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

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

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

Atlanta, GA -- Black Sustainability, Inc. is proud to announce the launch of our first GRID Alternatives IBT120 Cohort in partnership with GRID Alternatives and Community Access to Sustainable Technology & Training (C.A.S.T.) on May 18th and we couldn’t be more excited about what this means for our community and the future we’re building together! This inaugural cohort marks a powerful step forward in our commitment to developing pathways into clean energy careers while equip

A dream of Black communities empowered and in power of their electric mobility futures. May 21, 2024 |. Black Sustainability, Inc....