Green Jobs Now!

Think about this: Although most of us don’t see this reality often, we live in a city (not unlike most U.S. cities) where a large number of our fellow citizens have very little to hope for in life beyond a fast food or Walmart job. There is no dignity or future for families that are employed and working hard but still not able to provide for their kids. In fact, one single mom, who gave up her Saturday morning to attend a national Green Jobs Now event with two little kids in tow, was deeply embarrassed when her 8 year old daughter actually raised her hand to ask what a family could do when it found itself without enough money, even after a full week’s work. “We retract the question, that’s not our question!” the poor, embarrassed mom said. But in fact, it’s a great question – what is that mom supposed to do?

So here's my story . . . This past weekend, I hopped the MARTA and rode deep into downtown Atlanta to attend one of 668 Green Jobs Now events being held all over the U.S. Nearing the United Way building, I was greeted by several friendly folks wearing green hard hats, t-shirts proclaiming “Atlanta is Ready!” and holding Green Jobs Now signs.

I had no idea what this seminar would be about. More than eighty people had registered but no one I knew. One friend had even said, “Aren’t green collar jobs just the same as blue collar jobs? Why is that interesting?” Quite honestly, I really didn’t know.

I sat down amid a sea of excited people as Patricia Harris of the Edge Connection in Kennesaw welcomed us.

Now Patricia is a force to be reckoned with - most recently, and to the chagrin of several construction companies, she has insisted her organization’s new building be LEED-certified, and nothing less. After several battles, she won over every single contractor by demonstrating the multiple tax breaks this would earn them, and now she has builders begging her for more things to green!

Patricia’s multi-award-winning Edge Connection provides low-to-moderate income women, persons with disabilities, and minorities, with training, financial literacy and support to launch and grow their businesses, and Patricia is all about doing things right. Even the morning’s bagels, fruit and drinks were served on china and in glasses. Wow! Not even the Buckhead law firms do this at morning meetings, so why here? Because Patricia was certainly not going to “talk green” and then throw away dozens of paper or plastic plates!

Patricia’s husband Cozell Harris, a green jobs and fatherhood development advocate, joined her to explain that “Green collar jobs are blue collar jobs that have been upgraded to respect the environment. Green collar jobs are critical to rebuilding a strong middle class. Green collar jobs provide a pathway out of poverty. Green collar jobs require some new skills, and some new thinking about old skills, but green collar jobs are not low paying service sector jobs like McDonald’s!” WOW!

If these ideas intrigue you - and they have huge, ground-shifting, positive implications for all of us - you really need to meet the founder of the Green for All movement, Van Jones, and hear his eloquent and thought-provoking solutions to our complex employment, environmental, energy, and quality of life problems. Believe me, he is well worth the two minutes it takes to watch the short video clip above.

And yes, here are three key things that presenter Charlotte King, one of the "100 Most Influential Black Women in Atlanta" and one of the nation’s most recognized experts in environmental marketing suggested we can all do, no matter the color of our collars:

1) Support all bills and referendums that call for green infrastructure improvements including sidewalks, bike lanes, light rail, and expansions of MARTA and bus routes – they are desperately needed, and especially by the folks with the least number of options. After all, what’s the point of having a green collar job if you can’t get to it?

2) Plant trees! Not Bradford pears or crepe myrtles, but maples and oaks and fruit trees that absorb carbon and produce food. Did you know Georgia currently loses 55 acres of trees a day to clear cutting and development? Those trees are vitally important to everyone’s quality of life, but especially to inner city kids who are disproportionately impacted by asthma from vehicle exhaust and air pollution.

3) Do what you can, but do something! Charlotte pointed out, “In this country, we all like to react and fix problems – everyone gets excited about recycling but how come we messed things up in the first place!?” Let’s get ahead of our environmental problems, not chase after them when the damage has already been done. Reduce and reuse first, then recycle!

And of course, please join me in supporting the Green Jobs Now mission – it’s in all of our best interests!

Judy