On June 8, 2019, Bridging the Gap kicked off a week-long solar installation and environmental health training in Buckingham County. In this video from the kick-off event, Richard Walker, CEO of Bridging the Gap, introduces Basil Gooden, Jon Sokolow and Karen Campblin Jon Sokolow, writer, attorney, activist, fighting the Atlantic Coast & Mountain Valley Pipelines speaks about 3 Amicus Briefs filed June 7, 2019 in support of Southern Environmental Law Center’s filing on May 31 on behalf of the Union Hill Community. Karen Campblin, VA NAACP Environmental Justice Chair speaks about their recent meeting with AG Mark Herring and specifically about the woes of the Southside Connector, another environmental justice disaster.

Bridging the Gap In Virginia has received a grant from Mertz Gilmore Foundation to sponsor a solar installation and environmental health training program in the Union Hill area of Buckingham County, for the benefit of the African-American community, where Union Hill struggles economically and many leave in search of work. Their vision is to provide good jobs for the residents of Union Hill while starting a green workforce development program that mentors formerly incarcerated individuals and at-risk youth in the areas of solar installation, energy audits and conservation (i.e., weatherization, efficiency) and in-door environmental health (i.e., lead testing and encapsulation, mold remediation, and air quality monitoring).