Noted author Van Jones was in Burlington last week to deliver the keynote address at the Vermont Business and Industry Expo. Jones is currently Special Advisor of Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Here's the full video of his presentation, courtesy of the Center for Media and Democracy:
Jones' 2008 Best Seller, The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems, is highly recommended.
Last year, IBEW Local 300 swiftly responded to the call for GREEN JOBS NOW by starting Vermont's first intensive, year-round solar photovoltaic training for electricians. Our union is deeply committed to training members in sustainable technologies. The key now is to ensure these environmentally responsible jobs pay a living wage, health care and retirement benefits (for related reading: High Road or Low Road? Job Quality in the New Green Economy).
Kudos to the Vermont Chamber of Commerce - with the help of Sen. Patrick Leahy - for bringing Jones to Vermont. We hope the Chamber shares our desire to create quality green jobs in our state. They haven't always been the most progressive in terms of minimum wage increases and the like, so perhaps this signals a change of philosophy at Chamber headquarters.
We can only hope.
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