As I was reading my morning paper, sipping my delicious Fair Trade coffee, I came across an article in the commentary section. This man from Oakland, CA, Van Jones, is making an impact on the African American community and its youth. He has formed a group to create the Oakland Apollo Alliance, which has raised $250,000 to create a union-supported training program for youth to learn how to put up solar panels and weatherize buildings.
Why? Well, Mr. Jones has taken the green concept one step further. He is looking ahead to the time when the US will need trained people in the solar industry; a great vocation for youth to be able to do. He wants Congress to allocate $125 million to train 30,000 young people in green trades. His aim is to help poor African American families, but anyone would benefit from this training. Green trade or economy might be the new buzz word in the future. We need people like Van Jones to think ahead, to prepare, to educate people NOW before it’s too late.
Check out his website Green for All and see what Mr. Jones is doing “to combine solutions to America’s two biggest problems: social inequality and environmental destruction.”
Source:
The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 22, 2007, “Seeing Green in Going Green”, commentary by Thomas Friedman.
Green for All Website, (not affiliated)
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1 comment:
Thanks for writing this.
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