The Green Institute for Village Empowerment is an organization dedicated to the education and promotion of sustainable lifestyles, technologies and development practices.
- It is not about handouts.
GIVE is a non-profit charitable public benefit corporation formed in 2006 to expand sustainable communities through education, information, research and initiatives that convert concepts to action. - It is about education.
GIVE is about teaching business, the public and youth about the economic and environmental profitability of a green future. - It is about addressing a fundamental problem:
How can kids or the public understand the economic impact of smart environmental decisions if they don’t understand basic economic, business and social values?
GIVE in Action
The Green Institute for Village Empowerment takes a multi-pronged approach to its mission.
Who is Involved?Education: A series of monthly symposiums and the establishment of GIVE chapters at universities throughout the United States help to raise awareness of the issues impacting the world today.
Events: GIVE hosts one of the largest Earth Day events in Southern California, and sponsors a variety of community events, professional conferences and other environmental presentations throughout the year.
Initiatives: GIVE is the sponsor of the Green Valley Initiative, an unprecedented regional economic development plan focused on bringing green technologies and sustainable lifestyles to Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California.
Hundreds of people from throughout the nation take part in our programs.
Our GIVE on Campus chapters are experiencing rapid growth, encouraging the students of today to become the global leaders of tomorrow. Our sponsorship of the Green Valley Initiative involves key community leaders from one of the largest and most influential regions in the nation. Some principle leaders in the effort include:
Ali Sahabi, GIVE founder and President of SE Corporation, the master developer of the sustainable mixed-use community of Dos Lagos in Corona, California. He is a nationally known expert on the issues of sustainable development and has demonstrated his commitment through various endowments and sponsorships including a gift to establish the Edward J. Blakely Center for Sustainable Development at UC Riverside. He holds his Master of Science degree in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California, and his Bachelor of Science in Management from Pepperdine University.
Les Hamasaki, Executive Director of GIVE, a green sustainable development consultant for major developments throughout the world. He has unique experience as an urban planner with the City of Los Angeles, where he was involved with the 1975-95 Center Concept Master Plan and the 1995-2015 Framework Plan. His passion is for our world to transition to a “green economy” powered with renewable resources and to deconstruct the “gray economy” powered by fossil fuel. He is managing director of the Green Technology Institute of the Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation and Gallery at UCLA.
