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We Can Prevent Energy Disaster Aug 17, 2008 Freep.com

Too often in our history, national transformations are born only of great calamities. The New Deal arose from the Great Depression, our manufacturing sector matured during World War II and the end of slavery required a Civil War. Fortunately, the situation today is reversed: We can transform our country and prevent a calamity by moving now toward a clean energy economy.

C.O.R.E. Sells Out to Exxon Aug 14, 2008 Jack & Jill Politics

The Congress of Racial Equality was once one of the strongest, most dynamic civil rights organizations around. C.O.R.E. was first founded by a multiracial group of young people committed to the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. How far from Gandhi's message have they traveled. It's also a stark contrast between the values of some from the boomer generation of black leaders and younger ones like Green for All's amazing Van Jones who has inspired the nation to consider green collar jobs that can pair the work that most needs to be done with those who most need the work.

Van Jones rallies the netroots Jul 20, 2008 Grist

Van Jones delivered the final keynote address at Networks Nation today, stopping in Austin to talk about green jobs and the political prospects for addressing both the energy and climate woes of the country. The message from the netroots, he said, should be clear: "We cannot drill and burn our way out of this problem. If we do, we will burn this planet."

Jones to Netroots: in four years, you may miss George W. Bush Jul 20, 2008 The Austin American-Statesman

In the closing keynote address at Netroots Nation, civil rights and environmental activist Van Jones called for a New Deal-esque movement to create green jobs to forestall an economic crisis and warned Netroots audience members that should not take for granted that changes will come with Barack Obama’s potential election to the presidency.

Green Leadership Jul 16, 2008 The Huffington Post

One of our most visionary partners in protecting the environment is Van Jones. Van is the founder and president of Green For All. He is combining solutions to America's two biggest challenges -- social inequality and environmental destruction -- by creating and promoting green collar jobs.

Donning a Green Collar Jul 04, 2008 The Boston Globe

Last year Congress passed the Green Jobs Act, a $25 million pilot program that will train participants in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Van Jones, creator of Green for All, an Oakland, Calif., organization started last year to focus on using the green economy to fight poverty, helped draft the act. Jones has created national momentum around this issue through appearances, including a charismatic speech last month at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention in Lowell. Jones, a mentor to MaGJC cofounder Kalia Lydgate, has given the organization guidance and support in its legislative efforts.

American Revolution, 21st century style Jul 03, 2008 Politics In Color

Last Saturday I watched Van Jones stoke that rebellious spirit with a motivated audience - 3,000 socially active delegates at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly. We can't drill and burn our way to energy independence, said the 40ish leader who has led a green movement in Oakland, Calif. and is co-founder of the ColorOfChange.org e-advocacy movement.

An Interview With Van Jones Jun 23, 2008 Mongabay

Van Jones, a social and environmental activist, believes a greener economy not only could save the planet, but also must provide pathways out of poverty for America's disadvantaged communities. A civil rights lawyer from Yale University, Jones started promoting the idea of "green-collar jobs" in 2005 through the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, California. In September 2007, he launched the "Green for All" campaign, [which is now a national organization.] Jones recently took time to share his perspectives with Mongabay.com.

Building a local movement toward a green economy Jun 08, 2008 Workday Minnesota

The United States is moving from "a pollution-based economy" that has left many people behind to an "inclusive, green economy," [Van Jones] said. While technology is driving many of the changes, people need to act to make sure the new economy provides good-paying jobs accessible to all. Already, local communities are moving ahead to create green job opportunities, in cities ranging from Chicago to Oakland to Richmond, Va., Jones said. Some of the best organizing is happening in low-income communities, where many workers – in particular young people of color – can benefit.

We Can Build An Inclusive Green Economy Jun 06, 2008 The Wonk Room

This morning, Senate debate on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act came to an end. It was a missed opportunity to robustly debate a critical issue facing the country. The bill had the potential, particularly if strengthened during the amendment process, to affect profound and positive change for both the American people and the planet.

Vangelism Jun 05, 2008 Grist

What does the green jobs and justice community think about the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act? To get one perspective, Grist caught up with Van Jones, the founder of Green For All, a group that promotes green-jobs policies and environmental justice. Jones, a civil-rights lawyer and the founder and former executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, has become a leading voice for building a green economy.

With Investment, Millions of Blue and White Collars Can Be Turned Green Jun 04, 2008 GreenBiz.com

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Building a green economy has the potential to affect millions of workers in occupations throughout the country, and a new report highlights some of those jobs than can be transformed, with the right investment, into green jobs.

Report states millions of U.S. workers to be in demand for green jobs Jun 04, 2008 The Munster Times

Shifting from the "dirty fossil-fuel-based" economy to one of clean energy would be a boost for millions of American workers, according to a report released Tuesday by a coalition of conservation and labor groups. The report, "Job Opportunities for the Green Economy," studied employment conditions in 12 states including Indiana, looking at a range of occupations and income levels that would benefit from America's transition toward a clean energy economy.

Van Jones on CNN's "Issue #1" Jun 02, 2008 CNN Issue #1

On Monday, June 2nd, Van Jones spoke about the Warner-Lieberman bill and his vision for a green economy that can transform this country.

Thousands of contracts; millions of jobs Jun 02, 2008 Insight News

Van Jones is the founder and president of Green for All, a national organization working to get "green collar" jobs and opportunities to disadvantaged communities. In an interview last week with Insight News, Jones said, "We have to move into a greener economy. Oil is past tense. Coal is past tense. All of that stuff is too negative to keep using. We have to keep moving into something more clean and green. Billions of dollars are already flowing in that direction. We want to make sure that there is an equal opportunity and an equal access agenda. We don't want to build a green economy that is a white only economy or an eco-elite only economy," he said.

Green industries offer job growth opportunity May 27, 2008 MSNBC.com

When a Republican candidate for president starts talking about limiting greenhouse gases during a speech at a wind turbine plant you know there’s an environmental wave going on. All the presidential candidates, including John McCain who spoke about climate change at a wind energy facility in Oregon this month, have green initiatives on their agendas, and states across the country are embarking on initiatives to cut pollution and a reliance on fossil fuels. Not to mention homeowners who don’t want to be at the mercy of electric and oil companies. Solar, wind and biofuels are all growing alternatives, and these fairly young industries will need people — people to produce, install and sell their products. That means a wave of employment opportunities — so-called green-collar jobs — could sweep the nation.

What Is a Green-Collar Job, Exactly? May 26, 2008 Time

What do presidential candidates John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have in common — aside from the obvious? They all love green-collar jobs. Obama promises to spend $150 billion over 10 years to create 5 million new green collar jobs. Clinton references the term repeatedly on the trail, and says her energy plan will create millions of new green-collar jobs as well. McCain is less willing to cite numbers, but he too assures campaign audiences that action to decarbonize America's economy will produce "thousands, millions of new jobs in America."

Pink slip leads to green-collar job May 25, 2008 Detroit Free Press

After getting pink-slipped a second time by an auto supplier thanks to the woeful economy, David Shaw shifted gears. "I'd had it with auto manufacturing," said Shaw, 48, a married father of two young children who lives in Harrison Township. "I wasn't sure what I would do next but knew I wanted to be in control of my own destiny for a change." Shaw spent months weighing options and kept coming back to one thing: alternative energy. With oil prices marching higher and society focused on being green, he figured that would be more recession-proof.

Green jobs coming to Albuquerque May 20, 2008 The New Mexico Independent

On Wednesday of last week Mayor Martin Chávez signed a “Green Jobs Pledge” at the ICLEI summit, held in Albuquerque, committing the city to invest in community-based jobs training to ensure a skilled local workforce for emerging green industries. The green jobs pledge signed by the mayor was developed in part by the folks at Green For All, who also provided help with the creation of the city council initiative. Such across the board agreement bodes well for the future of Albuquerque workers, as well as the companies who depend on them.

Global Green Jobs May 16, 2008 Foreign Policy in Focus

“Green-collar jobs” are a hot topic these days. This is good news, certainly, for those who seek to alter our present course toward climate catastrophe. Greater awareness of the promise of a green economy allows us to challenge the too-familiar framing of “jobs vs. the environment” that has defeated so many attempts at environmental protection.

Solar conference sheds light on economy May 15, 2008 Las Vegas Review-Journal

The transformation to a green economy is under way and promises to be a fundamental shift with profound consequences. It will eclipse the industrial revolution in scale and importance. It is the means by which we can revitalize society and heal our world. The green economy acknowledges the true cost of doing business. It values the role of nature and does not "externalize" the destruction of our environment. Factoring in the true cost of doing business, whether it is creating energy, building homes, driving cars or flying across the country, causes us to do things differently. It is really about having an honest marketplace. A green economy is based on economic truth.

Green Jobs Find International Support May 14, 2008 Worldwatch Institute

Sitting in a warm Capitol Hill office building last week, a panel of green-collar job activists attempted to rally support among a room of sleepy Congressional staffers. At the end of the briefing, Van Jones, a civil-rights lawyer-turned-green jobs champion, delivered the message that jolted many audience members out of their afternoon haze. "We are about to enter stagflation," Jones said. "That means people get voted out of office."

San Francisco Pushing Fossil Fuels Over Green Energy May 13, 2008 BeyondChron

Dozens of Bayview residents waited for hours for the chance of speaking for two minutes in opposition of the power plants. The sad fact is that if these power plants were proposed for South of Market near some of the new luxury condo skyscrapers, the peaker plant proposal would have been dead on arrival. Van Jones, founder of the Ella Baker Center and an opponent of the power plants, has pointed out that putting the resources into clean energy would create green-collar jobs for the same community that is now being targeted for decades of continued air pollution.

Trying to Make Green the New Black May 09, 2008 Advertising Age

Trickle-down consciousness doesn't work any better than Reaganomics did for our communities. Not only are communities of color the worst hit by environmental danger zones, we also are some of the worst perpetrators with little awareness of recycling, adoption of hybrid vehicles or other ways we can be part of the solution. But don't fear, all is not lost.

Thoughts on the Ceres conference May 08, 2008 Earthkeeper

Last week, I attended the Ceres conference in Boston, Massachusetts (”The annual Ceres conference is a unique gathering of corporate, environmental, investor, governance, and labor leaders who share a collective vision of sustainability and capital markets functioning side by side”). I have a very high bar for the conferences I attend, and this makes the top three. A closing panel on the economic impact of climate change that included Van Jones, the Founder and President of Green for All a non-profit dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Van was so charismatic, poised and on-point that he elicited applause after almost everyone of his comments.

A silver lining to going green May 06, 2008 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia hopes to model its Green Job Corps after a groundbreaking initiative in Oakland, Calif., the brainchild of environmental activist Van Jones, who has been brought here several times to share his ideas. The 39-year-old Yale-educated lawyer is considered the guru of a more inclusive green movement.

Green-Collar Jobs Offer Hope to Our At-Risk Youth and Ailing Economy May 05, 2008 Flex Your Power

Although much of the U.S. economy is currently suffering, the green sector is enjoying growth while offering opportunities to lift people out of poverty. The Oakland Green Jobs Corps and Green for All campaigns, for example, are recruiting at-risk youth, training them for and helping to place them in green apprenticeships and employment. Providing peace of mind to workers and lawmakers alike, the jobs entail tasks that cannot be outsourced offshore — installing solar panels and wind turbines, and weatherizing homes and office buildings.

End Crab Fishery, Plant Trees May 04, 2008 The Baltimore Sun

Too many creeks on farms are still as they were from Colonial times - stripped of their arboreal canopies and degraded by runoff and cow manure. Create leafy buffers along streams, and you improve water quality there and, eventually, downstream in the bay. This kind of thing could be going on across the nation, if funds were available for the establishment of a green work force. That's what's being advocated by Green For All, a campaign to get local, state and federal governments to fund job training and new opportunities in an emerging "green economy," particularly for the nation's poor. They want to lift people out of poverty and fight pollution at the same time.

Bringing Green Jobs to the Urban Poor May 01, 2008 Fast Company

More than any other single figure, he has ushered the phrase "green-collar jobs" into the political lexicon -- and economic reality. Last year, Jones led a coalition of business, labor, and environmental groups that persuaded the Oakland City Council to provide $250,000 in seed money for the country's first green-collar-jobs corps, which will train low-income youth in the renewable-energy, organic-food, and green-construction industries.

The Green Gap May 01, 2008 The American Prospect

The economic potential associated with greening the country is nothing to scoff at. Studies have shown that if the United States were to make a meaningful investment in clean energy and efficiency, 40 million new jobs could be created by 2030, making one in five jobs in the country some shade of green. But most people working in green technology today fit the environmentalist stereotype -- white college graduates who drive Priuses and buy organic -- and without a conscious effort, this new green economic sector stands a chance of passing by low-income people of color, much like the dot com boom did.

A Just Cause May 01, 2008 Black Enterprise

In 2007, Green-Collar Jobs campaign pushed the City Council of Oakland to fund a Green Jobs Corps to educate and train approximately 40 Oakland-area youth in green trades in its first graduating class. The Ella Baker Center and Green For All worked to help pass HR 2847, the Green Jobs Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives, which authorized up to $125 million to fund a federal green job training program. The program will help address job shortages in industries such as energy-efficient buildings and construction, renewable electric power, energy efficient vehicles, and biofuels development. The Green Jobs Act will also help identify and track the new jobs and skills needed to grow the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.

Pop up green-collar jobs, activist urges May 01, 2008 The Daily Free Press

The United States needs to create green-collar jobs and mobilize a new generation of social activists to ease the country's environmental and social concerns, human rights activist and environmentalist Van Jones said yesterday at Tufts University.

On Earth Day, environmental advocate Van Jones promotes green economy and green-collar jobs Apr 28, 2008 Tufts Daily

"I don't think you can understand what's happening in America if you don't recognize that we're living in a country that makes up only four percent of the [world's] population but 25 percent of greenhouse gases and 25 percent of [the world's] prisoners," [Van Jones] said. "Some people think we have a disposable planet and disposable people."

Why S.F. should shelve 'peaker plants' idea Apr 22, 2008 sfgate.com

We are facing a major decision - whether to spend a quarter of a billion dollars on new fossil-fuel burning power plants in our city, or to initiate a program that provides incentives to install solar on rooftops citywide. The juxtaposition of approving polluting power plants while stalling a modest solar program puts at risk San Francisco's reputation as an innovator and leader in climate change.

Greening of the masses Apr 22, 2008 Chicago Tribune

Though the term "green collar" might be applied to anyone employed in a job that benefits the environment, it has come to more specifically designate the masses of blue-collar workers who will be weatherizing homes, building hybrid cars and manufacturing and erecting wind turbines. Advocates expect the green-collar workforce to be an important part of the nation's economy as more homeowners and businesses move toward conservation and renewable energy. The green gigs could replace manufacturing jobs lost to overseas labor, advocates say, and they are likely to resist outsourcing, as someone in India can't very well install a solar panel on a building in Chicago.

Turning blue collars green Apr 20, 2008 Contra Costa Times

Environmentalists say that if global warming is to be slowed, it will take wholesale change in how electricity is generated, how people travel and how they heat and cool their houses. That means installing hundreds of millions of solar panels, building thousands of wind farms and geo-thermal plants, engineering new ways to derive energy from renewable sources and weatherizing millions of homes. Green companies are rapidly hiring new workers, and indications are they will continue.

Green-Collar Work Force Apr 20, 2008 The New York Times

While Beltway wonks have been planning political strategies, a number of nonprofits and big-city mayors (Cory Booker in Newark, Adrian Fenty in Washington) have been trying to initiate green-collar jobs programs. The movement’s unofficial spokesman is probably Van Jones, whose work with disadvantaged youth in Oakland led him to help found Green for All, which seeks $1 billion to create 250,000 new green jobs by 2012.

It's Not Easy Being Green-Collar Apr 14, 2008 Forbes

It's been hard to miss the U.S. presidential candidates talking about it on the campaign trail, and you'll hear a lot more between now and November. With Earth Day coming up, the rhetoric from Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain--and, before he dropped out, John Edwards--on the need for a program of economic revival that embraces environmental sustainability has been striking to say the least.

Sustaining The Dream Apr 14, 2008 emorywheel.com

The first weekend in April, I had a chance to make history. I don’t believe that most Emory students save the eleven that came along could say that. For the Emory dozen, the weekend began early, midnight on Thursday to be exact, at the Morehouse College campus with 91 other college students from five other Atlanta universities. There, we boarded two buses to Memphis — we were going to a conference to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and to introduce a new message.

From the grass-roots up: Lawyer sees a green future Apr 11, 2008 The Oakland Tribune

OAKLAND - For more than a decade, Oakland has been home to a little-known crusader who has made it his mission to save the planet and the inner city. In January, Van Jones, co-founder of the local Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, flew halfway around the world to tell the prestigious World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, about a new partnership model that he pioneered, bringing government, business and unions together to create jobs and clean up the environment.

Green Jobs Will Require New Skills Among Workers Apr 11, 2008 The State Journal

Green is the new blue when it comes to job skills and job security. The blue-collar jobs that have long supported a strong American middle class -- jobs for electricians, plumbers and transportation and manufacturing workers of all kinds -- are getting a green update. It's a nationwide movement to refresh the traditional trades with training in 21st century knowledge and skills.

The faces of green Apr 10, 2008 Grist

The hopeful skeptic in me was the part most drawn to The Dream Reborn conference hosted by Green For All last weekend in Memphis. So once I arrived, I stuck to what I deemed the practical path, sessions with titles like "Show Me the Money" and "Green-Collar Job Training Programs: Examples and Models" that would delineate exactly how to make this green economy happen.

Past and Present Apr 10, 2008 Memphis Flyer Online

Forty and counting: the dubious merits of being America's civil rights city. At a University of Memphis forum last week commemorating the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, a young man in the audience asked the panelists if Memphis was forever stuck in 1968.

A Green "Dream" Apr 10, 2008 Memphis Flyer

Even in Memphis, the green movement looks, well, white. Last year, former Portland, Oregon, parks and recreation director Charles Jordan gave a talk at Memphis College of Art that touched on making the environmental movement more inclusive. Of the 400 people in the room, Jordan was maybe one of five African Americans. But Green for All's "The Dream Reborn" conference, held last weekend at the Cook Convention Center, saw 1,000 attendees of every race, creed, gender, and age.

Let's not wait for the blooming of another Rose Apr 10, 2008 The Commerical Appeal

The anniversary last week of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis brought a sold-out convention of over a thousand students, community and environmental activists, planners and scientists who are looking at ways to create new jobs in a green economy that is coping with global warming and environmental challenges. What our basketball team can't do for this city, the Memphis Regional Chamber can do. For starters, it can build community pride and economic growth by leading this city's power structure into working alliances with the environmental jobs convention organizers, Green For All, and other such vanguard efforts.

op-ed: The dream reborn: building a green economy for all Apr 10, 2008 The Student Weekly of Middlebury College

"We are the dream generation, we are the dream reborn." This chant started as a whisper, stirring more than a thousand people to unite in song and hope. We rose in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of a just and equal society, and in a promise to pursue his dream. We gathered in the tradition of a southern Baptist church to honor Dr. King and to create a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty and fight global warming.

The Van Fan Club Apr 09, 2008 Grist

What Grist readers might have predicted over a year ago, when David interviewed Van Jones, is quickly becoming reality. In October, Thomas Friedman, in a gushing editorial, called Jones a "rare bird" who "exudes enough energy to light a few buildings on his own." Now he's appeared on the Colbert Report where, despite the always-awkward position of Stephen's interviewees, he managed to land "green jobs" in the mental dictionary of millions of young viewers.

Black and Green Apr 09, 2008 Good Magazine

Now expanding its reach to the national level, the Ella Baker Center recently launched Green for All, a new organization aimed at securing $1 billion to lift 250,000 people out of poverty with employment in sustainable industries. It scored a major victory last December when Congress, as part of the omnibus energy bill, passed the Green Jobs Act of 2007, authorizing $125 million for a federal program, modeled on Oakland’s, that will train 30,000 workers in new trades like installing solar panels. And that may just be the beginning: Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have touted “green collar” initiatives as being key to the future economy.

The Growth in 'Green-Collar' Jobs Apr 08, 2008 Newsweek.com

While much of the hype around the emerging "clean tech" economy has centered on celebrity venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, most of the jobs, says [Van] Jones, [founder and president of Green For All], will be created in less glamorous sectors: weatherizing homes and offices, installing solar panels and retrofitting factories with ener­gy-efficient technologies. "This is not an eco-elite, eco-chic movement for people who can afford to buy hybrid cars and shop at Whole Foods," says Jones. "The green economy to come is going to be a broad-shouldered, mass movement of American labor."

Global-warming conference honors civil rights leader Apr 06, 2008 The Commerical Appeal

Mix the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with efforts to fight global warming and inner-city poverty and the Dream Reborn Conference emerges. "This is the first 'green' conference honoring Dr. King and really addressing the issues of African-Americans and other disadvantaged communities," said Van Jones, 39, the Mid-Southerner who started Green For All and helped bring the Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit group's three-day conference to Memphis.

Global-warming conference honors civil rights leader, addresses issues facing African-Americans, disadvantaged communities Apr 06, 2008 Commercialappeal.com

Mix the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with efforts to fight global warming and inner-city poverty and the Dream Reborn Conference emerges. "This is the first 'green' conference honoring Dr. King and really addressing the issues of African-Americans and other disadvantaged communities," said Van Jones, 39, the Mid-Southerner who started Green For All and helped bring the Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit group's three-day conference to Memphis.

Getting together for green jobs Apr 05, 2008 Grist

Yesterday in Memphis, a crowd stood outside the Lorraine Motel to quietly honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the place where he died 40 years ago. All day long, it rained.

Attacking poverty via green endeavors Apr 05, 2008 Commercialappeal.com

The crowd was heavily young and African-American and the tone evangelical as The Dream Reborn Conference -- an effort to blend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision with the environment and economy -- opened Friday at Memphis Cook Convention Center.

King's dream tied to environmental stewardship Apr 05, 2008 Jacksonsun.com

MEMPHIS — Surrounded by memories of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a group met to create ideas to blend his economic equality vision with the environment. The Dream Reborn Conference opened Friday at the Memphis Cook Convention Center to develop plans to attack poverty through green endeavors.

A dream reborn Apr 04, 2008 Grist

The following are my introductory remarks to the Dream Reborn conference, beginning today and running through the weekend in Memphis, Tenn. Forty years ago today, on April 4, 1968, a sniper assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King had come to Memphis, Tennessee, to aid striking sanitation workers. The preeminent civil rights leader of his time, he was only 39 years old.

Green jobs: Van Jones on the Colbert Report Apr 01, 2008 Businessweek.com

I caught up with Van Jones, founder and president of Green For All this afternoon. Jones’ status vaulted from green visionary to eco-celebrity thanks in part to a much-emailed a column by Thomas Friedman in the NYT last October enumerating how Jones is bridging green issues, jobs, class and race in unprecedented ways.

Van Jones on "The Colbert Report" Apr 01, 2008 Comedy Central - Colbert Report

Van Jones tells Stephen Colbert about green collar jobs that are good for the Earth as well as the economy.

Millions of Jobs of a Different Collar Mar 26, 2008 The New York Times

Everyone knows what blue-collar and white-collar jobs are, but now a job of another hue — green — has entered the lexicon.

A Green Corps Mar 24, 2008 The Nation

We usually talk about New Deal programs in terms of their effect on the mood of Americans--they restored hope, they gave people back their dignity and so on. . . For my money, that's the kind of work that needs doing now, as we face a crisis even greater than the Depression: the quick unraveling of the planet's climate system in the face of our endless emissions of carbon dioxide.

The Evergreen State in more than name Mar 09, 2008 Seattle Times

NO more good intentions. Washington state is committed to a purposeful response to climate change.

Legislature: One serious hope Mar 07, 2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Washington state is taking climate change much more seriously. That's a critical step to improve our environment, health and future. At least as much as any environmental control action we recall, it's also an immensely hopeful, optimistic action.

2008 Eco-All-Stars Mar 01, 2008 Outside Magazine

"We can no longer have a racially segregated, class-indifferent environmental movement," says Jones, a Yale-educated lawyer who cofounded the Oakland, California–based Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.

America's Green Policy Vacuum Feb 11, 2008 Business Week

Without a fully funded, federal alternative energy policy, the U.S. risks squandering the potential of a powerful economic engine and will continue to depend on foreign energy resources.

Gov. Gregoire announces bill to fight climate change, create jobs Jan 14, 2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

SEATTLE -- Gov. Chris Gregoire on Monday proposed legislation to direct the state Department of Ecology to design a regional cap and trade market for carbon emissions, require annual emissions reporting by all major generators of greenhouse gases, and create training programs for "green collar jobs."

Cities Cultivate 2 Types Of Green Dec 12, 2007 USA TODAY

Squatting on the roof of a row house with a panoramic view of the sewage plants and warehouses that surround the South Bronx, James Wells sounds like a tree-hugger. He photographs the progress of seedlings he planted on the roof, one of his first "green roof" installations, and explains how roofs covered by soil and plants, more trees on the ground and cleaner parks are key to fighting the pollution that overwhelms the neighborhood. As he speaks, a pungent rotting smell emanates from a sewage plant.

Bring Eco-Power To The People Nov 21, 2007 TIME Magazine

A few years ago, Oakland-based human-rights activist Van Jones came to a realization. If the U.S. accelerated the transition to a cleaner economy, millions of jobs in green construction and alternative energy could be created. Those jobs--call them green collar--were exactly what unemployed residents of cities like Oakland needed.

Green Jobs Will Clean Up The Economy, Communities Nov 19, 2007 CNet News

Van Jones can command a stage. Whispering about pollution in poor neighborhoods, he might bring an audience close to tears. Then he'll pack the next thought with a wicked grin, rocking the room with laughter. The Yale-trained attorney from Tennessee has campaigned against police brutality and youth imprisonment with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights he co-founded 11 years ago in Oakland, Calif. But his recent push to create a "green-collar" job corps has catapulted Jones to the national stage.

Environmentalism With A Social Conscience Nov 07, 2007 The Nation

To counteract what he perceives as twenty years of racial segregation in the environmental movement, Van Jones said he envisions a world in which "a green wave lifts all boats."

The Green-Collar Solution Oct 17, 2007 The New York Times

Van Jones has been on a crusade to help disadvantaged communities understand why they would be the biggest beneficiaries of a greener America.

Green Energy Meets Jobs Sep 29, 2007 The Boston Globe

Even activists can stun themselves by speaking up. For a decade, Van Jones, a Yale-trained attorney and cofounder of Oakland's Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, was mostly known in the Bay Area for fighting to reform police and youth prisons. In recent years he and other activists have pushed for inner-city job training in the solar, wind, and other energy-saving industries. In June, Oakland became the first city in the nation to create a "Green Jobs Corps" program. A green coalition in nearby Richmond recently installed solar panels on a home, employing at-risk trainees.

House Energy Bill To Boost Green Job Training Aug 07, 2007 GreenBiz.com

The House of Representatives passed a sweeping energy bill Saturday that included a provision directing millions of dollars toward training a "green" workforce The Green Jobs Act of 2007 would authorize as much as $125 million a year for the national and state program to train workers in areas such as biofuel development, energy efficient buildings, renewable power, solar panel installation and energy efficient cars.

Oakland Plugs Into Clean Tech As Job Generator Jun 22, 2007 San Francisco Business Times

When Van Jones gazes out at Oakland, he sees green -- a green economy fed by growing clean-tech companies and Oakland residents trained to build wind farms, install solar panels or weatherize windows. At the same time, said Jones, who helped draft a plan to develop a Green Jobs Corps for the city, Oakland can become a worldwide leader in tying together the environment, the economy and social justice. On June 19, the Oakland City Council earmarked $250,000 for the program assembled by the Oakland Apollo Alliance and supported by labor unions like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The money could seed private contributions and federal job-training money, Jones said, to launch the program early next year.

Oakland Gives Nod To 'Green Collar' Vision Jun 13, 2007 Oakland Tribune

Oakland may become the nation's first city with a "Green Jobs Corps" of workers trained in such areas as bio-fuels manufacturing and solar panel installation in an anti-poverty program that won significant city approval Tuesday. After some 150 people from various nonprofits and government agencies rallied in front of City Hall for "green jobs" creation, the public works committee of the Oakland City Council voted to ask the full council to provide $250,000 to start the program.

A Van With A Plan: An Interview With Van Jones Mar 20, 2007 Grist

Big business has finally realized that there's lots of money to be made in the transition to a clean-energy economy. Van Jones wants to make sure working-class and minority Americans realize it too. Though his work is focused on Oakland, CA -- he successfully fought for a "Green Jobs Corps" youth training program in the city and is pushing to make Oakland a "Green Enterprise Zone" -- Jones is seen as a rising national star whose ideas could bridge the gap between movements that have too long regarded each other with wary skepticism. When I reached him by phone, he emphasized the potential for a broad-based green coalition and chided "eco-elites" for failing to reach out.