Discover how ancestral knowledge, hands-on seed saving, and community advocacy come together to advance AfroIndigenous farming. Seed saving with intention and purpose!

Some people find their calling early. Cosco Jones found his at age three, building with Legos and sketching houses in a neighborhood that was often overlooked but never short on potential. That early fascination with building things and helping people never left him, it just grew up alongside him into a career built on energy justice, sustainable building science, and making sure low-income communities aren't left paying the price for inefficient homes. Jones's path toward su

This fall, Black Sustainability, Inc. is doubling down on hands-on land education. Whether you've got two hours over lunch or three full days to invest, there's a way to step deeper into AfroIndigenous and NRCS-rooted land practices this season. Here's everything coming up, and why it matters. Why These Trainings Are Needed Black and Afro-Indigenous growers have carried land wisdom for generations, but access to the technical resources, certifications, and funding pathways th

This month we're shining our spotlight on Sister Barbara LaRonde, cannabis consultant and educator, community activist, entertainment manager and producer, radio personality, and one of the most persistent voices behind the Virgin Islands' hemp and cannabis movement. Her mission is simple to state and hard to execute: make sure local people aren't shut out of an industry that's about to change the territory's economy. Sister B spent a decade campaigning for the legislation th

There are moments when the work you've been quietly building suddenly steps into the spotlight. For Black Sustainability, Inc., this is one of them. Our CoFounder and Executive Director Raina Turner-Greenlea, has just been confirmed to sit on the Board of the Georgia Solar Energy Association (GA Solar), a recognition of years spent championing equitable access to the green economy in Atlanta and beyond. It's a milestone that carries weight far past a title. It signals that t

July 27, 2026 Atlanta, GA Picture a room full of Atlanta residents on graduation day, not in caps and gowns, but in the safety vests and hard hats they've spent weeks learning to wear on real job sites. They've spent evenings and weekends studying panel wattage and racking systems, sitting through First Aid/CPR/AED + OSHA 10 certification, and picturing what a solar career could look like for their families. On July 31, this room will fill again -- for the second time! The Co

Zieair Clinton isn't waiting for permission to build something big. At 22, he's already a co-owner, an independent contractor, and now a solar trainee and he sees all three as pieces of the same long game. Born and raised on Atlanta's Westside, Zieair co-owns Sweet Sol, a cooperative that makes and sells hot sauce, and works as an independent contractor with Eco-PARADIGM. Music, community, and pushing past his comfort zone are what drive him and it was Eco-PARADIGM that firs

For JoAnna M. Powell, solar training is the newest tool in a toolbox she's been building for years on Atlanta's Westside. A native Atlanta resident and proud resident of "the BEST side, the Westside," JoAnna serves as President of the Lincoln Homes Neighborhood Association and Program Manager for NPU-G. Her life's work centers on environmental stewardship, equitable community development, and building the kind of long-term neighborhood resilience that means families never hav

Kenneth Stewart isn't waiting for the clean energy boom to arrive in the South. He's training to build it! A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Stewart has had a career that took him north for awhile before returning to Georgia with his family. After attending a few Black Sustainability programs and events, he learned of this solar opportunity and he applied. He joined our GRID Alternatives training with a resume built on sales, marketing, and customer service, not solar panels

We recently wrapped up our virtual learning series on AfroIndigenous Farming and NRCS Practices which concluded on July 16. This series was an incredible opportunity to connect ancestral agricultural wisdom with modern conservation programs. Over the course of the sessions we explored how traditional land care matches up with formal federal conservation standards. The goal was to give growers the knowledge needed to access resources while staying true to ecological traditions

July 17-18, 2026 Atlanta, GA This past Saturday was a fantastic experience for our team. We were honored to participate in the 4th Annual Southeast Environmental Justice Summit held at the Grand Hyatt in Atlanta. It was a privilege to co-host the WERiSE Workshop as a featured part of this year's summit. The workshop focused heavily on the power of community led solutions for environmental justice. During the session, critical topics like home weatherization, showing how energ

Our core team recently wrapped up an incredible trip to the USVI and St. Croix was one of our stops. This visit was deeply personal for us, having a direct connection to the island makes the work mean so much more. We traveled to the US Virgin Islands with a clear mission: to see the current state of local farming, share information on NRCS practices and resources, talk about how to get more value out of native fruits and vegetables, and build partnerships that help the commu

For Candace "Dr. K" Clark, solar training is the next chapter of a life already devoted to Black sustainability, both in theory and in practice. Originally from Chicago and now based in central Alabama, Dr. K serves as co-executive director of the cooperative Farm Plug Unite and works with Tuskegee University's Carver Integrative Sustainability Center. They recently completed a dissertation exploring a question that shapes everything they do: what does sustainable development

July 10, 11, and 12, 2026 There's a particular kind of quiet that settles over a farm early in the morning, before the work begins, when the dew is still on the leaves and everyone is just arriving, tools in hand, unsure yet of exactly how the day will unfold. That's how our farm brigade weekend at Upendo Estate Farms started. By the time we left, that quiet had turned into something else entirely: the satisfaction of a community that had shown up for the land, and for each

When communities come together to support one another, amazing things happen. We are bursting with gratitude as we look back on our recent Irrigation Workshop and Farm Tour at the Bordeaux Farmer’s Market in St. Thomas sponsored by Winston County Self Help Cooperative and Natural Resource Conservation Service. This incredibly impactful 2-day workshop held on June 17 & 18 was a true team effort. Black Sustainability, Inc. (BSI) had the absolute honor of collaborating with We G

There are those who work within systems, and then there are those who work to reimagine them entirely. This July, we are honored to spotlight Mike Tekh Strode, a community strategist, educator, and organizer whose work is rooted in reshaping how we understand value, exchange, and collective care. Based in Chicago, Mike Strode is deeply embedded in the city’s solidarity economy movement, an ecosystem built on cooperation, mutual aid, and shared prosperity. His work challenges

Food. Security. If it isn't food, then what are we securing? USDA Organic and Non-GMO are distinct food certifications. USDA Organic prohibits synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Non-GMO labels mean an ingredient’s DNA has not been altered in a lab, but the food might still be grown with synthetic chemicals. If you think these stickers and labels protect you, think again. There is an organic GMO loophole that may reach the

On May 31, 2026, Black Sustainability, Inc., iiwii Farms and Eco-PARADIGM partnered to host an AfroIndigenous Rice Cultivation workshop and NRCS conservation field day at G4 Farms for growers and farmers interested in various irrigation practices. The event was sponsored by Winston County Self Help Cooperative. This workshop was a testament to the range of crops that can be grown on irrigation, looking at NRCS CPS 441 - Microirrigation. Water conservation and rice planting a

There are people who move through the world, and then there are people who activate it. This month, we’re honored to spotlight Black Sustainability Network member, Sister zahra alabanza, a mother, organizer, creative, and adventurer whose life and work embody joy, liberation, and possibility. zahra alabanza conjures enthusiasm for life by practicing pleasure and play, living simply, and seeking joy in its most expansive forms. Whether she’s curating experiences, building comm

Momentum is building in Southwest Atlanta as week two of our inaugural GRID Alternatives Installation Basics Training (IBT) program continues to take shape! Led by Black Sustainability, Inc., in collaboration with fellow C.A.S.T. members, Ayika Solutions, Regen Community Advisory and national partner GRID Alternatives, the program reached a major milestone this week as 100% of participants successfully passed their OSHA 10 certification. This achievement marks an important s