Clean Energy Economic Forum

CCLF Executive Director Calvin L. Holmes recently participated in the Clean Energy Economic Forum, which was hosted by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in conjunction with the White House this past November.

Holmes and other participants considered strategies to enhance the health of their communities through additional green space, improved access to safe bicycle trails, alternative means of transportation, better community planning and other changes to the built environment through the promotion of healthier lifestyles and through effective public health preparedness.

Much of the forum’s discussion centered on the need for better urban design policies within local communities in order to make more vibrant and sustainable places to live. With last year’s announcement of an inter-agency partnership for Sustainable Communities between the EPA, Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), there was much to discuss in regards to federal policy on the subject.

Holmes reflected on the forum: “It was an honor to participate in the forum, and I was encouraged to see that the White House is strategically emphasizing the role that clean energy will play in improving public heath and creating jobs—both sorely needed in lower-wealth communities—independent of the debate on climate change.”