Sunday, February 01, 2009

Green Play to Green Pay

Washington DC

A new chapter has started in our nation's history as we have in President Obama a leader who has laid out the immense challenges we face in the toughest economic climate we have experienced since the great depression. The only way we will be able to make it through this period is by working together towards goals that enhance and better all of our communities. Our challenge at the Sierra Club is now moving beyond just connecting children with the outdoors but to also make sure that this experience leads them to learn about jobs and gain skills that can help them get a high paying green job. The definition of green jobs is hard to define as everyone has their own take, I feel that any job that can help engage a young person from putting in solar panels in California to working at REI in Seattle is a green job. Van Jones a leader in this movement is leading a progressive organization Green for All which has a great definition of Green Collar Jobs http://www.greenforall.org/?gfa_splash=1 Green for All has been a leader in pushing the Clean Energy Corps, which is a plan for a national service program which will connect AmeriCorps and other national service programs towards building a new generation of skilled green workers. The Sierra Club has endorsed the Clean Energy Corps as it is a way for us to begin engaging all communities on the stimulus we can benefit from in engaging our youth with skills in a green economy and a strong sense of service. You can download the Clean Energy Corps at this site.

I am in Washington DC attending the 2009 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference with members of Team BBTO. We are committed in 2009 to finding partners and attracting thousands of new young people to the concept of Green Play to Green Pay. This will be a long road as there are so many challenges we face today but with spirit and determination and by working together we can make a new green economy that benefits our nation and our environment. Here is a link to the conference which is being lead by the Blue Green Alliance.

I never thought that we would get a boost from the Blago scandal in Illinois but the new Governor Pat Quinn pointed out in is first press conference that he had just finished reading Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. We hope to engage him in our work.