Must-Read New Book on America’s Green-Collar Economic Revolution
by Stacy Feldman - Oct 6th, 2008
in
Anyone interested in a solution to the triple challenges of oil dependence, global warming and the sagging economy has to read this new book by Van Jones on how (and why) we should birth a green-collar economic revolution in America.
It is true that we cannot drill and burn our way out of our present economic and energy problems. We can, however, invent and invest our way out. Choosing to do so on a massive scale would have the practical benefit of cutting energy prices enough—and generating enough work— to pull the U.S. economy out of its present death spiral. But the true benefits would be much greater than that.
A serious shift in our energy strategy would open a new chapter in the story of human civilization.
Flip through the book and you'll see that the "new chapter" in question reads like a wish list for massive change: cleantech revolution, millions of good jobs that can’t be outsourced, the birth of a just and green American economy.
Nice to see such promises in print, especially from Van Jones -- for there’s no one better than him to market the green-collar jobs revolution and turn wish lists into directives.
You may recall that it was Jones, the founder of Green for All, who practically introduced the term "green-collar jobs" into the national lexicon. Now, with the publishing of "The Green Collar Economy" this week, he's got his eyes on something bigger: to inspire a new kind of broad and populist coalition that will include "every class under the sun and every color in the rainbow." The aim? To win government policy that promotes green capital and technology and to
ensure that those communities that were locked out of the last century’s pollution-based economy will be locked into the new clean and green economy.
Argues Jones in the book:
The power of that combination would rival the last century’s most powerful alliances: the New Deal and New Right coalitions.
The end game, of course, is forcing new policies that beat global warming and create millions of new jobs and billions of dollars in economic stimulus. In other words: to change America and the whole world.
Think long-term US/global economic bailout. Except this one’s grounded in principles of equal protection and opportunity, and driven by clean energy and efficiency investments.
Jones calls it a "Green New Deal."
Imagine a Green New Deal—with a pivotal role for green entrepreneurs, a strategic and limited role for government, and an honored place for labor and social activists. Such a force would change the direction of our society. It would put the government on the side of the problem solvers in the U.S. economy, not the problem makers—and bring us all together.
The first step, says Jones, is to set high standards for what a green-collar job even is. His definition:
green-collar job
\'gre¯n-'kä-l r 'jäb\ noun
: blue-collar employment that has been upgraded to better respect
the environment: family-supporting, career-track, vocational, or trade-level employment
in environmentally-friendly fields: examples: electricians who install solar panels; plumbers who
install solar water heaters; farmers engaged in organic agriculture
and some bio-fuel production; and construction workers who
build energy-efficient green buildings, wind power farms, solar
farms, and wave energy farms
Read: home-grown, middle-skill jobs for low-income Americans. No solar sweatshops. Interestingly, these jobs are already in demand.
According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, the major barriers to a more rapid adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency are not financial, legal, technical, or ideological. One big problem is simply that green employers can’t find enough trained, green-collar workers to do all the jobs.
Of course, the book is not all sunshine and roses. There’s the "dead hand of politics past" and the "eco-elite," among other hurdles to clear. But in 250 some pages, Jones, like no one before him, details the inner workings and the power of a green-collar economy, and what it would take to practically build it.
It’s a work of hope. It’s smart. It’s particularly timely. And don’t be surprised if Van Jones, and his book, end up being completely right about the new era of green-collar jobs -- how it will happen and what it will look like and deliver to Americans.
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Thanks for the tip on what looks to be a great read. I will certainly buy the book.
Americans have to realize that we have a lot to gain from choosing alternative energy solutions. We have the lead on most of the technologies necessary to accomplish this goal, and it could literally be a boom time for our economy if we have the national resolve to pursue it.
Choosing to pursue an ever-dwindling resource such as oil is a losing bet.
We're making strides every day in these areas of energy, and I think we can achieve complete independence faster than anyone imagined if we invest in it.
Remember, when John F. Kennedy proposed landing a person on the moon, we didn't have any of the necessary tools to do so. We didn't have the computers, the rockets or the technology to make it happen. But within a decade we did just that, because we put our national commitment behind it. We can do that any time we want to, and we should do so now for energy.
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