For Immediate Release:
December 15, 2009
Contact: David Willett, 202-675-6698
Obama Spurs Jobs Through Home Energy Efficiency Investments
Washington, DC: The following is a statement from Carl Pope, Executive Director, in support of President Obama's speech today at a Home Depot in Alexandria, VA.
"Today’s announcement from President Obama calling for more investment in energy efficiency – specifically improving the energy performance of our homes and offices - is a great step toward job creation and economic growth.
"Investing in energy efficiency can create good, family-supporting jobs, save families money, and help curb global warming. Across the country, federal recovery funds are helping people weatherize their homes for winter, creating jobs and reducing energy waste to save people money.
"In every home, office, and factory we can use energy more efficiently by putting to work currently available products like advanced lighting, better windows, more efficient heating and cooling systems, and new appliances and electronics that use far less energy than their older counterparts.
"There is an emerging home renovation industry that is creating and will continue to create hundreds of thousands of good, family-supporting green jobs. Continued support for this industry will also help fight global warming, as buildings are responsible for 40% of our global warming pollution.
"The Sierra Club is also partnering with several unions to get out the word on training programs that have already retrofitted many homes across the U.S. - putting people to work, lowering energy bills for families, and fighting global warming.
"We support President Obama’s plans to improve the energy efficiency of our homes and offices as part of building a clean energy economy in the U.S."
Online resources
Sierra Club on Green Jobs
Sierra Club on Energy Efficiency