Green Jobs Will Help Us Build a Sustainable Economy

As the President and Congress figure out how to jumpstart our economy, there is one very important thing we need to keep in mind: whatever we do needs to be sustainable. Not just a quick fix. I believe the President's focus on a cleaner green economy is exactly the kind of long term solution we need. It is also the kind of economy that Americans can afford to invest in for the future.

This week, labor, environmental and business leaders assembled in Washington, D.C. for the 2009 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference to share ideas and solutions for forging a new, green economic agenda. It may be a strange mix of folks, but when it comes to supporting fair and equal opportunities for American workers and our belief in the importance of a green economy, we are united.

We are facing the most serious economic and environmental challenges in a generation. We desperately need our government leaders to increase our investments in science, research and technology so we can grow a green economy and put millions back to work. These investments will lead to products that lessen the collective impact we have on our environment, making our world cleaner for future generations. The job growth potential is also amazing. According to a recent report conducted by the Center for American Progress, a $100 billion green investment nationwide could create two million jobs in just two years.

When I talk about job creation, I am not just talking about "employment." Americans need good jobs that pay well, offer benefits and have a future. Green jobs are good, union jobs. The typical green job utilizes the skills scores of middle-class Americans already have--from engineers to carpenters, electricians to steelworkers and farmers to truck drivers. They are jobs that will grow America's middle class and revive a manufacturing sector that has been in decline for far too long. America needs these jobs now more than ever, and it is important that these jobs stay with American workers.

Let me share two stories about two of our IUE-CWA union members: Rita worked for 39 years as a shipping clerk at a General Electric Lighting plant in Youngstown, Ohio. When U.S. employees at GE developed a light bulb that was more energy-efficient, they decided to produce the bulbs in China and closed plants in the United States. Rita was left searching for work during a recession. Across the state, a different story was unfolding in Springboro, Ohio. Shawn, an employee at Cobasys, manufactures hybrid car batteries. With increased demand for energy-efficient vehicles and a commitment by Cobasys to invest in U.S. production, the company has been able to grow from 6 to almost 200 employees over the past 10 years. We need more companies following Cobasys' lead. We need American companies to invest in American technology and produce products that allow us to reinvest in our economy here at home.

Together, we can do it. We can double the production of alternative energy in the next three years with investments in science, research and technology. We can put one million plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015. We can build a future we are proud to leave to our grandkids. This is not protectionist rhetoric. This is how we build a sustainable economy.

Larry Cohen is the president of Communications Workers of America (CWA).

Comments

[Soulsurfer]

Let's hope they do something soon. The solar company I work for just laid off 20% of our work force, mainly in the commercial sector, due to large companies pulling out of projects. They either won't spend on capital improvements or can't get financing. The residential market, however, is doing quite well, and that says alot about regular people wanting to do the right thing, as well as save money over the long run.

Mr. Cohen is absolutely correct when he says that whatever we do should be SUSTAINABLE.

[NL207]

Actions that are not economical are by definition , not sustainable.

Government intervention is by its very definition, uneconomical, and therefore, not sustainable.

This column is all about such government intervention. It is, in fact, about market bubbles, unsustainable business models, destruction of pivate capital and bankruptcy.

[marcosweb]

Here's an article on Green Job Reports & Forecasts:
http://www.livinggreenmag.com/community.html

[entropygal]

Two things we need to look at:

* Corn ethanol was not supposed to be used from food (the food part) and should not be competing with food uses, causing shortages and raising the price. The process has been around for many years, decades. It was processed from the waste stalks, plants after the corn was removed. Look up CSU Colorado State University with the Agriculture Engineering Research Center from years ago...they, and I'm sure others, have been doing this work.

* Look at the parabolic mirror solar power plants that is built in California. Is this a more efficient design than the solar panels. Let's not neglect the best designs as we expand.

* Nuclear reprocessing is a real problems. Be sure that the senators in Washington know this. They were supporting it when talking to Gore, but knew nothing about. Let's educate them; they make the decisions.

[PlugINCarsRule]

We need to do everything in our power to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.We have so much available to use such as wind and solar as well as technologies to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. There could be no better investment in than to invest in energy independence. Create clean cheap energy,create millions of BADLY needed new green jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.The high cost of fuel this past year did serious damage to our society and economy. Record numbers of jobs and homes have been lost due to the direct impact on our economy.Oil is finite.We are using it globally at the rate of 2 X faster than new oil is being discovered. Added to the strain on our supplies foreign countries are bursting in populations and becoming modern.China and India alone are expected to add another 3 million vehicles to their highways in the next 2 decades. I just read a fantastic book called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now by Jeff Wilson.Great Book!