Time Magazine
May 26, 2008 What Is a Green-Collar Job, Exactly?
Phil Angelides explains the economic potential of the greening of America's economy to Time
“By far the largest way to quickly reduce oil consumption is by getting people out of cars and onto trains, bicycles, and walking,” writes Andy Kunz of the Congress for the New Urbanism in Chicago.
July 3, 2008 Apollo Feedback On Outer Continental Shelf Drilling, Apollo Nation Not Impressed Though what to do about energy invites multitude of views When we focused last week on Senator John McCain’s proposal to end a 26-year ban and drill the outer continental shelf, our readers responded en masse. More than 250 responses arrived here, more than 30,000 words from across the country. So many of you have views that we’re publishing Apollo Feedback as a series of three postings. This is part one.
From San Jose, California, a city that wants its energy consumption to be 100 percent renewable by 2023 to Newark, New Jersey, a city that is committed to building a sustainable economy, big cities are implementing policies and programs with the goal of building a green energy economy.
The Apollo nation is informed about energy. That’s for sure. In response to our question last week, asking what people would do about energy if they were president, we received dozens of proposed fixes. Policy. Practice. Information. Advocacy. Common sense. And, of course, some useful URLs. Take a look.
Newton, Iowa recruited two new wind manufacturing plants in the last year, reflecting the rising gale of new economic development in the Midwest, and in other regions learning how to plug into the wind. Newton’s ability to bypass the familiar tale of a Midwest city facing economic ruin owes a lot, said state authorities, to effective public policy and a nimble state government that anticipated trends in the clean-energy sector, capital markets, and manufacturing technology.
Though the Senate debate on climate change ended abruptly last week, it prompted considerable discussion in the Apollo nation. From ideas about high-speed rail and new high mileage vehicles, to proposals about energy efficiency and conservation, we’re clearly ready for changing how America uses energy. A lot of Americans are thinking about this. Here’s what they told us in the last week:
Apollo Feedback this week includes dispatches from readers across the country who note new innovations in clean energy generation, describe events in their communities, and also explore the world of work, for themselves and their clean energy companies.
When people talk about green-collar jobs, two questions always pop up. What is it? And how many are there? The first is easy to answer. You’d think there’d be an easy answer for the second question, too. But there isn’t. So we’re reporting what we know about below includes national job numbers, energy jobs broken down by sector, jobs in energy efficiency, construction jobs, and transportation jobs.
Last week we asked whether there was enough courage and smarts in the United States to respond to the economic, environmental, and political peril we face. Is America capable of writing a new compact with its people that sees the public interest as having greater priority than serving the private interest. That represents a sharp departure in the governing and cultural direction the nation pursued over the last quarter century. Your responses clearly indicated America is ready for a change that sees clean energy and good jobs as central to our greatness in this century.
When we asked last week 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.
Apollo Alliance Production June 6, 2008 Understanding Green Jobs
Big cities understand green-collar jobs. It’s time that all cities understand green-collar jobs. Apollo President Jerome Ringo introduces the concept to the National Conference of Black Mayors.
