Words by Rachel
Eco-Equity
The "green wave" has hit us all. Everywhere you go, it's "organic" this and "fuel-efficient" that. Demand for hybrid vehicles is on the rise, and environmental friendliness is becoming not only an urgent necessity, it's becoming the new trend. "Go Green" or "Go Home"!
But, step into a low-income community and it's not about finding organic food - it's about affording enough food. It's not about driving a late model hybrid vehicle to work - it's about finding work. It's not about tapping into renewable resources on your energy bill - it's about having enough money to pay your bills. Let's face it, to be green, you often need green. And, while it's a worthy cause, it's not always en affordable cause. Having said this, Green for All has a simple but ambitious mission: to help build a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.
By advocating for a national commitment to job training, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in the emerging green economy – especially for people from disadvantaged communities -- we fight both poverty and pollution at the same time. They are committed to securing one billion dollars by 2012 to create “green pathways out of poverty” for 250,000 people in the United States, by greatly expanding federal government and private sector commitments to “green-collar” jobs.
Van Jones is the man behind this initiative. He is a civil-rights lawyer, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. In hindsight, it just seems to make sense. Some of the communities in which Van works are filled with significant populations of Black Americans struggling to find work, yet there are waves of new opportunities coming in to solve global warming - so, why not employ those in need of work?
Van is working to ensure that low-income, working poor and minority youth will be part of the solution to global warming. He believes the coming wave of "green-collar" jobs should be filled by a local workforce to reduce poverty and address global warming.
For more information, visit:
Does anyone know about an initiative like Green for All in Canada?
0 Comments