Billy Parish dropped out of Yale in 2002 to help build a youth movement for climate solutions. As Founder and Coordinator of the Energy Action Coalition for four years, Billy brought together over 50 diverse, youth-led organizations into a joint campaign to catalyze the transition to a clean energy economy called The Campus Climate Challenge. One of the lead architects of the Clean Energy Corps program to create 5 million new green jobs, Billy now works with Green for All, 1Sky and Black Mesa Water Coalition on advocacy for green job creation. Billy was a 2005 Rolling Stone magazine "Climate Hero," Mother Jones magazine's 2006 "Student Activist of the Year," an Utne Magazine "Visionary" in 2008 and was named a "Fellow" by Ashoka, the global association of the world's leading social entrepreneurs. He is also a co-founder of Green Owl Records, a green music label under Warner Music Group, and is a Board Member of several companies and non-profits. Born in New York City, Billy now lives in Flagstaff, AZ with his wife, Wahleah Johns, and their daugher, Tohaana.

Blog Entries by Billy Parish

Why We Fight

Posted December 3, 2009 | 09:16 AM (EST)


We fight, even against insurmountable odds, because sometimes we win.

As I get ready to head to Copenhagen this Saturday for the international climate negotiations, I'm thrilled to see the success of The Leadership Campaign and their efforts to have Massachusetts use 100% clean electricity by 2020.

On Monday,...

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Young, Green, and Out of Work

2 Comments | Posted October 5, 2009 | 06:45 PM (EST)


Last week, the Labor Department reported that youth unemployment stands at 18.2%, nearly twice the national average of 9.8%. The percentage of young people without a job is a staggering 53.4 percent, the highest figure since World War II. Looking deeper, the statistics for youth of color are terrible...

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A Big Breakthrough on Green Jobs

Posted September 14, 2009 | 06:32 PM (EST)


The New York State Senate and Assembly, too often a model of corruption and dysfunctionality, rose above petty politics last week to pass forward-thinking legislation on climate and energy, setting a precedent for bipartisanship and a sensible cap and trade system. The State Senate passed the groundbreaking Green Job/Green...

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A New Number for a New Era: From 9/11 to 350

Posted September 11, 2009 | 02:17 AM (EST)


Eight years ago today, two planes flew into the World Trade Center, another crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth landed in a field in Pennsylvania. The raw power of that day came to be symbolized by a date composed of two numbers. Two numbers that evoked the shock of...

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Seven Ways to Fight Dirty (Energy)

9 Comments | Posted August 3, 2009 | 12:08 PM (EST)


In case you missed it, dirty energy is back to dirty tricks. This time with the help of DC lobbyists, Bonner & Associates, who forged letters to Congressman Tom Perriello of Virgina's 5th District. The letters, written on "official" letterhead from the local NAACP chapter and a Hispanic group,...

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Can A Number Save the World?

39 Comments | Posted June 21, 2009 | 01:50 PM (EST)


It can if that number is 350. That's the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere: 350 parts per million (ppm). It's also the rallying cry of a creative campaign to raise awareness of the climate crisis and build grassroots support for the 2009 Climate Conference in Copenhagen....

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Green Sector Creates 50% of New Jobs!

16 Comments | Posted June 1, 2009 | 12:35 PM (EST)


...in Ireland.

This is great news for the people of Ireland. But we need to create those jobs in the US too. In Ireland, a country of four million, 10,000 "green" jobs were created in the last three months in organic farming, energy efficient construction, electric cars, and...

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You Can't Build a New Foundation with Dirty Energy

1 Comments | Posted May 19, 2009 | 11:59 AM (EST)


Building a new foundation requires a lot of heavy machinery. Bulldozers to clear the land, extractors to dig the foundation, concrete-mixers to pour the cement, and trucks to haul the raw materials. So perhaps it's appropriate that Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar will be at the White...

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Rethinking the Rules of Engagement

20 Comments | Posted May 14, 2009 | 03:44 PM (EST)


In last week's New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a fascinating article, "How David Beats Goliath: When Underdogs Break The Rules." In his patented style Gladwell weaves together story after story of underdogs who defied convention to defeat much stronger opponents. From the Biblical story of David defeating Goliath, to...

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Green Jobs for America's Youth -- 100 Days of Progress

3 Comments | Posted April 29, 2009 | 02:14 PM (EST)


100 days ago, President Barack Obama took the oath of office with an overwhelming mandate from America's youth. Two out of every three citizens under the age of 30 voted for Obama in the 2008 election. We demanded change and Obama promised it. We demanded green jobs, strong climate policy,...

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