Memo To Candidates: Green-Collar Jobs Means Standing Up for People and the Planet

For those of us who are a part of the movement for "green-collar jobs," Sunday's Democratic presidential debate was a real watershed moment.

Clinton, Edwards and Obama were in the debate of their lives. And all three of them passionately championed the importance of creating good jobs in the clean energy sector.

They presented "green-collar jobs" as a way to simultaneously boost the economy and beat global warming.

Their words were like music to our ears. It felt like a victory for all of our organizations, which have been making this argument for some time. So...hats off to the Apollo Alliance, Ella Baker Center, Workforce Alliance, Center for American Progress, Sustainable South Bronx, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, 1Sky, Energy Action Coalition, Green For All and many more.

And then yesterday the Washington Post ran a major story on green jobs, Time magazine has taken up the issue, and CNN just featured it on Situation Room. So it is now official: our demand for green-collar jobs has finally broken through!

But before the concept gets watered down by its very popularity, now might be a good time to give a clear and uncompromising answer the question: what is a green-collar job, anyway?

It is great that our leaders are offering a better future. But as this green-collar job train begins to leave the station, it is time to confirm the destination.
Creating enough green-collar jobs to beat global warming and create real economic opportunity for those who most need it is a tall order. It will require a major transformation of the American economy, and we must be clear about the terms of this transition. Only then will we have a yardstick to measure real progress against exciting rhetoric.

• Green Collar Jobs Rebuild a Strong Middle Class. Green-collar jobs are good jobs. Like blue-collar jobs, green-collar jobs pay family wages and provide opportunities for advancement along a career track of increasing skills and wages. A job that does something for the planet and little to nothing for the people or the economy is not a green-collar job. The green economy cannot be built with solar sweat shops and Wal-Mart wind farms.
• Green-Collar Jobs Provide Pathways out of Poverty. Most green-collar jobs are middle-skill jobs requiring more than high school, but less than a four-year degree - and are well within reach for low-skilled and low-income workers as long as they have access to effective training programs and appropriate supports. We must ensure that all green-collar jobs strategies provide opportunities for low-income people to take the first step on a pathway from poverty to economic self-sufficiency.
• Green-Collar Jobs Require Some New Skills (and some new thinking about old skills). The green economy demands workers with new skill sets. Some green collar jobs - say renewable energy technicians - are brand new. But even more are existing jobs that are being transformed as industries transition to a clean energy economy: computer control operators who can cut steel for wind towers as well as for submarines; or mechanics who can fix an electric engine as well as an internal combustion engine. We need identify the specific skills the green economy demands. Then we need to invest in creating new training programs and retooling existing training programs to meet the demand.
• Green-Collar Jobs Tend to be Local Jobs. Much of the work we have to do to green our economy involves transforming the places that we live and work and the way we get around. These jobs are difficult or impossible to offshore. For instance, you can't pick up a house send it to China to install solar panel and ship it back. In addition, one of the major sources of manufacturing jobs - a sector that has been extensively off-shored - are components parts for wind towers and turbines. Because of their size and related high transportation costs, they are most cost-effectively produced as near as possible to wind farm sites. Cities and communities should begin thinking now about ways their green strategies can also create local jobs.
• A Green Collar Job Strengthens Urban and Rural Communities. Urban and rural America have both been negatively impacted over the past decades by a failure to invest in their growth -green collar jobs provide and opportunity to reclaim these areas for the benefit of local residents. From new transit spending and energy audits in inner cities to windmills and bio-mass in our nation's heartland, green jobs mean a reinvestment in the communities hardest hit in recent decades.
• And By the way....Green-Collar Jobs Save Planet Earth This may be obvious. The "green" in green-collar is about preserving and enhancing environmental quality. Green-collar jobs are in the growing industries that are helping us kick the oil habit, curb greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate toxins, and protect natural systems.


Green-collar workers are installing solar panels, retrofitting buildings to make them more efficient, constructing transit lines, refining waste oil into biodiesel, erecting wind farms, repairing hybrid cars, building green rooftops, planting trees, and so much more. And they are doing it today. There are already many green-collar jobs in America. But there could be so many more if we focus our economic strategies on growing a green economy.

It is exciting that the Presidential candidates have taken up this banner. We must thank them for their leadership. And we must help them ensure that the green jobs of tomorrow build a green and prosperous economy for everyone, here and around the world.
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I want to thank clean-energy champions Jeremy Hays, Parin Shah, Jason Walsh, Joel Rogers and Bracken Hendricks for contributing their thoughts and words to this post.

Here are some resources we pulled together on the topic:
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century - American Solar Energy Society http://www.ases.org/

Community Jobs in Green Economy - Apollo Alliance http://www.apolloalliance.org/resources_communityjobs.php and Urban Habitat http://urbanhabitat.org/node/931

Growing Green Collar Jobs - Urban Agenda (NYC) http://www.urbanagenda.org/projects.htm

Oakland Green Jobs Corps - Ella Baker Center for Human Rights http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=26&contentid=267

Jobs in LA's Green Technology Sector - Economic Roundtable http://www.economicrt.org/summaries/Green_Tech_synopsis.html

Also, see the green-collar jobs story on the cover of the Post Style Section
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Finally, here are the references to green jobs from the NYT transcript of the SC debate

Clinton: "We need to make sure that we start jumpstarting the jobs in this country again. That's why I want to put money into clean energy jobs, green-collar jobs..."

Edwards: Now, one difference between what I have proposed and what my two colleagues have proposed is I have done something that not only stimulates the economy, but creates long-term benefits, investment in green infrastructure, which creates jobs. Instead of just getting money out in the short term, this will actually create jobs over the long term, create green infrastructure.

Edwards: What I'm saying is if we do what we should do to green the economy, if we change our unemployment insurance laws, modernize them to make them available to more people, to more Americans, if we in fact give help to the states, which gets money straight into the economy and we deal with the mortgage crisis in a serious way with a home rescue fund to provide transitional financing for those people who are about to lose their homes, all those things will stimulate the economy.

Obama: I think the idea of bringing jobs is important, which is why that's central to my energy plan.

Clinton: As a further point, I do believe that the green-collar job piece of this is important. That's why I have $5 billion to do it. There are programs already. Oakland, California, Mayor Dellums is working to have a green-collar job program. We could put hundreds and hundreds of young people to work right now, putting solar panels in, insulating homes.

Clinton continued: That would give them jobs and it would move us more quickly to a green economy. And I think that if you look at this from a jobs and justice, a stimulation and long-term planning effort, we need to lay down the markers now. And that's why the Congress, under the leadership of a lot of the people who are chairs of committees and subcommittees who are here today are going to play a major role in this.

Comments

[tbone99]

great post with great links - Thanks!

And thanks John Edwards for leading with the great idea. Much better than the one time bribe not to burn down the W.H. we're getting ,called a stimulus package.Maybe its meant to buy lots of caffeine, can't think of any other reason for the name.

BO acted like he doesn't even know what green means, probably thinks its nuclear donations in cash.

[Purple Girl]

And Why can't Michigna lead the Way???
We have th einfrastructure to build eco friendly products- the cars, the solar panels, the water filtration mechanisms.
We ahve the Universities which not only specialize in Engineering, mechanics, but Medicine and Agriculture!
We are one of the microcosms of the nation, presently the dying canary in the Coal Mine.Why becaue we have been enslaved to the Auto industries gluttonous ways, content in their cesspool of the Status Quo. Sucking the drops of blood out of our citizens. and our Public Servants have been latched to their tit for decades.
the Work Ethic, knowledge and experience are all still here adn we are ready to dispense with the old and forge a new beginning to the Benefit of ALL (as our grand parents did when they built those companies for the benefit of mankind)Our State Our countrymen gave their blood sweat and tears for a better tomorrow - WE CAN DO IT AGAIN- this time with a lot more oversight of their principles and their Management!The Old dinosaurs Sold US out, time to kick them OUT! and all their political whores.

[mamacita]

Pretty sad that this post received so little attention.

John Edwards is making a lot of sense with his long-term working approach to the issue of jobs, instead of just throwing money at the problem--and increasing the deficit. Short-term thinking is what has gotten us into this mess!

Oh, and for you people on the Obamarama--here's how your candidate approaches the issue of jobs and the middle class:

"Obama: I think the idea of bringing jobs is important, which is why that's central to my energy plan." (from the CNN debate)

Uh huh...wow...brilliant...oooh...aaah...

[realitytrumpsbull]

I just like the idea of being free to produce your own ethanol. Not for drinking, not 'fire water', but basically energy independence, free of taxes and the rest of the garbage.

Ethanol's cleaner and more eco-groovy, and if you're free to make your own, well, that's one less oil tanker that won't get stacked up somewhere on the coast, and decreases the likelihood of paying rent to Al at the same time. Oh, and it's renewable. And no, you're not stuck JUST using corn, that's an ADM thing, I think, 'cause they're already in the corporate corn business. Small independents that can turn out tens of thousands of gallons of ethanol, using what amounts to ag waste, that's the future, there. And, if they're right about global whining, then our climate will be changing to the point where we can grow our OWN sugar cane.

[zagyzebra]

I just have to say congratulations on an entry that actually REPORTS on what the candidates said relative to a particular issue, as opposed to the predominant tit-for-tat crap we see 99% of the time. And I don't think I'm out of line by stating that most people would much rather the coverage of the candidates be issue-oriented and equal to all whom are running. We want to know WHAT they're THINKING about ISSUES. Not if Hillary cried, Bill scorned, Obama frowned or Michelle reacted. We want to know about EDWARDS is thinking, too, not just the two front-runners. If we are to make intelligent decisions, let us read about their opinions on issues first and foremost, and their personalities second!

[groucho]

This is such a hopeful solution to the terrible problems in this country. And leave it to Ron Dellums to be the first to get a program going, he's been an inspiration for so long.

[Guitarsandmore]

If there is a silver lining to the Iraq war it is that Americans are waking up to the real cost of clinging to old technology; global warming, funding terrorists, polution, economic woes.

The argument for new alternatives makes more sense every day.

The trick will be to make the talent in the oil, coal, and nuclear industries part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

We may have to hire some of them, too, just like we hire the enemy in Iraq to change sides and be part of the police. Money talks and bullshit walks.

Take all the subsidies away from big oil etc and give it to green. If you want the dollars you have to work for green!

[TheKiddy]

John Edwards Rocks!

[davidly]

Thank you, Mr. Jones. I'm sorry to sound cynical, really I am, because I'm sure we have the same goals, and I really respect your honesty, and you did measure your enthusiasm with the "yardstick list", but how on God's Green Earth can we thank Presidential candidates FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP, when all they've done is what they always do? Make CAMPAIGN PROMISES! That's not even throwing anyone a bone, not that that is so enviable, unless you're one of their biggest contributors.

As I always say, likely ad nauseum, but still feel I gotta say it: Please people don't forget that the change absolutely must begin with your own consumption habits, and any campaign that doesn't spell that out clearly is being dishonest.

[DemandTruth]

Yes! Our candidates get it! And, as usual, there's John Edwards leading the pack in talking about green-collar jobs!

In fact, the three candidates spoke today about what they thought would be the best way to stimulate our flagging economy.

Clinton: Tax breaks for lower/middle class workers.

Obama: Tax breaks for lower/middle class workers & a little extra money in the social security check ($250.00).

Edwards: Invest our resources and energy in creating green-collar jobs to stimulate the economy, advance technology and innovation, help workers into stable jobs with stable incomes, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and clean up the environment.

I'll gladly forgoe the extra $500.00 (at most) I'd get back from another tax cut - that's like a month's worth of bills for me - to see the creation of good American jobs that will provide returns over and over in this economy, not to mention helping to lift many Americans out of poverty and making them more productive members of society. (Don't forget - more people working means more people paying taxes and paying into social security too). It's the gift that keeps on giving, or more appropriately, the work that keeps on working!

Again, John Edwards is out ahead of the pack in leadership and vision!

GO JOHN GO!