This human right article states that every person has the right to enjoy the basic necessities of life. They should be able to get the nutrition and clothing they need, proper housing and, if needed, the proper care. Any individual should be able to live an ordinary life without shame and without any obstacles getting in their way. People should be able to enjoy life with dignity, they should not have to live in conditions in which the only way they can satisfy their needs is to deprive themselves of their basic freedoms. An adequate living standard demands that society live above the poverty line.
Before becoming CEO of Green for All, Phaedra was the leader of the California Labor movement and through her work; she has been able to bring together leaders from various fields for a common purpose. In 2009, Phaedra became the CEO of Green for all bringing together environmentalists and unions to push for a clean-energy economy and anti-poverty measures. Using her close ties with the Obama administration Phaedra led the fight with two things in mind, to get funding for job training and a focus on green jobs under the climate and energy bill. Although one of her main goals is to create clean-energy jobs, she realizes the burden poor/minority communities have to face because they have no option but to live in places where corporations dump high amounts of toxic waste that can affect their health dramatically.
This toxic dumping mostly occurs in poorer communities in which the people can't do much about the issue because the federal government has not done enough to end this. Even if she got more government attention on the problem, it's difficult to get people to care about the environment when they have more pressing issues in mind like making sure their children have enough to eat at the dinner table. She says, “Getting people to care about what happens to the planet when they are worried about dinner tonight is one of the greatest challenges we face.”
To learn more about the organization, Green For All, check out their website here!