Green New Dade: The local version of Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal (includes video story)
Patricia Menendez, Shaikha Al-Maskari and Raul Flores
The Sunrise Movement aims to stop climate change and create millions of jobs in the process. Founded in 2017, its primary focus is to propel forward the Green New Deal, a congressional resolution introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Edward J. Markey in 2018. The resolution aims to mobilize every aspect of American society to 100% clean and renewable energy and guarantee well-paying jobs through a 10-year plan.
There are over 470 chapters (or hubs). One is the Miami Chapter, which was founded in April 2020 by 18-year-old John Paul Mejia. He said he experienced a lack of communication and coordination in Miami during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Staying true to the movement's mission, the Miami chapter is developing a localized version of the Green New Deal through an initiative called Green New Dade.
"What the Green New Dade seeks to achieve is to share this new vision, and arise this new popular sentiment for how our county officials and how our government should be owned more by regular people," Mejia said. "The climate crisis, the economy and the well-being of the people aren't separate things, they are all incredibly related. And this campaign seeks to foster that amongst the public and in the long-term to our county officials and congressional candidates."
The Green New Dade also seeks to tackle other issues, such as affordable housing, clean transit and ending climate gentrification, according to Hub Leader Gabriela Rodriguez.
"The beautiful idea of the Green New Dade is that it would take the climate crisis and use that transition into a green energy economy to not only keep us from having rising sea levels and intensifying hurricanes, but also to uplift our most vulnerable folk," Rodriguez said.
The chapter plans to initiate actions targeting county officials, to form a civilian climate core, to hold town hall meetings and invite different stakeholders to build the campaign and, of course, to drive the Green New Dade forward.
It is currently presenting the initiative to Miami's local environmental, climate and social justice groups and organizations to become movement partners. Although it is still being developed, Sunrise Movement Miami hopes to have the Green New Dade ready to present to Miami-Dade County officials at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center by Earth Day, April 22, 2021.
Patricia Menendez
Patricia M. Menendez is a senior pursuing a B.S. in digital communication and media and a B.A. in sustainability and the environment. She is a storyteller, creator and explorer. Currently, she is Director of Culture at BOLD, a student-run strategic communications agency at FIU. She is in charge of the agency's newsletter, its podcast and advocating for members' needs. After she graduates, she hopes to be working for a top ad agency in the U.S. or in digital media for an environmentally conscious company, such as National Geographic. Her goal is to integrate her knowledge of the media landscape and the environment to create impactful stories that will provoke emotion and action from society.
Shaikha Al-Maskari
Shaikha Al-Maskari is an international student from Oman. She is a senior majoring in digital media and communication with a minor in social media and e-marketing analytics. After graduating, she would like to work in the media marketing industry or to be part of the media production field.
Raul Flores
Raul is a senior studying digital media & communications. He has been creating content for the last 10 years. What started as a hobby has grown into a full-time job and daily pursuit. He has traveled to 25 countries capturing live events through photography and videography. This has allowed him to understand how to successfully target any audience through audiovisual content. Paired with his experience in broadcast television and live productions, it has prepared him to embrace the ever-changing media landscape we face today.
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