FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 06, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC  – Green DMV, an environmental organization that provides minority-owned and small and disadvantaged businesses with green consultative services walked the H Street corridor today. Anwar Saleem, who spearheads the H Street DC Main Streets Revitalization Initiative conducted the tour with Philip O'Neal and Rhon Hayes, who co-founded the non-profit in response to the 2007 Green Jobs Act. The Green Jobs Act was proposed to train workers for green collar jobs and workforce training programs targeted to veterans, displaced workers, at-risk youth and families in extreme poverty.

The Green Jobs Act will train people for jobs like installing solar panels and weatherization. It will expand demand for a variety of green-collar jobs and create vibrant new markets for DC-area businesses. The Government of the District of Columbia is committed to using the existing workforce and economic development systems to ensure that the city uses its resources to support the greening of the city as part of its core operations.

"The H Street corridor had 150 vacant business locations 5 years ago, now we have 30." said Saleem. The H Street Corridor Mainstreet Program is headed by Executive Director, Anwar Saleem, a long time DC resident. The DC Main Streets program was created in 2002 to support the establishment and implementation of lasting, comprehensive revitalization initiatives in DC’s traditional neighborhood business districts. DC Main Streets' goal is to support retail investment in the District through the retention and expansion of existing businesses and the recruitment of new businesses.

Through the DC Main Streets program, reSTORE DC provides comprehensive technical and financial assistance to build the capacity of neighborhood nonprofit organizations (DC Main Street organizations) to assist businesses and coordinate sustainable community-driven revitalization efforts in their neighborhoods. The local DC Main Streets commercial district revitalization efforts are organized and led by local volunteers and community development professionals. DC Main Streets program grant recipients like Anwar Saleem are competitively selected.
 
Green DMV plans to work with Anwar Saleem and the H Street Corridor Main Streets team to help the business owners along the corridor to build and maintain environmentally-friendly business practices designed to improve energy efficiency, reduce water consumption, provide cleaner waste management. The organization talked with several business owners along the H Street corridor about their operating costs who welcomed their offer to help. Green DMV will conduct free sustainability assessments to determine what specific low-cost green practices can be implemented to help the business owners reduce their carbon footprint, while improving their bottom line.

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About Green DMV

Green DMV is a non-profit organization seeking to create a socially and environmentally responsible culture throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area by engaging the low-income community.

For more information, please visit www.greendmv.org