Our Mission

The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of business, labor, environmental, and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution in America to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, cut the carbon emissions that are destabilizing our climate, and expand opportunities for American businesses and workers.

Inspired by the vision and technological achievements of the Apollo space program, we promote policies and initiatives to speed investment in clean energy technology and energy efficiency, put millions of Americans to work in a new generation of well-paid, green collar jobs, and make America a global leader in clean energy products and services.

The First Years (2004-2007)

With this: The Apollo Alliance was launched by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy and the Institute for America's Future in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy to unify a broad-based constituency behind a bold plan of investment in clean energy technology and sustainable infrastructure that would reduce our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and create millions of good jobs in America’s clean energy economy.

Harkening back to President Kennedy’s visionary call to meet the challenge of the Sputnik launch with an aggressive national commitment to landing the first man on the Moon within the decade, the Apollo Alliance spoke – and continues to speak -- directly to the core values we share as Americans: our can-do spirit, our inherent optimism, and the pride we feel (or want to feel) about our country’s place in the world. The subtext is clear: we did it before, we can do it again. This is America, the richest, most technologically advanced and industrious country in the world. If anyone can do it, we can do it. And we will.

Not surprisingly, the Apollo message captured the imagination of people throughout our country. Soon the organization’s phone lines were buzzing with calls from political leaders of all stripes wanting to find out what they could do in their states, in their cities, and at the national level to advance Apollo’s clean energy agenda. In the months and years that followed, Apollo:

• Released New Energy for America, an economic analysis of our Ten-Point Plan documenting how the tax credits and investments we were proposing would create 3.3 million new, high-wage jobs in manufacturing, construction, transportation, high tech, and the public sector, while reducing dependence on foreign oil and cleaning the air. The report, written under the direction of Nobel Prize nominee Dr. Ray Perryman, received positive editorial comment in the Washington Post, and became the centerpiece of Apollo’s campaign to promote the job creation impacts of our investment agenda (2004-5);
  
  
• Developed and distributed our three New Energy guides outlining specific strategies states, cities and campuses can pursue to reduce oil consumption, promote renewable power, encourage smart growth, and make buildings more efficient. The guides highlight proven strategies being undertaken in one or more parts of America (2005-6);
  
  
• Established Apollo coalitions in ten states and four cities to promote policy change consistent with our Ten-Point Plan. Apollo coalitions helped gain approval for: renewable energy standards in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Hawaii, and Wisconsin; renewable fuels standards in Washington and Oregon; appliance efficiency standards in Washington, Oregon and Vermont; building retrofit programs in New York City, Los Angeles, Colorado, and Milwaukee; climate change legislation in California and Vermont; new clean energy funds and/or tax credits in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Wisconsin and New York City; and green collar job training programs in Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles (2005-7);
  
  
• Recruited Jerome Ringo as Apollo President to drive our message into the national political debate. Over the past two years, Jerome has spoken to over 75 influential audiences around America including the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Congressional Black Caucus, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the United Nations Trade Union Assembly, and US Green Building Council. Jerome also appeared in Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth” (2005-7);
  
  
• Earned endorsements from an impressive diversity of organizations and businesses including the American Council on Renewable Energy, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the AFL-CIO, the United Steelworkers, the Natural Resources Defense Council, ACORN, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Green for All, 25x25, and the American Wind Energy Association, among many others. Click here to see a complete listing of the organizations and businesses that have endorsed and/or supported our work (2004-7).

Expanding Apollo’s Board, Staff and Initiatives (2007-2008)

After the November 2006 elections, new Democratic control in the House and Senate catapulted the energy debate onto the Congressional center stage. Conscious of the need to expand the organization’s resources and reach, and position Apollo for even greater influence nationally and in the states, Apollo decided to launch to the next stage with an expanded leadership team and a new organizational structure.

Apollo is headed by a team of visionary leaders who are well-known for their effectiveness. California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, who earned national acclaim for spearheading the Green Wave pension fund investment initiative, was recruited to serve as Apollo’s Board Chairman in July 2007. Co-Directors Cathy Calfo and Kate Gordon bring to Apollo over thirty five years of combined experience in public policy advocacy and organizational leadership. Cathy recently served for six years a Deputy State Treasurer of California, leading the office’s legislative and communications programs; Kate, until 2007, served as the Director of the Apollo Strategy Center and is recognized nationally for her leadership in the arenas of energy policy and workforce development. Apollo President Jerome Ringo is a long-time leader in the environmental justice movement, beginning as a union worker in Louisiana’s petrochemical industry and later serving as Chairman of the National Wildlife Foundation. Working with Apollo’s Board (see Board bios), the new leadership team is now mobilizing the resources to make Apollo the most visible and influential advocate for America’s clean energy future.

Apollo’s current and proposed initiatives include:

Passing a Strong Energy Bill:
The Energy Bill currently being debated in Congress is a critical first step down the road to a clean energy future. The improved fuel efficiency standards in the bill, alone, would cut in half the oil our country needs to import from the Middle East. The bill also includes important new funding for training workers for the clean energy economy and critical extensions of the production and investment tax credits for renewable energy.

Launching a Green-Collar Job Initiative: Guidance for Cities:
Mayors across America are looking for ways to put people to work in “green-collar” jobs, making American cities cleaner, greener, and more energy efficient. This publication – due out in the first quarter of 2008 -- will tell them how, highlighting best practices from around the country. A joint initiative of the Apollo Alliance, Green for All, the Center for American Progress, the Workforce Alliance and the Center on Wisconsin Strategy.

Seeding the Growth of America’s Clean Energy Economy:
This report will identify the specific investments we must make as a nation to transition to a clean energy future, put millions of Americans to work in a new generation of well-paid, green collar jobs, and make our country a global leader in clean energy products and services. The report will be the centerpiece of a national campaign to build public support for these essential investments.

Made in America: Strategies to Expand Domestic Manufacturing of Clean Energy Technology and Components:
This two-part research and policy initiative will examine what it will take to expand domestic manufacturing in the clean energy sector as part of our national shift to a clean energy future. The findings will provide the basis for national legislation and regional initiatives to expand domestic manufacturing of the technology needed to drive America (and the world) into the clean energy future.

Supporting our State and Local Partners:
As Apollo’s budget expands, we will expand support to our state and local Apollo partners. Check out the remarkable work being done around the country by clicking here.