Robin Hood holds steadfast to one mission: fight poverty in New York City. However, sometimes the opportunity to support other causes, in conjunction to our poverty-fighting work, presents itself. That is why we are proud to celebrate Earth Day by highlighting a Robin Hood grantee that has been working to make New York City cleaner and greener since 2001: Sustainable South Bronx. 

A pioneer in its field, Sustainable South Bronx offers green job training, community greening programs, and environmental education -- all to advance its mission of revitalizing the economy and environment in the Bronx.

Since 2009, Robin Hood has awarded more than $800,000 to support the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training BEST for Buildings program (B4B), a job training program that prepares low-income individuals for jobs in weatherization, energy auditing and retrofitting, and environmental stewardship. In addition, Robin Hood has awarded more than $60,000 in management assistance grants and nearly a half a million dollars in in-kind consulting from our pro-bono partners.

At Sustainable South Bronx, individuals learn skills and techniques to make residential buildings more energy-efficient and environmentally sound. The 17-week training covers basic building science, green roof and solar panel installation, residential energy audits and retrofits, HVAC systems, insulation, asbestos removal and lead awareness. Students receive a number of industry licenses and their coursework also prepares them to take the Building Performance Institute (B.P.I.) exam — the leading credential in the field of energy auditing, upon completion of the training program.