Good Jobs, Green Jobs: Part 1

[bananas]

Some good news on the Grist Magazine blog:

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/3/18/151955/884

Good Jobs, Green Jobs: Part 1
What happened and who was there?
Posted by Kevin Doyle at 10:58 AM on 19 Mar 2008

Well, I'm back home from the Good Jobs, Green Jobs national conference last week in Pittsburgh, and I've digested the speeches, the workshops, the press conferences, and the two major reports released at the event: "Green Collar Jobs in America's Cities : Building Pathways out of Poverty and Careers in the Clean Energy Economy" and "Greener Pathways : Jobs and Workforce Development in the Clean Energy Economy."

I'm tempted to say, "Read these fantastic reports," and sign off. They're really good, and the main points will soon be showing up in town halls and governors' offices -- and as unreferenced insights in undergraduate term papers all over the country. Hats off to the authors of the two reports: Bracken Hendricks (Center for American Progress), Sarah White (Center on Wisconsin Strategy), Jeremy Hays and Jason Walsh (Green for All), and Kate Gordon (Apollo Alliance). So spend the time and read them now; you won't regret it.

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Before I talk details, I want to say that I'm feeling inspired right now in a way that I haven't been in a long time. I went to Pittsburgh on a Thursday morning looking for data and definitions for Gristy green-job seekers -- that's my beat. I flew home on a Friday night as part of a national movement for fundamental change. Who knew?

To review: The gathering was organized by the BlueGreen Alliance, a "strategic partnership" of the Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers Union. BlueGreen worked with the Apollo Alliance, Green for All, Center for American Progress, the Workforce Alliance, the Center for Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), and over 70 other conveners, none of which has an acronym nearly as cool as COWS.

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