Tara Marchant is re-defining herself, like many others, in the emerging Green paradigm. As the Local Director for Emerald Cities Bay Area – Oakland Council, Tara is working across a host of stakeholder organizations (public, labor, community and industry and workforce development) to bring a collective effort to retrofit our urban core. In doing so, create high road job and build our democracy, reduce energy use and direct investments to our local communities. Tara also created and was the program manager of the Green Assets Program at the Greenlining Institute, where alliances, advocates and elected officials contributed to California’s Climate legislation AB 32: an ambitious climate framework for pricing Green House Gases (GHGs) and pricing carbon.  She holds a permaculture credential, and longs for a big garden to produce food and develop urban food systems that are sustainable.

Tara graduated from Yale University with a degree in Theater. Her first love was performing. Yes, as a little girl, she sang, and twirled and made up songs.  As she explores what her expanding role is in healing of Pachamama, she recognizes that it involves music and song and narrative: which are universal and necessary for the health of the human ‘body’ on this planet called earth.

2016 Convergence Workshop: Music of the Movement – Singing our Community into Life (Circle Songs Around the Fire) 

Colin is the Co-Director for Bay Localize co-leading organizational management and development, and managing programs of the Local Clean Energy Alliance. In 2013, he coordinated the Alliance’s fourth annual Clean Power, Healthy Communities Conference. Colin graduated from Stanford University in 2007 with a BA in Urban Studies and a self-designed concentration in Environmental Justice: Race, Poverty and the Environment. After graduating, Colin taught for several years multiple-subject English Language Development at Coliseum College Prep Academy in East Oakland. After teaching, Colin worked with the Greenlining Institute, Urban Habitat, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the Oakland Climate Action Coalition to advance racial, environmental, economic, and climate justice. In addition to being an activist and organizer, Colin is also a musician, capoeirista, and educator. He has lived in Brazil for four years, and speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese.

Tara Marchant, Emerald Cities Oakland Director, brings eight years of experience in energy efficiency policy and workforce development, including five years at EC Oakland. She has received her Permaculture certificate which significantly change her perspective on existing infrastructure, behavior and collaborative eco-systems. Tara works across a host of stakeholder organizations (public, labor, community and industry and workforce development) to bring a collective effort to retrofitting large-scale buildings in Alameda County to be more energy efficient and produce family-wage jobs.

Recently, Tara was appointed by to sit on the Alameda County East Bay Community Choice Energy Program as a Steering Committee member.  Currently, Emerald Cities Oakland is convening Anchors For Resilient Strategies (ARC) funded by the CA Endowment, Kaiser and Kresge to name a few.  This initiative will look at the purchasing power and procurement of public anchors like Kaiser, Dignity Health and UC Berkeley to leverage opportunities to create new social enterprises/businesses in East Oakland and Richmond.

As the creator and program manager of the Greenlining Institute’s Green Assets Program (now the Environmental Equity program), Tara worked with advocates and elected officials to include communities of color and low-income communities in California’s commitment to going green.  She was the lead for the Greenlining Institute’s co-sponsorship of the Community Benefits Fund (AB1405) now SB535, which will direct millions of dollars to low-income communities through the AB32 carbon auction. In addition, she co-authored a report calling for economic opportunity in under-served communities: Greening Our Neighborhood & Putting Americans to Work: A Case for Carbon Reduction & Job Creation.