Community Jobs in the Green Economy
A Vision for a Green Economy and Equitable Development

The emerging green economy holds great promise for America’s cities, and especially for our low-income, heavily minority urban communities. Every aspect of clean energy development, from manufacturing to construction to operating and maintenance, can create good jobs, clean up the air and water, and save saving consumers money on their energy bills. Every city and community in the United States has some potential to capitalize on this new economy, whether through good wind or solar resources or through retrofit programs to bring old, dilapidated buildings up to energy efficiency codes.

The Apollo Alliance and Urban Habitat are committed to fighting for a clean energy future that benefits not only businesses and the environment, but also workers and low-income communities. We hope this report serves as a framework for states, cities and neighborhoods invested in these same fundamental ideals.

Community Jobs in the Green Economy features:

• Descriptions of Jobs related to:
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Green Building
  • Solar PV
  • Wind Power
  • Geothermal Energy
  • Biofuels
• Profiles of Workers and Career Pathways
• Policy Guidance for Creating New, High-Quality Jobs
• Examples of Successful Workforce Development Partnership

Excerpts from the Foreword by Van Jones

The national effort to curb global warming and oil dependence can simultaneously create good jobs, safer streets and healthier communities. That is the chief moral obligation in the 21st century: to build a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

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We have no "throw-away" resources or species. Nor do we have any "throw-away" children. All of creation is sacred, and all our people are precious. And we must act again as if we know this truth.
When we do so, our dying blue-collar towns and neighborhoods will bloom again—as dignified, "green-collar" meccas. Urban youth, too often fodder for prisons, could instead be trained to create zero-pollution products, heal the land and harvest the sun. Urban America can be put back to work, rebuilding our cities for the clean-energy future.