Toxic & Green Jobs Tour

Who:  Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (DWEJ)

What:  Toxic/Green Jobs Tour for Elected Officials and Government Representatives

Purpose: Over the years, DWEJ has hosted several toxic tours, highlighting the challenges primarily confronting 48217, which is the most toxic zip code in Michigan. The tour spans from waste incinerators and a refinery to abandoned land and factories.  Conversely, in 2010, DWEJ hosted the first Green Jobs Tour for elected officials and legislative staff.  Since 2007, we have been very fortunate to work with several notable employer partners in the green and sustainable jobs industry.  These employers provide a variety of green jobs to many of our graduates, ranging from energy retrofits to deconstruction to lead/asbestos abatement.  DWEJ will combine both tours to host our first Toxic/Green Jobs Tour for elected officials and government representatives.  This tour will include stops at some of DWEJ’s successful green job placement sites, as well as some of Detroit’s most environmentally depressed areas. Elected officials and government representatives will be able to witness many of the barriers that affect the quality of life in Detroit, thus challenging the creation of a sustainable Detroit.  However, they will also witness green job opportunities and hopefully understand the dire importance of investing in proven green job training programs.

When: Friday, October 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.—We begin boarding the Tour Bus between 8:30-8:50 a.m. and depart promptly at 9 a.m., lunch will be served at the Hannan House, immediately following the Tour.

Where:  Incinerator, Historical Boston Edison Rehab project, Broderick Tower, Ambassador Bridge, Zug Island, Delray Community, Marathon Oil Refinery  (See Tour Map) – We will depart from the Hannan House, located at 4750 Woodward Avenue

Confirmed:  EPA (National Office), U.S. Department of Labor, MDEQ, State Representative Rashida Tlaib, State Representative David Nathan, State Senator Coleman Young, Detroit City Council Member Ken Cockrel, Representative from State Senator Virgil Smith’s Office, Representative from State Senator Bert Johnson’s Office, Representative from Congressman John Dingell’s Office, Representatives from Detroit City Council Member James Tate’s Office, Joanne Watson’s Office, Representatives from U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congressmen Hansen Clarke and John Conyer’s Office

Invited:  White House, U.S. Department of Justice, Congressman Gary Peters, Congressman Fred Upton, U.S. Senator Carl Levin, Detroit City Council Members Shaunteel Jenkins, Charles Pugh, Joanne Watson, Brenda Jones, James Tate, Andre Spivey, Kwame Kenyatta, Gary Brown, and several state representatives and state senators.