Van Jones and the Green Jobs Revolution (Video)
January 17, 2009 by editor
Filed under Featured, Green Collar
Van Jones, President of Green for All and a Nation contributor, came to DC on Thursday to talk to the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming about a Green (and fair) New Deal. Testifying along with Jones were Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer.
Jones spoke of the “new tools…new training…and new technology” that would “begin to put some green rungs on America’s ladder of opportunity.” He took on the “falsehoods and confusion” spread by “vocal opponents and naysayers” who oppose investing in a new green economy and breaking our dependence on fossil fuels.
Jones set the record straight on the notion that green jobs are a fantasy–”Buck Rogers jobs, or science fiction jobs, or George Jetson jobs”–and pointed to the section of the Green Jobs Act (passed in 2007, but not funded–evidence he said of the need to “move aggressively from inspiration to implementation”) that spells out the exact kinds of job-training programs and industries eligible for support, some of which are: energy efficient and retro-fitting construction jobs; renewable power industry; biofuels industry; and manufacturing of sustainable products using environmentally sustainable materials.
Mapping Renewable Energy, Rooftop by Rooftop
December 21, 2008 by admin
Filed under Solar News
The sun shines on everyone - but not in equal measure. That reality has long slowed the spread of solar power. Depending on where you live in the country - or even where you live in your city - the same array of photovoltaic solar panels can produce enough electricity to power your house with watts to spare, or barely cut a nickel from your utility bill. It all comes down to the precise amount of sunlight that hits your roof. But while we all know that San Antonio gets more sunny days than Seattle, what about one part of San Antonio compared to another? One block of downtown Seattle compared to the next block? “Without that knowledge, renewables can be a bit of a crap shoot,’ says Kenneth Westrick, the CEO of the renewable mapping company 3Tier.
A solar technician employed by SunEdison checks the rooftop array of solar panels in Woodland, California.
All of that could be changing. The engineering company CH2M Hill is now joining hands with the U.S. Department of Energy to provide Internet solar maps of 25 American cities, using Google Earth technology to chart the precise solar potential of neighborhoods, literally rooftop by rooftop. The company has just finished mapping all of San Francisco, allowing residents to enter their address and take the solar measure of their own home. “People in San Francisco think we don’t have any solar potential,’ says Gavin Newsom, the city’s deep-green mayor. “But the map shows we have a lot more sun than you’d believe.” Read more
California Governor Schwarzenegger’s Green Challenge
California Governor Says He’ll Stick To Environmental Plans, Despite Economic Crisis
President-elect Obama is 30 days from office. For a window on his future, turn west for a moment to a chief executive who is already up to his neck in the nation’s troubles.
This month, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger warned of financial Armageddon, as California faced a potential $40 billion deficit that threatened jobs, roads, schools and public safety. At the same time, he’s pushing some of the world’s toughest environmental laws to make California a leader on climate change.
Yolo Federal Credit Union Offers Solar Partnerships
Yolo County, California
Yolo Federal Credit Union is making it easier for homeowners to add green technology to their homes by earmarking money for rebates to its environmentally conscious members.
Yolo Federal Credit Union is partnering with Talbott Corp and groSolar to offer “Solar Banking” financing options in order to make photovoltaic systems affordable for members.
The program includes rebates of up to $1,500 on purchases of PV systems by Yolo FCU members, new or existing. The solar banking rebate is in addition to the California Solar Initiative rebate and the recently enacted Investment Tax Credit for residential solar projects.
Together these incentives can bring the cost of a $30,000 PV system down to $16,000. This is the first of its kind rebate program offered by a financial institution to its members.
The rebate is part of comprehensive package offered to members of Yolo FCU to encourage the use of solar-generated energy.
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Green Is the New Color of Lobbying
Makers of Energy-Saving Products See Opportunities in Big Stimulus Bill
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2008 — Lobbying for green energy has become a red hot business here.
From electric cars to “green” roofs, companies that produce renewable fuels and energy-efficient products have snapped up Washington lobbyists at a rapid clip to get a helping hand from the federal government.
Nearly 300 green companies and industry groups have signed up Washington lobbying firms seeking tax breaks, research grants, contracts and other government business during the current two-year session of Congress, according to disclosure forms reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. That is an eightfold increase from the previous session.
The growth in the green-lobbying business is the offshoot of converging economic and political trends: Rising energy prices and concerns about global warming have created a need to find alternative energy sources. Meanwhile, the 2006 and 2008 elections have empowered Democrats who are more inclined to use the government to boost energy efficiency and renewable fuels. That has put billions of dollars up for grabs.
