NRDC's New Videos On Clean Energy Reveal the Faces and Potential of the Green Economy

by: jamesboyce

Thu Mar 25, 2010 at 09:44:17 AM EDT

All too often, discussions about so-called green job creation are placed in the future tense -- something we predict or hope will happen, but is still considered to be in the realm of the hypothetical. Many people don't know anyone who has a green job, are unable to imagine what one would look like, or who would be creating them. This keeps the concept of green jobs fuzzy and abstract for too many -- not the kind of thing you'd base an economic recovery on. The opponents of clean energy have seized on this, claiming that the whole concept of green jobs is a fantasy that could cost jobs in the established fossil fuel industry that we see all around us.

But for many lucky Americans, green jobs are not wishful thinking -- they are a welcome reality RIGHT NOW, giving laid-off workers well-paying jobs so they can keep their homes, revitalize their struggling communities, and do something positive for the entire country by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing our dependence on foreign oil. NRDC's new videos, "Clean Energy Jobs For A Strong USA" and "Clean Energy Patriots", introduce you to these green collar workers and let them tell their stories in their own words. At the same time, they lay out a roadmap for how America, with its traditions of innovation and tackling the biggest challenges, can put generations of Americans to work by creating and maintaining a clean, efficient, sustainable energy infrastructure -- a project as needed, ambitious and economy-stimulating as the construction of America's interstate highway system that began over 50 years ago.

"Clean Energy Jobs For A Strong USA" does an excellent job of demystifying the concept of a green collar worker. They aren't farmers digging in organic compost or scientists in spacesuits -- they're welders, steelworkers, electricians and autoworkers, many of whom saw once-reliable Midwest factory jobs evaporate as the Great Recession ravaged the country. Despite no previous experience in clean tech, these workers found that their skills were easily transferable to clean tech industries. After all, windmills and solar panels are simply generators that need to be manufactured, installed, maintained and connected to the energy grid by skilled workers, and a factory that makes energy-efficient windows is still a window factory.

One thing that's notable about the workers interviewed in "Clean Energy Jobs For A Strong USA" is their pragmatism and noted lack of idealism. This is not to say that they aren't optimistic -- they want the rest of the nation to have the same kind of second chance that the clean tech industry has brought to their families and communities. But they don't want that because they are true believers in something unseen -- they want it because they've experienced it firsthand and live it every day as they work at their clean tech job and return to a home they can now afford to own. One could say that wanting to leave a better planet for your children than the one you were given is idealistic, but if so, it's an idealism that every person on the planet should have.

At the same time, the executives and spokespeople for the clean tech companies hiring these workers are simply looking at the reality of where the market is heading, where a once-exotic CFL is now simply a lightbulb and "alternative" energy will soon be the norm. Blake Jones, the CEO of Namaste Solar, reveals that he used to work for Halliburton until he understood the consequences of being dependant on oil from unfriendly or unstable nations. Chuck Swoboda, CEO of LED manufacturer CREE Inc., used to work for Ford until he realized that so much energy was being spent protecting the SUV business Ford had that they were failing to make the cars that would drive profits in the future. The two things corporations prize the most are profits and predictability -- if you don't know what the future of your industry holds, it's risky to try to profit from it. Clean tech companies know that clean energy makes profits, but without clean energy legislation that allows them to be competitive with markets in other countries that enjoy government support, future profits, venture capital, entrepreneurs and the innovation they breed, those profits will be made by companies overseas.

In "Clean Energy Patriots", we learn the multiple ways that clean tech strengthens the nation and its security. To start, service in America's highly mechanized, technologically advanced military turns out to be excellent training for jobs in the clean tech industry, providing great jobs for returning veterans eager to start working and put down roots. Soldiers building bases in Iraq can build solar farms in Nevada, and a technician who worked on submarine electronics can troubleshoot the electronics of a smart power grid. Many of the men and women in the video served in Iraq, where they experienced the consequences of our dependence on foreign oil firsthand and how American oil dollars fund those fighting against us. By working in clean tech, these former soldiers are able to continue serving their country by making America energy independent -- no bullets or overseas deployments required.

"Clean Energy Jobs For A Strong USA" and "Clean Energy Patriots" are videos you should dare elected officials and green job skeptics to watch. Even if you ignore the reality of climate change, the benefits of clean energy to America's economy and national security are overwhelming, and the honesty and excitement of the videos' participants hits you in a way that actors or the most polished PR firms couldn't match. For those who can't imagine a thriving economy based on clean energy, efficiency and energy independence, these videos provide a glimpse into a safer, more sustainable future for America. Or, more accurately, they let you spend time with the men and women who are already living there and want the rest of the nation to join them.    

Saxby Chambliss Seeks Deferment From Runoff - Cites "Bum Knee"

by: jamesboyce

Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 09:44:32 AM EST

Never one to let an opportunity to mislead the people of Georgia, Saxby Chambliss has requested that he actually be excused from the December 2nd runoff against Jim Martin and just be declared the winner.

It is rumored that in private statements, Saxby has claimed that the knee that allowed him to have six deferments from serving in Vietnam has been acting up again, and not a minute too soon, as the race for what could be the 60th Senate Senate appears closer than ever.

Just in case his deferment is not granted and Saxby never had a problem in the past, Saxby has started to run a commercial in Georgia focusing on the attacks on 9/11.  

Who's Up For Secretary Of Defense? Who Do You Want?

by: jamesboyce

Thu Nov 06, 2008 at 09:32:47 AM EST

Now, we enter a new phase of politics, one where for the first time since 1992 we have a Democratic President-Elect. There's just one little difference between now and then, it's the Internet, so you get to make your voices heard.

Yesterday, we launched the Cabinet NewsLadder an aggregator news site with all of the posts, articles and more about who is being considered for what position.

The Ironic Destruction Of Our National Guard Under President "Do Not Volunteer For Overseas"

by: jamesboyce

Wed Jul 30, 2008 at 16:32:14 PM EDT

Do Not Volunteer For Overseas.

As his term in office is coming to end, it is becoming increasingly clear that another tragic legacy of his time in office will be the demoralization and destruction of our National Guard. Never before in our country's history or in its own 370 year history has the National Guard been a front line force in a foreign war.

Consider these facts:

- Over 267,000 men and women of the National Guard have been deployed since September 11, 2001.

- 35 states have deployed more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan than to any war since World War II

- From now to the end of Bush's term in office, almost half of the troops deploying will be from the National Guard and of those, nearly half will be from units on their second tour.

Of all the statistics and stories I have read on this issue, many from the work I do with Veterans For America, one sticks out.

This fall, half of New Jersey's National Guard will be in Iraq, half.

What happens if there is another attack this fall at the end of the election cycle and half of New Jersey's National Guard is gone?

What happens if a hurricane strikes the Jersey Shore?

What happens if the National Guard is needed and they simply aren't there?

Other issues with Iraq get more attention, but the silent destruction of our National Guard and the impact of this administration's policies on the future of the guard are often over-looked. As this administration breaks with long-standing Guard policy, like the fact that the Guard used to give five times as much time at home as deployed, morale and enrollment in the Guard will surely decline.

It could get worse. John McCain's plan for Iraq means continued deployment of our National Guard overseas. The fact that rates of PTSD are higher among National Guard members or the fact that so many National Guard families have to rely on food stamps to survive, none of that matters to John McCain.

Thanks to a man who wouldn't go overseas when he was a member of the National Guard, we now have torn apart our nation's oldest military force and will be paying for it for years to come.

Here is the document George Bush checked and signed when he joined the National Guard.

Have A Great Day! (18 Veterans Will Kill Themselves Today) UPDATED WITH NEWS FROM CREW AND VOTEVETS

by: jamesboyce

Tue May 13, 2008 at 11:23:47 AM EDT

Right now, it's 7:30 am here in Seattle and 10:30 back in Washington DC where as far as I can tell, not one elected official has thought today about the fact that by now, two or three, maybe more, young American men and women who served their country in Iraq and Afghanistan have killed themselves.

Some may have used a gun and pulled the trigger when they couldn't take the pain or the wait of up to six months that they are told to wait before seeing a mental health specialist. Some may use pills or drive their car into a wall. Some will slit their wrists.

All our brave young and women we as a nation have failed to serve with a hint of the honor and courage that they served us.

The Time Has Come To Support The Candidate Who Will End The War

by: jamesboyce

Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 10:48:32 AM EST

Of course, this follows another capitulation in the Senate yesterday where they traded $70 billion of more war for a ticket home for the holidays. Tragic isn't it?

Two weeks from today, the endless foreplay of politics ends and we get down to business, first in Iowa, and then New Hampshire and then the rest of the country.

Veterans For America releases new "Survival Guide" for Veterans and Servicemembers

by: jamesboyce

Tue Dec 04, 2007 at 09:37:57 AM EST

As many of you know, Veterans For America is headed by Bobby Muller, one of the great veteran leaders of the past three decades.

Bobby was paralyzed by a sniper bullet in Vietnam. And in a tragic example of history repeating itself, when he was recovering in a VA hospital in New York City, LIFE magazine did a cover story on his ward, calling it a 'medical slum.' Sound familiar?