This week is East Bay Housing Organizations' (EBHO) Affordable Housing Week 2010. For those who missed the kickoff celebration, it's not too late to make a difference. On Thursday, May 13, EBHO, U. C. Berkeley's Center for Community Innovation, and the East Bay Community Foundation cordially invite the community to the Affordable Housing Week event, "State of Housing in the East Bay 2010 Symposium: How Can We Meet Affordable Housing and Climate Change Goals During the Economic Crisis?"

The title of this event clearly outlines one of the major tensions in the struggle to make our communities, and the world, sustainable. Even since the ecology movement of the 1970s, some people have been wondering whether "going green" is more for the wealthy than it is for everyone. For the farmer who clear-cuts a piece of rainforest to farm the land and feed his family, for example, there isn't much of a choice. "The environment" is a stratosphere away, while his family would otherwise run out of resources, and food, now.

Likewise, in some cities, the only housing that is affordable is far from green. Often, designated buildings are drafty, devoid of plant life, run down and outdated. While many green upgrades can eventually pay for themselves, they can also be costly to start. Do only the wealthy have the luxury of considering a green future, while everyone else has to play the hand they're dealt and do the best they can?

This important symposium looks toward dynamic solutions rather than wringing its hands over the problem. Smart growth is gaining ground in California, legislatively and popularly. Shouldn't affordable housing have a role in that smart growth, and in economic recovery?

More importantly, how likely are full economic and environmental recovery without greener, better affordable housing? Through the lens of the kind of opportunity that comes with the necessities of rebuilding both, EBHO and its partners consider resources for relieving the affordable housing crisis while creating equitable and sustainable communities for the future.

Panelists for this event represent a rich range of perspectives, and include: Ryan Chao, Executive Director, Satellite Housing; Susan Friedland, Executive Director, Affordable Housing Associates; Malo Hutson, Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning, U. C. Berkeley; James Kennedy, Redevelopment Director, Contra Costa County, and President of the California Redevelopment Association; and Jeffrey Levin, Housing Policy and Programs Manager for the City of Oakland. An opening presentation will be given by Marisa Cravens and JoAnna Bullock, Regional Planners, Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).

This provocative discussion, which is free and open to the public, will be held at The David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way in Berkeley, from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 13. A reception will follow the program. What better way to observe Affordable Housing Week? Join this important discussion for a more sustainable future for us all.