Forbes.com
Arpil 30, 2008
Can clean energy projects, and the bonanza of good jobs they promise, be brought to scale? You betcha. In the last few years, a clutch of clean energy projects have emerged on a scale never seen before. Forbes.com identified the biggest and boldest projects among them.
“The Europeans feel the $113 per barrel cost of oil far less,” writes George Bailey of Sharon, Massachusetts. One reason is the continent's focus on providing state of the art high speed rail networks that link big cities and small towns.
May 5, 2008 Apollo Feedback
No To Gas Tax “Pandering,” Yes To Rails, Bikes, Alternatives Apollo nation knows it likes Europe, among other things When we asked which idea made better sense, suspending the federal gas tax for the summer (proposed by Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton) or investing in rail transport (Senator Barack Obama's counter-proposal) the response from the Apollo nation was near-unanimous. A resounding no to the gas tax, and a clear yes to rail and other transportation alternatives. We received over 100 responses.
This second edition of reader Feedback includes an intriguing sampling of inventions, personal stories, questions, and news of independent clean energy media developing around the country. Send your Feedback dispatches to Keith Schneider, keith@apolloalliance.org. We post them early every week.
This second edition of reader Feedback includes an intriguing sampling of inventions, personal stories, questions, and news of independent clean energy media developing around the country. Send your Feedback dispatches to Keith Schneider, keith@apolloalliance.org. We post them early every week.
Like many communities suffering from economic dislocation, Grays Harbor in Washington state cast about for ways to bring back the jobs that had been so productive for generations. They tried the conventional routes, attempting to lure light manufacturing and call centers. They tried to make Grays Harbor a historic seaport. Then, serendipitously, the town discovered another resource: biofuels.
In response to Apollo's call for news from our readers about the clean energy, good jobs future, we received a number of interesting dispatches. There's no resignation or bitterness expressed here. Just a steadfast sense of purpose at the local level, reflected in new policy (see the Alaska note below), new companies (Michigan, Washington state, and California entrepreneurs contributed here), new programs (New Jersey and Denver supporters write), and a number of intriguing ideas.
A group of rebel engineers from Corte Madera, California, the Calcar boys, met one sunny day in April 2004 in the garage of a typical condominium ten miles north of the Golden Gate. They were determined to roll out a car that could be “fueled” by plugging it into a wall at night with a standard extension cord and run on gas when needed. It was a Toyota Prius when they started. When they finished it was a symbol of an American revolution in automobiles.
Two governors from fossil fuel–rich states are taking steps that deserve special attention to move beyond carbon-based energy, powered by new technology. In Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendell has attracted the better part of $1 billion of new investment and created literally thousands of jobs during his tenure. In New Mexico, Governor Bill Richardson is working to substantially reduce carbon emissions as a central feature of building a more efficient economy that generates good jobs and prosperity.
Carlton Brown is among the legion of entrepreneurs, developers, city leaders, union workers, scientists, and farmers laying claim to a piece of the new clean energy economy unfolding across the United States. As president of Full Spectrum New York, a leader in the development of mixed use and mixed income green buildings in emerging urban markets, he has helped to rebuild Harlem as a livable, affordable, and increasingly energy-efficient community that stays within reach of long time residents, helping them gain home ownership, while restoring strong and healthy neighborhoods.
A coalition of non-profit environmental and economic research organizations from across the country today released a first-of-its kind guide to cities and states to enhance one critical component of America’s shared prosperity. The new guide, “Green-Collar Jobs in America's Cities,” was made public at the start of the two-day national Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference in Pittsburgh. It makes a strong case that pursuing a four-step strategy – essentially a metropolitan green business and jobs development plan – provides a wealth of environmental, economic, and social benefits.
Solar manufacturing companies across the country are doubling and tripling their workforces. Toledo, Ohio’s WNWO reports on a new $22 million facility.
