apporaches. Which city can show more Team Pride??? Will it be loyal fans of the Green Bay Packers or the Steelers of Pittsburgh???

For some reason, I am willing to bet the producers at FoxNews.com weren’t expecting to get such an articulate African American Muslim man. Check about Ib’s book Green Deen.

I, personally, haven’t bought gas from BP since the oil spill just to show my support for the birds and disgust towards the companies that allowed their own greed to affect humanity and wildlife as it did just recently. Have we already forgotten?

A buddy of mine surely hasn’t who makes the comment, “If you’re looking for a morally pure vendor to buy your gasoline from, enjoy that nice fresh air as you walk, jog or ride your bike to and from work tomorrow.” When asked what he thought of the oil spill in the gulf, BP CEO Tony Hayword said. “I wish I could have my life back.” So do a whole bunch of the employees that die in your unsafe work environments, Tony!

What could I really do to let people know that I am supportive of clean energy and preserving life? I bought a t shirt that had just the right messaging and decided to wear it into one of their local establishments in Milwaukee.
WATCH to see what happens next.

Hip-hop artist Drake is “going green” and bringing his fans with him.

“Everywhere you turn, you can see how pollution and poverty are hurting our neighborhoods,” says Drake. “But we can change that. Going green is a solution.”

Partnering with Green the Block, Drake traveled to 17 campuses in 12 states to entertain and, with the help of Green The Block, educate his fans about the benefits of going green – the jobs, health and wealth – created through this movement.

While Drake’s highly anticipated album “Thank Me Later” doesn’t arrive in stores until June 15th, check out this never-before-seen footage with the hip-hop star from his Away From Home tour!

Anthony (Van) Jones, who resigned as an environmental policy adviser to the Obama administration after coming under fire from conservatives for past statements and political activities, has been named as a visiting fellow at Princeton University for the coming academic year. A statement being released by the university today says that Mr. Jones will be a distinguished visiting fellow at both its Center for African American Studies and its Program in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy, and that he will teach a course on race, ecology, and the environment during the spring 2011 semester. Mr. Jones, a 1993 graduate of Yale Law School and co-founder of three advocacy organizations, served as a special adviser to the White House Council on Environmental Quality from March to September of 2009. He left the position after being attacked for publicly using a crude insult in reference to Republicans, signing a petition that questioned whether the Bush administration deliberately allowed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and having past connections to a radical Bay Area group with Marxist origins.

League of Young Voters Education Fund members, Jayme Montgomery,
Christina Polcari and Courtney Hull on the streets of Copenhagen
discussing the protest they will attend on the morning of December 16,
2009 – follow their trip at http://youngvoter.org/cop15

“There is a big protest in COP tomorrow morning – delegates will walk
out of convention to join thousands in the streets (esp 20,000
people). People are really pissed here because it doesn’t look like
we will have a bold agreement that all countries agree on by the end
of the week. We will be at the protest tomorrow to report!” – Heather
Box

Check the video after the jump!

Heather and Jayme interviewed by Current TV

The League of Young Voters Education Fund is on the scene in Denmark! It was inspiring to fly all the way across the world last night only to disembark from the plane and see dozens of familiar faces walking through the streets of beautiful Copenhagen. Some good friends, some co-workers, some acquaintances; all allies, but the quality they had in common was a visible, tangible feeling of exhaustion. As I jumped up and down in the streets of Denmark, taking in the experience and excited to connect with the people I knew to find out where I should be in the AM to get the best story I was stopped in my tracks by their warnings:

“Heather, lower your expectations. It seems like the decision to make no decision is already set.”

It’s stunning, honestly. So I am in search of the silver lining – the good news from Copenhagen – which I know is here, I just haven’t found it yet. A group of international youth sitting next to me right now are discussing the need for the United States Senate to mandate action in order to make the US move in Copenhagen. They are talking tactics for pressuring Congress. Many people are considering an international push on the US Senate; district by district pressure in the States, massive global direct action … I wish I could jump in the conversation with the answer but there are still so many questions.

What I can say with confidence is that we need to fight the exhaustion and keep pushing our elected officials. We don’t have time for exhaustion, only for action. We need to join the small nations, the independent voices, who are crying out for true change, for diplomacy and equal treatment.

Off to join the conversation – will send updates soon. Less than 24 hours on the ground and it’s a different world…

What’s the view from America?

We tend to do a lot of talking here about greening yourself. Let’s face it, it’s not easy.

A lot of the time, people perceive greening their lifestyles as difficult, financially cumbersome with negligible returns. To reverse a societal norm is damn near impossible, so we’ve got our work cut out for us. This raises an eternally interesting question, however. Does working in an ecofriendly workplace or a green job help one develop a greener personality?

According to a recent NY Times blog, there seems to be no conducive evidence as of yet – research is still relatively new on the subject – but there are many case studies of this actually happening. Take – for instance – a graduate of Solar Richmond, Wayne Gatlin:

“I’m getting greener,” said Mr. Gatlin, who earns far more as a photovoltaics installer for the Berkeley-based Sun Light & Power than he did working security or selling shoes at an Adidas retail store.

“I recycle now,” Mr. Gatlin said. “I ride my bike. This was stuff I wouldn’t do before.”

I can personally say that ever since starting to work at 99Problems.org and The League, I’ve been trying to green my lifestyle with little things: using public transportation whenever possible, bringing my lunch to work in plastic containers rather than paper bags, trying to buy sustainable products… things like that.

What about you? Is your work life conducive to a greener lifestyle?