Christopher Weber at In These Times writes:
Just What Is a "Green Job" Anyway?
"I think everybody in the labor movement recognizes that we have to make this economy more sustainable as well as more just," says Ron Blackwell, AFL-CIO chief economist. "The particular challenge is to make the transition to a greener economy in a way that does not impose disproportionate costs on working families."
Blackwell points out that the $150 billion Obama has committed to a green economy is only a first step. Still, he says the precedent is encouraging him: "We need to shift from an economy driven by asset inflation -- equities in the 1990s and housing since 2000 -- to more sustainable, public-led growth to restore the competitiveness of our national economy." ...
"A lot of industries that stand to grow and prosper in a green economy are ones that you might not expect," says David Foster, longtime regional director for the United Steelworkers. "A lot of people think of steel as a dirty, un-environmentally friendly industry, but the average wind turbine shaft contains 300 cubic tons of steel."
Foster currently serves as the executive director for the Blue-Green Alliance, a labor-environmental partnership that wants to see quality jobs emerge from green investment. The alliance began with a 2006 pact between the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club. In October, the Communications Workers of America joined the alliance, as did the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
"We've been building partnerships between environmental groups and organizations, especially labor, because we have a lot in common," explains the NRDC's Altman. "Some of the toughest problems that we face in the United States can be answered by investing in and building our economy around clean energy sources. That creates the environmental benefits we need to keep our world healthy and clean. These are also energy sources that put more people to work by creating more good-paying jobs than traditional energy sources." |
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The rescue begins below and continues in the jump. Inclusion does not indicate my agreement with any particular Diary. Provoking discussion is the intent.
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A Siegel praised the appointment of an Assistant Secretary of the Department of Energy in of Getting something wrong, while Obama Admin Gets Something Right: "Cathy Zoi's career achievements, to date, certainly lay the groundwork for EERE. She, for example, implemented the Energy Star program while at DOE. She then moved to the Chief of Staff in the White House Office on Environmental Policy in the Clinton-Gore Administration, where she managed the staff working on environmental and energy issues. From the White House, she moved to Australia, where she held both non-profit and business positions in global warming and energy arenas. In February 2007, she became the founding CEO of the ACP. Coming from heading the Alliance for Climate Protection, Cathy comes to the table with a long record of experience in both the workings of government and in the realms of environmental and energy policy."
In his Diary I like eating beef, daveygodigaditch talks about a way to get the red meat he wants without contributing to factory agriculture. "I know lots of people don't eat meat which is anyones choice and I'm not trying to change anyone’s diet. I'm just saying local is better for everyone."
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The Overnight News Digest is posted and includes the story, Nearly 7 in 10 major U.S. arms programs over budget.
Haole in Hawaii’s photography often comes across more like paintings, as in the latest Diary, Hawaiian Birds and a Sunrise.
FWIW reported on Toxics Release Data and New Rules: "A summary of Toxic release data was published (pdf) by the EPA last week. It says ‘From 2001-2007, total production-related waste managed decreased by 11% and the number of facilities reporting decreased by 15%.’ That seems to be inconsistent with what we know about the Bush environmental record and their major environmental roll-backs. How did they do it? They changed the rules."
One of the braver headlines of the day was murphstahoe’s Do I care if GM vaporizes? Not really: "A conundrum on the left. Honestly I wouldn't mind if every Auto Worker was laid off today. Does that make me a bad person? I don't think so. I don't want them to be unemployed. I just don't want them making automobiles."
Scaredhuman asked Is Monsanto involved or not ?: "Food Democracy Now put this out as an alert: Michael Taylor, Monsanto executive and lawyer, the guy who ran the FDA under Clinton and gave us rBGH and genetically engineered food, is waiting to run ‘food safety’ from an office inside the White House."
beach babe in fl gave us another installment in Macca's Meatless Monday XXlV...Hey Food: "There is a new study which says red meat raises the chances of dying early. If we're not concerned about our own lives we should be concerned about those we imfluence especially children."
Denver Coyote Problem put Colorado is the Shiznit into a bit of a quandary: "The animal rights groups are rightly upset, but if relocating the coyotes doesn't work, then I don't see much of a choice here. I'm kind of ashamed because I think this is the normal and standard Republican viewpoint. Am I crazy here? If relocating the coyotes DOES work, though, then I'd rather not have the little buggers shot. That would be cool."
Eddie C was wowed by The Green Garmento: An Environmental Masterpiece: "Talk about positive news! You gotta love a company that has the motto ‘Be Fantastic, Use Less Plastic.’ It is the simplest and most painless solution to an environmental issue."
gmoke alerted us to Weatherization Barnraising Leadership Trainings: "The Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) is pleased to offer free leadership trainings through a grant from the Massachusetts Service Alliance. These hands-on trainings will teach new volunteers to: assess the weatherization needs of buildings; specify and source materials for weatherization barnraisings; organize barnraising tasks and coordinate weatherizations; serve as team leaders at barnraisings. ... A weatherization party manual is available online.
Photos of already saved public lands were featured in jamess’s Good News - Omnibus Public Lands Bill is now Law.
AndyT gave us a very uncheerful look at the Permian extinction in Global Warming: How Bad Can It Possibly Get?
davidwalters took a look at China’s energy approach in China makes nuclear and wind work together!: "Now, the term 'renewables' hardly crosses the Chinese planning ministries lips. That's because they have bigger fish to fry. They understand the need for massive, truly massive, energy needs and, to lower their carbon out put, which is motivated less by climate change commitments as it is that carbon output is killing almost half a million Chinese a year: 80% of their generation is from coal, and not the cleanest, not using the best technology to burn it 'cleaner'. Nuclear: this is clearly China's choice for this century."
And TylerFromNE pissed off a bunch of people with his Anti-Nuclear Power = Pro-Genocide: "Now, these types can be classified into basically two groups: the ignorant fools, and the elitist ecofascists who use the environment as cover for their agenda, which is ‘depopulation’ and de-development, amounting to nothing less than the systematic extermination of the world's poor through induced starvation. While the former may be laboring under the Malthusian delusion, they don't realize the consequences of their conditioned belief in the necessity of culling the human ‘herd.’"