Green-Collar Job Training after Katrina

NEW ORLEANS - The shape of a national clean energy, good jobs training program for young people is gaining real definition here, where 800 young people are beginning full-time service as part of the Conservation Corps of Greater New Orleans, earning real money, educational stipends and preparing for careers in the new green economy while helping rebuild their hurricane and flood-damaged city from the ground up.
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Kudos To Ohio Apollo Alliance

We received a nice gift yesterday afternoon.

John Nichols of The Nation posted his list of Most Valuable Progressives.

The winner of MOST VALUABLE STATE OR REGIONAL GROUP:

Here’s what he said:

Bridging the gap between sometimes esoteric national debates about economic issues and the real-life challenges faced by people living in Cleveland, Youngstown and Dayton, Policy Matters Ohio is a non-profit research and advocacy organization that pushes the envelope on debates about tax policy and the funding of essential education and safety-net programs. Intellectually rigorous, yet always accessible in its approach, this group has produced more than 160 reports that have given Ohio’s progressive activists and legislators the tools they need to challenge corporate spin and pressure tactics. In tight economic times, groups such as Policy Matters Ohio are absolutely essential players in life-and-death debates about how state and local governmental agencies should respond to revenue shortfalls and rising demands for services. PMO’s founding executive director, Amy Hanauer, is great at making the link between the initiatives of national groups with which she works — the Economic Policy Institute, Demos and the Apollo Alliance — and local and legislative policymakers in Ohio, moving progressive priorities out of Washington to the communities where good ideas can and must be turned into practical programs. As an example of what Policy Matters Ohio does, check out the group’s great report: Limiting Loopholes: A dozen tax breaks Ohio can do without.

You can check out other Apollo friends on the list including The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Rep. Hilda Solis, Jamie Galbraith.

–Heidi Pickman

2009 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference

With the economy at the top of the national agenda, the 2009 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference will be the leading forum for shaping the national debate about the economic potential of investments in clean energy and green technologies.

Join us February 4 – 6, 2009, in Washington, D.C. to connect with more than 2,000 government leaders and decision-makers, as well as business, industry, labor and environmental organizations for three days of educational programs, speakers and networking opportunities. Help forge the agenda for the new green economy.

Conference-goers also have the opportunity to head to Capitol Hill February 4 for Green Jobs Advocacy Day to educate lawmakers about the enormous potential of the green economy.  On February 5, companies, academic programs, non-profits and government agencies can highlight the latest innovations in the green economy at the Green Jobs Expo.

Green Jobs and Infrastructure Act of 2008: Model Programs

The numbers below provide background information for the Apollo Green Jobs and Infrastructure Act of 2008, developed by Senator Debbie Stabenow’s office in consultation with the Apollo Alliance, along with Green For All, the Corps Network, the Center for American Progress, and others.

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Stabenow Outlines Clean Energy Path to 1 Million New Jobs

WASHINGTON – As the nation’s concern over job losses and a faltering economy reached new depths this week, the Apollo Alliance and a group of prominent public interest organizations joined today in applauding Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow’s introduction of a landmark clean energy economic recovery bill to rebuild the American manufacturing sector.

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Green Future Summit Closes With Clean Energy Commitments

“If we think of this green movement as distinct from what we do as Americans we aren’t going to succeed,” said Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker. “The American dream is a green dream. If we do not do this we risk everything we claim to be as Americans.” Read more

A Good Jobs, Climate Change Law in Cascadia

Transportation is the state’s main source of air pollution, and Washington State’s new law sets goals for reducing driving. Read more

Memphis Solar Plant Serves Hot National Market

Each year members of the IBEW at the Memphis Sharp plant produce enough solar panels to create about 64 megawatts, capable of powering 14,000 homes. Credit: IBEW for the Apollo Alliance Read more

With Right Grass, Biofuels Makes

“The beauty of switchgrass is how hearty it is and how fast it grows,” said Dr. Suleiman Bughrara, a plant breeder at Michigan State University. “One acre can yield 12 or 13 tons of grass. That can produce 500 gallons of ethanol. We have work to do. But that kind of production is possible, and pretty quickly.” Credit: Gary Howe Read more

Big Wind Lessons from a Little Missouri Town

Eric Chamberlain led the project to build four windmills to serve all of Rock Port’s electrical needs, the first time that has happened in the U.S. Credit:Lend Frison for the Apollo Alliance Read more

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