US Politics

Green Jobs Now Since 2007, it’s been my pleasure to share details with you about Van Jones and his fabulous organization, Green For All. Simply put, they do great work. It’s also been my pleasure to refrain for engaging in politics here on Keyboard Culture Global Warming as much as possible because there is a great deal which every citizen of every nation on Earth can do irrespective of the leadership in power. Moreover, since the policies needed to reverse climate change and place us on the path of permanent environmental sustainability have been politicized to the extreme in recent years, shying away from the political aspect of the fight against global warming benefits most everyone. Well, in mid-March, an announcement came from Green For All which must be shared with everyone because of the good news it heralds and despite its political overtones. Van Jones has been appointed to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. No matter who won the 2008 presidential election, I would be overjoyed with this decision. So, what will Van Jones do in Washington? Here is an excerpt from his announcement: “My job will be to help shape the administration's energy and climate policy, so that climate solutions produce jobs and justice for all Americans. I am going to be the Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.” Amazing news, right? Absolutely but it is only half of the double whammy which environmentalists received on the same day. The successor to Van Jones at Green For All as Chief Executive Officer will be Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, a leader with key distinctions in her background from Van Jones but who is no less qualified to lead Green For All into its next evolutionary stage. Here is a quick excerpt about Ms. Ellis-Lamkins from the same announcement: “As nearly everyone who lives in California already knows, Phaedra is a true superstar - widely recognized as one of America's most brilliant, creative and successful social justice leaders. She helped to expand health care access in San Jose and across California. She also helped to raise the minimum wage for low-income families in the South Bay - twice. As a result, San Jose Magazine named her one of the 100 most powerful people in Silicon Valley. The Silicon Valley Business Journal called her one of ‘40 leaders to watch under 40.’” One of the section titles of the announcement from Green For All regarding these two historic moves was [bold]Green Jobs: Moving From Inspiration to Implementation[/bold]. That is exactly what I advocate and as my readership numbers cross the monthly thresh hold of 1,000,000 pairs of eyes and growing, I will continue to disseminate the proof that we can fight global warming while simultaneously driving up wages and driving down air pollution, an example of the triple bottom line of sustainability which no one can oppose! Fomenting the Triple Bottom Line Corbett Kroehler