The Green Collar Solution: What it’s like to be black and green
Matt Stroud | Wed, Oct 17th, 2007 | Category: Commentary | Tags: green collar, van jones, manual labor jobs, thomas friedman, black and green
Thomas Friedman wrote an interesting op-ed in today’s NYTimes discussing an interview with Van Jones, a Yale-educated “black social activist in Oakland, Calif.” who “talks about what it’s like to be black and green.”
Using his little center in Oakland, Mr. Jones has been on a crusade to help underprivileged African-Americans and other disadvantaged communities understand why they would be the biggest beneficiaries of a greener America. It’s about jobs. The more government requires buildings to be more energy efficient, the more work there will be retrofitting buildings all across America with solar panels, insulation and other weatherizing materials. Those are manual-labor jobs that can’t be outsourced.
Among other things, Jones argues that blue collar workers could be the “biggest beneficiaries of a greener America.” It’ll be interesting to see how his activism progresses.
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And thanks, Robbie, for the tip.
