After Gutenberg

Subtitle: If I were in Richmond, yadda, dadda, dadda, dada da

Some students are interested in jobs. Some students, like IGHIH contributor Jake Brewer, are interested in green jobs. But, what is a green job?

“Something beautiful… We believe the creation of a new, green economy represents our best path forward, and just as people of all ages, creeds, and locations have already committed, we hope that you too will join us.”

“Group hug, Mistah Woolsey!”

As Josh Lynch described earlier this week… “Green Jobs Now: A Day to Build the New Economy” has been put together by Green for All, 1Sky, the We Campaign, the Energy Action Coalition and over 100 other diverse and extraordinary partners.

A green economy is seen as a panacea, i.e., “strong enough to put people back to work, lift people out of poverty, and begin to secure our climate.”

One of the architects of this new strategy is a Columbia University professor, Jeffrey Sachs. Director of The Earth Institute, Sachs is author of the New York Times bestseller The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities of Our Time (forward by U2’s Bono), and more recently released Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet.

Another strategist is Van Jones, “a social and environmental activist, [who] believes a greener economy not only could save the planet, but also must provide pathways out of poverty for America’s disadvantaged communities. A civil rights lawyer from Yale University, Jones started promoting the idea of “green-collar jobs” in 2005 through the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, California. In September 2007, he launched the “Green for All” campaign.

Van Jones wants to ensure that “green” job trainers “have the extra support they need to engage people with disadvantages. Trying to get through a 12-week or a 6-month training program while worrying about what to put on the table can be very difficult, but there are methods — like child care — to help people get through these programs. And once they get through the training program, they start paying taxes, they pay back the investment. We really want to make sure that we go that extra mile to ensure that the green economy is a really inclusive economy.”

The IGHIH (It’s Getting Hot In Here) article included other examples:

In New York, the Green Jobs NY campaign is pushing for a program to retrofit a million homes in 5 years – an initiative that will create quality jobs and put energy bill savings back in consumers’ pockets.  Down the street from the Energy Action Office in DC, African-American farmers will be meeting to discuss their role in a green economy. In the Southwest, the Navajo Green Economy Coalition will propose a Green Economy Fund to finance green job training programs and sustainable economic development initiatives to transition the tribal economy.  Your possibilities are virtually limitless.

With Green Jobs Now, partner organizations aim to raise these local efforts up as models and call on our national leaders to bring these solutions to scale.  We can put America back to work rebuilding and repowering America with millions of green-collar jobs that form the backbone of a green economy.

Another example is RichmondBUILD Pre-apprenticeship Construction Skills & Solar Installation Training program.

Richmond BUILD has received national and international recognition as an exemplary green-collar job training program. The 10-week intensive program includes training in safety and CPR, power tools, framing, sheet rock, basic electrical, roofing, scaffolding, basic plumbing, basic welding and solar installation. To date, Richmond BUILD graduates have a 90 percent placement rate with an average wage of $18.33 an hour.

First solar install by RichmondBUILD students, along with partners Grid Alternatives and Solar Richmond.

And, Fred Lucero adds, “Our students go through an intense 10 week pre-apprenticeship program.”

In the course of that time, they receive First Aid/CPR certification, daily arithmetic, the fundamentals of carpentry, and then participate in Solar Week. Solar Week consists of three days of class room instruction and then two days of a “live” installation on a Richmond resident, usually a senior citizen home owner that the City of Richmond has identified. The collaboration to make all this happen for the RB students and the home owner is between Richmond BUILD, Solar Living Institute, Grid Alternative and Solar Richmond.

In addition, our students receive wrap around case management and job placement. Our placement rate is 90% and our retention rate is 85%.

We work with a cross section of clients. Some of our students are in a career change, others are in recovery, and some are ex-offenders looking to start a new life. Richmond BUILD, along with our partners, has had a positive impact on our residents.

I am happy to write that all of the people in the photo are still working, some in solar/green jobs and some in the trades.

The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time ASIN: 1594200459

Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet ASIN: 1594201277