The Greening of Southie

We’ve heard a lot about efforts to boost our sagging economy and revive the manufacturing sector with green-collar jobs. But if sustainable and energy efficient systems are going to get built properly, it’s blue-collar workers who need to be on board.

A green-collar job is a lot like a blue-collar job, except that workers incorporate the principles of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Take the union stronghold of construction. The EPA ranks construction as the nation’s most wasteful industry by far, which makes eco-friendly development sound like a contradiction, or a massive undertaking. Raising a green building in the working-class neighborhood of south boston introduces other challenges. The documentary The Greening of Southie chronicles Boston’s first residential green building – the Macallen – and the workforce that set out to construct the “city of tomorrow.” "The Greening of Southie" is coming to Red River Theatres in Concord tomorrow night and runs through next week. I spoke with the director, Ian Cheney, when the film was first released, and asked him how he came across this unusual project.

The Greening of Southie at Red River Theatres in Concord

(Photo by Taylor Gentry)