The Green Institute partners with the American Indian OIC in putting federal stimulus dollars to work

AIOIC Director Lee Antel, John White and Green Institute’s Diana McKeown.

Congressman Keith Ellison, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other elected officials and tribal leaders toured the American Indian Opportuni-ties Industrialization Center (AIOIC) on June 7, 2009, to witness firsthand the economic recovery package at work. John White, a local 20-year-old, was congratulated; he is among the 43 young adults placed by the AIOIC in apprenticeships with Minnesota employers. White will join the Green Institute’s ReUse/DeConstruction Pro-gram this summer for a ten-week-long position funded with economic stimulus funds received by the AIOIC as part of the federal $1.2 billion Work Investment Act.

Speaker Pelosi praised the Green Institute for its work historically and thanked us for being part of this great program.” said Diana McKeown, program coordinator for the Green Institute, who represented the organization on the tour. McKeown told Pelosi that this program was a great union of young workers and an organization with the mission of improving the sustainability of its community. “We will be able to divert more materials from landfills with extra staff this summer,” McKeown said.

White’s placement builds on the long-standing role played by the Green Institute in creating opportunity for local residents to overcome barriers to employment through construction skills training and living wages
“The Green Institute is honored to be teaming with AIOIC. Not only do we strive to create jobs, we hope to make a difference in the lives of our community members,” said Green Institute Executive Director Jamie Heipel.
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