Van Jones. (Photo by Zach Gross.)

In his newest book, Rebuild the Dream, green economy pioneer Van Jones reflects on his journey from grassroots outsider to White House insider, shares intimate details of his time in government, and provides a blueprint for reinventing the American Dream. Along the way, he contrasts the structure and rhetoric of the 2008 Obama campaign, the Tea Party movement, and Occupy Wall Street. The following excerpt from the book focuses on a new green economy.

Many politicians want us to lower our expectations about the economy. I say it is time to raise them. We should go beyond the shriveled thinking imposed upon us by today’s mania for austerity. The time has come to propose solutions at the scale of the problems we face. We can and we must revive the economy — in a way that respects people and the planet.

For too long, we have acted as if we had to choose between strong economic performance and strong environmental performance. We have been torn between our children’s need for a robust economy today and our grandchildren’s need for a healthy planet tomorrow. We have been trapped in the “jobs versus the environment” dilemma.

The time has come to create “jobs FOR the environment.” We seem to forget that everything that is good for the environment is a job. Solar panels don’t put themselves up. Wind turbines don’t manufacture themselves. Houses don’t retrofit themselves and put in their own new boilers and furnaces and better-fitting windows and doors. Advanced biofuel crops don’t plant themselves. Community gardens don’t tend themselves. Farmers’ markets don’t run themselves. Every single thing that is good for the environment is actually a job, a contract, or an entrepreneurial opportunity.

We have our own “Saudi Arabia” of clean, renewable energy in America. In the Plains states, off our coasts, and in the Great Lakes area, we have abundant wind energy. With American-made wind turbines and wind farms, we could tap those wind resources and create jobs doing it. We also have abundant solar resources — not just in the Sunbelt and in our deserts, but on rooftops across America. With American-made solar panels and solar farms, we could tap the energy of the sun to create electricity. Then we could build a national smart grid — an internet for energy — to connect our clean-energy power centers to our population centers. That would create jobs and let us begin to run America increasingly on safe, homegrown energy.

When we do this, we won’t be starting from scratch. According to the Brookings Institution, the United States already has 2.7 million green jobs. A bigger national commitment to building a green economy can create many millions more.

Every kind of American can and should adopt the clean energy agenda: liberals, conservatives, and libertarians; farmers, ranchers, and urban property owners; struggling youth and entrepreneurs.

Farmers and ranchers should love the clean energy economy because it would let America’s struggling, rural communities earn additional paychecks. For example, each wind turbine placed on a landowner’s property — which could still be farmed or otherwise used — could produce enough energy to bring in $10,000 to $20,000 per year. Green energy solutions are stereotyped as being “hippie power” for people in Berkeley, Calif., but it makes more sense to see renewable energy as cowboy power, rancher power, and farmer power.

Homeowners and commercial property owners should be thrilled about the clean energy agenda. The cleanest and cheapest watt of energy is the one that is never used. Hundreds of thousands of Americans could be employed in energy-efficiency jobs, retrofitting buildings to waste less energy and water. Such workers put in clean, nontoxic insulation; replace old boilers and furnaces; install better windows and doors, cutting home energy bills by 30 percent or more. If decision makers finance an energy-efficiency program the right way, the building owner would not pay an extra penny for all those services. The money would come out of the savings from her energy bill once a month; eventually the program would pay for itself through savings. Properly structured and financed, the same dollar bill would cut unemployment, energy bills, pollution, and asthma — in a program that paid for itself. These kinds of programs could be created through public-private partnerships and could put people to work right now. Bill Clinton says in his book Back to Work that a million people could be employed in the energy-efficiency field. The initial financing could come from the banks that are sitting right now on a couple trillion dollars of uncommitted assets. Those bankers got government bailouts to keep them in their jobs; it’s time for them to help create some jobs for the rest of America.

Young people and the parents of unemployed youth should be thrilled about green and clean energy jobs, especially in struggling communities. Idle youth could be trained to put up solar panels, retrofit homes, tend community gardens, plant trees, and strengthen communities. Some say we cannot afford to train youth and place them in green industries. But if members of this abandoned generation start engaging in desperate and foolish acts, society will pay a potentially heavier price. Regardless, we are already paying a tremendous opportunity cost by letting youth unemployment rates climb to 45 percent or more; for African American teens in urban areas, the numbers are staggering. We don’t know how many Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Oprah Winfreys are being left out of the economy. Perhaps we should reallocate oil-industry subsidies toward these employment programs. Our most precious resource is not our petroleum; it is our people.

As we think about a new economy, perhaps we can begin to apply some new math — and begin to count what really counts. The earth counts; our kids count; the future counts. Where economic and energy policy meet, we should calculate not only what we spend, but also what we save. And we should consider the payoffs from the investments we make in human and natural capital.

Excerpted with permission from Rebuild the Dream by Van Jones, published by Nation Books, a member of The Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2012.

I wish I could be there, helping you to surround my old workplace. Only unavoidable family obligations are keeping me away; I would be there with you under any other circumstances, and my spirit absolutely is.

We have a duty to support the president when he is right (for instance, fighting for the jobs bill). And we have an equal duty to oppose him when he is wrong. And if he is even considering approving this monstrous, planet-killing proposal, President Obama is flat-out, absolutely, and 100 percent wrong.

Let the message be clear: We, the People, cannot accept this. If the White House lets the proposal go forward, there should be nonviolent civil disobedience and mass arrests along every mile, foot, and inch of the construction route — until it is impossible to complete. August was the beginning of the “people’s veto” of this whole proposal; we will never give up until the very idea of Keystone XL is dead and buried.

But it should never come to that. I call upon President Obama to stand with the people who stood with him and who stand for future generations: Reject Keystone XL.

All people of conscience reject it. I stand with them, loud and proud. So should President Obama.

Green jobs for all!

NCAI President Jefferson Keel delivers the 2011 address.Photo: National Congress of American Indians

President Obama’s second State of the Union address set forward a bipartisan framework aimed at unleashing a clean energy revolution in America. Touching on everything from solar and wind power (hooray!), to nuclear power, to “clean” coal (sigh), the president seemed to leave no stone unturned in his quest for actionable solutions.

But unfortunately, he did omit one major point of potential bipartisan cooperation — one that could greatly accelerate our nation’s transition to a clean energy economy. The Department of Energy estimates that wind power from tribal lands could satisfy 14 percent of total U.S. electricity demand [PDF], and the tribal solar resources could generate 4.5 times the total amount of energy needed to power the entire country.

Remarkably, however, as of today only one commercial-scale renewable energy project operates in all of Indian country. This is because of the incredible amount of federal red tape choking off the green energy opportunities on tribal lands. Many tribes are eager to partner with private sector developers to build large-scale clean energy projects. Such enterprises could be profitable, while respecting tribal values of environmental stewardship. They could also help keep families together by providing good jobs on the reservations.

Unfortunately, many of these sorely-needed investments never come to fruition. A long-standing backlog of catch-22 requirements, crazy-making rules, and outdated laws cause projects to stall in Indian country. Policy barriers slow development and make financing cost-ineffective.

Obama and the GOP should join forces to remove the bureaucratic barriers to rapid renewable energy deployment on Native American lands. Each party has a major incentive to act decisively — and enthusiastically. Democrats love renewable energy and lament Native American poverty. Republicans hate federal bureaucracy and love entrepreneurship. A united effort could boost clean energy; create jobs on reservations; open the door to new investment and entrepreneurial opportunities; reduce federal bureaucracy and; move America closer to energy independence.

The tribes are ready to be full partners in this effort. Last week, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) delivered its response to the State of the Union, a report on the State of Indian Affairs. Critical among the strategies proposed by the NCAI is the commitment to pursue greater economic self-sufficiency and reduce crippling tribal unemployment, as well as a “concerted effort to unleash the potential of Indian energy resources throughout the nation.”

The goals put forth by both President Obama and the leaders of the tribal nations are therefore complementary and mutually beneficial. They deserve special consideration as the nation comes together across regions and party lines to take on the next phase of our economic recovery.

In recent weeks, President Obama has boldly called for a 21st-century regulatory system that removes outdated government regulations that would otherwise stifle private sector innovation and slow job growth, making our economy less competitive. Part of this commitment is a government-wide audit of all the rules on the books, and an order to cut where reasonable and necessary. This sentiment is strongly echoed in both chambers of the newly elected 112th Congress, and in both political parties.

Now is the time to apply this logic to Indian country. The administration and policy makers on both sides of the aisle can draw a game plan for reaching multiple goals. By fixing our current policies and offering appropriate incentives, we can streamline government processes, stimulate a new wave of investment in clean energy, and activate the economic potential of tribal lands.

Moreover, these projects have sizable benefits for everyone concerned. Here are a few ideas to start with:

• Promote interagency and federal tribal coordination: Immediate efficiency can be achieved by the White House designating one lead agency to oversee renewable energy projects on tribal lands. Overlapping responsibilities and potential conflicts between the Department of Interior and the Department of Energy, in particular, need to be resolved. Existing processes could then be greatly streamlined and duplicative ones eliminated, mitigating a slow and costly process for development. In addition, agencies should establish a tribal advisory body to ensure meaningful participation of Native American stakeholders in this work.
• Ensure tribal access to the national electricity grid: Tribes must be included in the planning and expansion of our national electricity grid so their project can “plug in” without unfair added expenses. Tribes should be explicitly represented in national, regional,r and state planning processes.
• Enable tribes to develop their energy resources: By providing them access to production and investment tax credits already on the books and available to all other states and local governments. Agencies should also eliminate fees that apply only to projects undertaken on tribal lands. These two relatively easy fixes would go a long way toward jumpstarting a renewable energy renaissance in the Native American community.
• Empower tribes to conduct preliminary clean energy feasibility studies on their lands either internally or through a third party: Presently all preliminary clean energy work, such as land appraisals, needs to be done through the Department of the Interior, creating substantial backlog. Allowing tribes to conduct their own studies either internally or through a third party would expedite this process substantially.
• Provide smart financing incentives for tribal projects: Energy Secretary Steven Chu has already begun championing a process to promote tribal energy development. One idea is to finance the evaluation, development, and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects on tribal lands through the Tribal Energy Program. These programs should be enhanced to provide valuable start-up funds for projects that will have multiple co-benefits and pay dividends many times over.

Lest we forget, perhaps no part of American society needs new avenues of economic advance more than the Native American population. Many tribal nations lack basic access to jobs, economic opportunity, and even electricity. More than 14 percent of American Indian households in reservations do not have electricity access, and energy on reservations can cost as much as 10 percent above the national average due to a lack of adequate transmission lines. On Indian reservations of the American West, bitter winters force many families to spend up to 70 percent of their total income to heat their homes. Poverty rates on Indian country hover between 27 and 37 percent, and unemployment can reach as high as 48
percent in some tribes.

Clean energy deployment in Indian country can help address many of these woes. Today, the tribes are ready and willing to be key contributors to this nation’s “sputnik moment.” Our economic recovery will depend on how well we utilize our domestic resources and activate the full potential of our human capital — especially those communities that have been hit hardest by the recession. A bipartisan initiative to create “green scissors for the red tape” would clear the way for them to thrive and strengthen their people, and make America as a whole even stronger.

Bracken Hendricks is a senior fellow and Jorge Madrid is a research associate for the Energy Policy Team at the Center for American Progress.

NCAI President Jefferson Keel delivers the 2011 address.Photo: National Congress of American Indians

President Obama’s second State of the Union address set forward a bipartisan framework aimed at unleashing a clean energy revolution in America. Touching on everything from solar and wind power (hooray!), to nuclear power, to “clean” coal (sigh), the president seemed to leave no stone unturned in his quest for actionable solutions.

But unfortunately, he did omit one major point of potential bipartisan cooperation — one that could greatly accelerate our nation’s transition to a clean energy economy. The Department of Energy estimates that wind power from tribal lands could satisfy 14 percent of total U.S. electricity demand [PDF], and the tribal solar resources could generate 4.5 times the total amount of energy needed to power the entire country.

Remarkably, however, as of today only one commercial-scale renewable energy project operates in all of Indian country. This is because of the incredible amount of federal red tape choking off the green energy opportunities on tribal lands. Many tribes are eager to partner with private sector developers to build large-scale clean energy projects. Such enterprises could be profitable, while respecting tribal values of environmental stewardship. They could also help keep families together by providing good jobs on the reservations.

Unfortunately, many of these sorely-needed investments never come to fruition. A long-standing backlog of catch-22 requirements, crazy-making rules, and outdated laws cause projects to stall in Indian country. Policy barriers slow development and make financing cost-ineffective.

Obama and the GOP should join forces to remove the bureaucratic barriers to rapid renewable energy deployment on Native American lands. Each party has a major incentive to act decisively — and enthusiastically. Democrats love renewable energy and lament Native American poverty. Republicans hate federal bureaucracy and love entrepreneurship. A united effort could boost clean energy; create jobs on reservations; open the door to new investment and entrepreneurial opportunities; reduce federal bureaucracy and; move America closer to energy independence.

The tribes are ready to be full partners in this effort. Last week, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) delivered its response to the State of the Union, a report on the State of Indian Affairs. Critical among the strategies proposed by the NCAI is the commitment to pursue greater economic self-sufficiency and reduce crippling tribal unemployment, as well as a “concerted effort to unleash the potential of Indian energy resources throughout the nation.”

The goals put forth by both President Obama and the leaders of the tribal nations are therefore complementary and mutually beneficial. They deserve special consideration as the nation comes together across regions and party lines to take on the next phase of our economic recovery.

In recent weeks, President Obama has boldly called for a 21st-century regulatory system that removes outdated government regulations that would otherwise stifle private sector innovation and slow job growth, making our economy less competitive. Part of this commitment is a government-wide audit of all the rules on the books, and an order to cut where reasonable and necessary. This sentiment is strongly echoed in both chambers of the newly elected 112th Congress, and in both political parties.

Now is the time to apply this logic to Indian country. The administration and policy makers on both sides of the aisle can draw a game plan for reaching multiple goals. By fixing our current policies and offering appropriate incentives, we can streamline government processes, stimulate a new wave of investment in clean energy, and activate the economic potential of tribal lands.

Moreover, these projects have sizable benefits for everyone concerned. Here are a few ideas to start with:

• Promote interagency and federal tribal coordination: Immediate efficiency can be achieved by the White House designating one lead agency to oversee renewable energy projects on tribal lands. Overlapping responsibilities and potential conflicts between the Department of Interior and the Department of Energy, in particular, need to be resolved. Existing processes could then be greatly streamlined and duplicative ones eliminated, mitigating a slow and costly process for development. In addition, agencies should establish a tribal advisory body to ensure meaningful participation of Native American stakeholders in this work.
• Ensure tribal access to the national electricity grid: Tribes must be included in the planning and expansion of our national electricity grid so their project can “plug in” without unfair added expenses. Tribes should be explicitly represented in national, regional,r and state planning processes.
• Enable tribes to develop their energy resources: By providing them access to production and investment tax credits already on the books and available to all other states and local governments. Agencies should also eliminate fees that apply only to projects undertaken on tribal lands. These two relatively easy fixes would go a long way toward jumpstarting a renewable energy renaissance in the Native American community.
• Empower tribes to conduct preliminary clean energy feasibility studies on their lands either internally or through a third party: Presently all preliminary clean energy work, such as land appraisals, needs to be done through the Department of the Interior, creating substantial backlog. Allowing tribes to conduct their own studies either internally or through a third party would expedite this process substantially.
• Provide smart financing incentives for tribal projects: Energy Secretary Steven Chu has already begun championing a process to promote tribal energy development. One idea is to finance the evaluation, development, and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects on tribal lands through the Tribal Energy Program. These programs should be enhanced to provide valuable start-up funds for projects that will have multiple co-benefits and pay dividends many times over.

Lest we forget, perhaps no part of American society needs new avenues of economic advance more than the Native American population. Many tribal nations lack basic access to jobs, economic opportunity, and even electricity. More than 14 percent of American Indian households in reservations do not have electricity access, and energy on reservations can cost as much as 10 percent above the national average due to a lack of adequate transmission lines. On Indian reservations of the American West, bitter winters force many families to spend up to 70 percent of their total income to heat their homes. Poverty rates on Indian country hover between 27 and 37 percent, and unemployment can reach as high as 48 percent in some tribes.

Clean energy deployment in Indian country can help address many of these woes. Today, the tribes are ready and willing to be key contributors to this nation’s “sputnik moment.” Our economic recovery will depend on how well we utilize our domestic resources and activate the full potential of our human capital — especially those communities that have been hit hardest by the recession. A bipartisan initiative to create “green scissors for the red tape” would clear the way for them to thrive and strengthen their people, and make America as a whole even stronger.

Bracken Hendricks is a senior fellow and Jorge Madrid is a research associate for the Energy Policy Team at the Center for American Progress.

Photo: GreenpeaceThese Greenpeace activists are only a small part of the large clean energy coalition in California.

New polls happily show that the majority of Californians reject the deceptive, job-killing ballot measure Proposition 23. But what the polls do not show — and what few news outlets are covering — is the striking diversity of voices that are demanding clean energy.

Californians of all colors and classes are rejecting the false notion that protecting the planet and our public health will hurt the economy. Prop 23 — which is funded by Texas oil companies and would effectively repeal the state’s landmark clean energy and environmental protection laws — is running into a buzz-saw of opposition from a broad spectrum of Californians.

What’s happening in California is truly amazing. Hundreds of thousands of voices from literally every political, ethnic, faith, and socio-economic spectrum, are all working for the same cause. This beautiful coalition gives us a glimpse of the green path forward toward clean energy, a prosperous sustainable economy, and a healthier planet.

In my 2008 book, The Green Collar Economy, I outlined a vision for a “Green Growth Alliance.” This coalition, I argued, should include labor, social justice activists, environmentalists, students, and faith organizations — along with green business interests. I argued that such an alliance could “change the face of politics in this country.”

In California, thanks to the hard work of groups like Stop the Dirty Energy Proposition, the Energy Action Coalition, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, and Communities United Against the Dirty Energy Prop, this alignment is coming into being.

Last week, the No on Prop 23 campaign picked up a surge of support from groups that included a council of inter-faith leaders, university academics, one of the wealthiest men in the world (Bill Gates), an award-winning Hollywood director (James Cameron), former Vice President Al Gore and even President Obama.

But supporters are not just the rich and famous. This coalition includes social justice organizations of all creeds and colors, whose missions are to empower the voices of the working class and communities of color — including immigrants. These groups understand that less smog means less asthma, fewer trips to the emergency room, and healthier neighborhoods for their children.

The coalition also includes a group of investors who represent more than $421 billion in assets, much of it in the clean tech sector. They make the case that clean energy technology is the next wave of the industrial revolution, and California is poised to become a leader in innovation, job creation, and commercialization of these technologies. However, they also warn that reversing course on policy — precisely what Prop 23 aims to achieve — will cause investment to flow elsewhere (mainly to places like China and parts of Europe), and doom California and the rest of the nation to be left behind during the biggest revolution of the new global economy.

These groups represent just the tip of iceberg in a movement that includes environmentalists, politicians from both parties, students, public health organizations, big and small businesses, labor groups, consumer groups, senior citizens, and public safety organizations. 

A vision for the future of green growth

At the national and global levels, the green movement has suffered setbacks, most notably the failure of comprehensive climate and clean energy in Congress. The main culprit: the deep pockets of the dirty energy lobby, which spent more than $500 million to buy influence among (mostly Republican) lawmakers. The rise of tea parties, climate deniers, and conservative TV and radio pundits, also created barriers to the preservation of the planet, the protection of public health and promotion of new jobs. 

But what we see happening in California gives the green movement a reason for continued optimism. This time we hold the high ground — protecting our bipartisan, pro-jobs, pro-innovation climate laws that are already on the books. The fight has unmasked the opponents of clean energy, as well as vetted their arguments — the same tired talking points they have been using to kill progress for the last four decades. 

More importantly than unmasking our enemies, this fight has revealed our friends and allies. It turns out that, given the opportunity, huge swaths of Californian’s, from all walks of life, can find common value in supporting cleaner air and a commitment to growing the clean technology sector.

The fight is far from over, and with Election Day approaching in just a few days, the stakes are higher than ever. But victory in California can give us a model for the coalition that is needed to achieve a green growth victory in Washington D.C. and the rest of the nation.

With an increase in industry’s toxic pollutants, will this be the fate of our water sources?

In exchange for cutting their carbon emissions, power plants want to undermine the EPA and get permission to increase other kinds of dangerous pollution. They even want the go-ahead to dump more sulfur and deadly mercury into our air and water.

This literal “poison pill” proposal would turn progress in climate protection into a devastating setback for the health of all Americans — especially for those who live near power plants. The dirty energy lobby hopes that America can be convinced to accept more poison to get less carbon.

Fortunately, national leaders began sounding the alarm last week. Grist’s David Roberts took a break from vacation to alert the nation, calling the utility companies’ backroom play potentially the “scam of the century.”

Green For All’s Phaedra Ellis Lamkins and the NAACP’s Ben Jealous put the matter bluntly, stating: “[B]ig utility companies apparently are making unconscionable demands that threaten the health and safety of all Americans.” Green For All immediately launched an online campaign to kill this nutty notion before it mutates into a legislative proposal.

American policy can be smart enough to protect both our children and our grandchildren.

We should heed these warnings. The deadly coal mine explosion in West Virginia and the devastating environmental catastrophe in our Gulf of Mexico are just two recent examples of the consequences of weak federal oversight. These tragedies remind us that we need more, not less, environmental protection.

Beltway insiders may be trying to convince themselves that curbing the authority of the EPA and gutting clean air protections is a necessary step to achieving an agreement on climate change legislation.

But this is a false choice. We can have clean air protection for our children today and climate protection for our grandchildren tomorrow. We must not allow the health of our communities to be used as bargaining chips.

This is no time to increase the load of pollutions and toxins in America’s air and water.

• Already today, particulate air pollution kills 64,000 people in the United States every year — more people than die each year in car accidents. We should be redoubling efforts to reduce these premature deaths from heart and lung disease — not rolling back protections.
• 27 million children under the age of 13 reside in areas with ozone levels above EPA’s revised standard. Two million children with asthma, or half of the pediatric asthma population under the age of eighteen, lived in these areas.

The utility companies’ shameful proposals would make all of these statistics much worse — resulting in more sickness and death for Americans, including children.

Vulnerable communities should not be asked to suffer disproportionately again.

Worse, these proposals would inflict the most harm on the people who are already suffering. After all: who lives near power plants? Disproportionately low-income people and people of color.

All of us may have to make some sacrifices and adjustments along the path to a greener and more prosperous America. But communities of color already have the worst air and drinking water — and suffer the most risk from environmental hazards. In the last century’s dirty energy economy, they already suffered disproportionately.

• People of color are exposed to 70 percent more of the dangerous particulate matter linked to greenhouse gas pollution.
• People of color, particularly blacks and Latinos, visit the emergency room for asthma at three and a half times the average rate that whites do, and die from it twice as often.
• People of color are 79 percent more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods with industrial pollution.

America needs a stronger EPA, not a weaker one.

Therefore, we should look with unease on the willingness of some to strip authority from America’s government to protect our communities and environment. There is only one federal agency standing between our communities and even worse degradation: the EPA.

Undermining the EPA would be a risky choice for all Americans. A climate bill that saves carbon but takes away EPA’s authority to protect communities against toxic hazards is a defeat for all Americans. We should reject false choices.

We must also reject the notion that communities of color and low-income communities will once again be asked to bear the burden of a dirty economy.

Law makers must find a way to achieve progress on a climate bill, but taking major steps backward cannot be part of that solution. An attack on the EPA is an attack on our public health and well being.

We need both a strong climate bill and strong EPA authority to protect our air, our planet, and our public health.

Van Jones sent this message out to friends and supporters on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Dear Friends:

My family and I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support that we have received over the past week or so. I resigned from the White House on Sept. 6, and I have remained silent since then — in keeping with my promise not to be a distraction during a key moment in the Obama Presidency.

Over the past several days, however, many people have been asking how they can help and what they can do.

The main thing is this: please do everything you can to support both President Obama and the green jobs movement. Winning real change is ultimately the best response to these kinds of smear campaigns.

I ask everyone to:

1. Support President Obama’s efforts to fix our nation’s health care, energy and education systems. His victory last fall did not represent the “finish line” in the fight to renew America; his election was just the “starting line.” This autumn, it is time to make history again — with victories on health care and clean energy.

2. Sign up to support groups that are working for green jobs.

As others seek to vilify or marginalize the movement for a clean energy economy, the leading groups deserve increased support. This is the year to ensure that the clean energy transformation creates good job opportunities for everyone in America.

3. Spread the green jobs gospel. The ideas and ideals of the green jobs movement are grounded in fundamental American values — innovation, entrepreneurship, and equal opportunity. My true thoughts can be found in my book: The Green Collar Economy. Check it out from the library — or order a copy and share it with a friend. See for yourself why clean energy and green jobs are good for our country.

4. Stay connected and speak up for me via your favorite blogs (e.g., Huffington Post, Grist, Jack & Jill, etc.), on message boards and all of your favorite social networking platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Supporters have set up a couple of them, to help you stay engaged, including: I Stand With Van Jones and I Love Van Jones.

In due course, I will be offering my perspective on what has happened — including correcting the record about false charges. In the meantime, I must get my family affairs in order and sort through numerous offers and options.

I want to be clear that I have nothing but love and admiration for President Obama and the entire administration. White House staffers are there to serve and support the President, not the other way around. At this critical moment in history, I could not in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. The White House needs all its hands on deck, fighting for the future.

Of course, some supporters actually think I will be more effective on the “outside.” Maybe so. But those ideas always remind me of that old canard about Winston Churchill. After he lost a hard-fought election, a friend told him: “Winston, this really is just a blessing in disguise.” Churchill quipped: “Damned good disguise.” I can certainly relate to that sentiment right now. :)

Nonetheless, we must keep moving forward. Let’s continue our work to make an America as good as its promise. These are historic times. And we have a lot more history to make.

Sincerely,

Van Jones

—–

At best, the federal government’s bail out of Wall Street will help the U.S. economy — which is already in a ditch — avoid a total meltdown. Fine. Now we need a plan to jumpstart the economy and actually get America moving again.

In my new book, The Green Collar Economy, I propose a bold, green cure for the economic mess we are in. Think of it as a comprehensive plan to bail out ordinary people — and the planet, too.

We just found $700 billion. Let’s find another $350 billion. That’s half the price tag of the Wall Street rescue — which has no guarantee of success. But with $350 billion investment, we absolutely and positively could retrofit and repower America using clean, green energy — and create millions of new jobs, in the process.

In other words, a comprehensive "green bailout" could give America twice the bang … for half the bucks. Other experts agree with me. A new report just released by the U.S. Conference of Mayors says that we can create more than 4 million green jobs [PDF] if we aggressively shift away from traditional fossil fuels toward alternative energy and a significant improvement in energy efficiency.

Another report just released by the Political Economy Research Institute and the Center for American Progress shows that the U.S. can create two million jobs over two years [PDF] by investing $100 billion in a green economic recovery plan. The report also shows that this investment would create four times more jobs than spending the same amount of money within the oil industry.

The time for choosing has arrived. Looking at both our energy system and our financial system, we face some hard choices. Our energy system can create awesome storms. Or it can create awesome jobs. Our financial system can become a global sinkhole — or a global springboard.

The gray economy that is collapsing is based on consumption, debt and environmental destruction. The green economy that is emerging will be based on production, smart savings and environmental restoration.

The bottom line is: you can’t base a national economy on credit cards. But you can base it on solar panels, wind turbines, smart bio-fuels and massive, a program to weatherize every building and home in America.

A green economy would be less vulnerable to oil shocks and financial bubbles. In a green economy, we would rely on less credit from overseas and more on creativity right here at home. It’s time to stop borrowing and start building.

As Thomas Friedman says, "We don’t just need a bailout. We need a buildup."

Rather than just giving platinum parachutes to those who wrecked the economy, let’s throw a green lifeline to the ordinary people who want to rebuild it. We can’t drill and burn our way out of our present mess. But we can invent and invest our way out. And in The Green Collar Economy, I suggest a game plan for getting started.

Join MicCheck Radio to hear an exclusive interview with Van Jones about the Green Collar Economy.

UPDATE: Living on Earth’s Jeff Young explores the "elements of a green economic bailout" with CAPAF fellows Bracken Hendricks, Carol Browner, and Van Jones:

As Washington rescues Wall Street, a growing chorus of big thinkers from the left and right are calling for a greener approach — using investment in clean energy and efficiency as a way to stimulate the economy.

Forty years ago today, on April 4, 1968, a sniper assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King had come to Memphis, Tennessee, to aid striking sanitation workers. The preeminent civil rights leader of his time, he was only 39 years old.

Four decades have passed since that fateful day. As of this month, Dr. King has been gone from us longer than he was ever here. As we pass this milestone in history, we gather in Memphis to remind ourselves and the world that a bullet killed the dreamer — but not the dream.

Dr. King had a vision of an America as good as its promise, and a world at peace with itself. That vision lives on in the hearts of hundreds of millions, including two generations of adults and a rising generation of teenagers, all of whom have been born since Dr. King’s passing.

The time has come for us to step forward. We must take full responsibility to advance the cause of justice, opportunity, and peace in a new century.

And yet it must be said that we are stepping onto history’s stage at a frightening time — a time of global warming and global war. A time when "the market" is free and the people are not. A time of mass incarceration of people and mass extinction of species. A time of no rules for the rich and no rights for the poor. A time of increasing profits for the few and decreasing options for the many. A time of buyouts and bailouts for the powerful and convictions and evictions for the powerless.

And yet, inside the United States, the tide has begun to turn.

The GOP juggernaut that carried the nation to the brink of destruction has begun to run out of gas. Ordinary Americans today are longing for a leader, not a cowboy-in-chief. Some are rethinking consumerism, seeking healthier choices for their families, worrying about oil prices and even the climate crisis.

And just three years after George W. Bush’s re-election, the mighty political party that Karl Rove thought would rule America for generations appears to be falling apart at the seams.

Something has shifted profoundly. Unfortunately, all the old political figures, outdated modes of discourse, and stodgy institutions are still with us. But you can feel something exciting beginning to stir — and break loose — underneath.

The future is getting restless. We are on the brink of something promising and new. And for the first time in more than a generation, those of us who value living beings over dead products have a chance to offer real leadership to the country.

Our post-King generations must embrace the example Dr. King set. And we must reimagine it, to meet new challenges.

For example: in his time, Dr. King worked for equal protection and equal opportunity. We, too, must adopt that agenda. But ours is an age of both social crisis and ecological peril. Therefore, we must insist that vulnerable communities get equal protection from racial discrimination — and from the floods, storms, droughts, plagues and fires that global warming is causing. Equal protection today means: no more Katrinas!

Ours is also an age of positive economic transformation: billions of dollars are pouring into the solar, wind, geothermal and other clean industries. This so-called "green economy" will generate thousands of business opportunities and millions of new jobs. We must guarantee equal opportunity in this growing green, clean and renewable economy. We must insist that the coming "green wave" lift all boats. Those low-income communities that were locked out of the pollution-based economy must be locked into the clean and green economy. Our communities — and especially our children — deserve "green-collar jobs, not jails."

Dr. King — and many others — fought, bled, and died to racially integrate a pollution-based economy. Today, America is creating a new, clean, and green economy. From the start, we must design it to have a dignified place for everyone.

Dr. King linked the solutions of civil rights, peace, and economic opportunity. We must link the solutions of social justice, peace, and ecological sanity. Our new dream must uplift the people and the planet, too. This is the calling of our time.

And so today, four decades later, we seek new fuel to meet new challenges. We seek a world society wherein we use clean, alternative energy sources to fuel our machines … healthy, organic, and local food to fuel our bodies … and hope, solidarity, and love to fuel our movements for change.

Because to win over a wounded and frightened nation, our cause itself must become irresistibly beautiful, vital, healing, and sustainable. Success will come when our networks are practical enough to "organize" hundreds of thousands — and soulful enough to "magnetize" tens of millions. So let us dare to imagine: a healthy, joyous, self-confident liberation movement. A movement that celebrates more than it condemns … inspires more than it critiques … and solution-izes more than it problem-atizes.

Imagine a movement for justice with its arms wide open.

In these "difficult days," we have a duty to do more than curse the darkness. We must, ourselves, shine a new light.

That is what Dr. King did. And 40 years later, new generations have come to Memphis, bearing lanterns of our own. Through the new organization, Green For All, I am proud to help sponsor one of the major MLK celebrations in this city today.

Here and now, we boldly, proudly, and loudly declare The Dream … reborn.

Van Jones.

Clinton, Edwards, and Obama were in the debate of their lives. And all three of them passionately championed the importance of creating good jobs in the clean energy sector. They presented “green-collar jobs” as a way to simultaneously boost the economy and beat global warming.

Their words were like music to our ears. It felt like a victory for all of our organizations, which have been making this argument for some time. So … hats off to the Apollo Alliance, Ella Baker Center, Workforce Alliance, Center for American Progress, Sustainable South Bronx, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, 1Sky, Energy Action Coalition, Green For All, and many more.

And then yesterday The Washington Post ran a major story on green jobs, Time magazine has taken up the issue, and CNN just featured it on their Situation Room. So it is now official: our demand for “green-collar jobs” has finally broken through!

But before the concept gets watered down by its very popularity, now might be a good time to give a clear and uncompromising answer to this question: What is a green-collar job, anyway?

It is great that our leaders are offering a better future. But as this green-collar-job train begins to leave the station, it is time to confirm the destination.

Creating enough “green collar jobs” to beat global warming and create real economic opportunity for those who most need it is a tall order. It will require a major transformation of the American economy, and we must be clear about the terms of this transition. Only then will we have a yardstick to measure real progress against exciting rhetoric.

Green Collar Jobs Rebuild a Strong Middle Class

Green-collar jobs are good jobs. Like blue-collar jobs, green-collar jobs pay family wages and provide opportunities for advancement along a career track of increasing skills and wages. A job that does something for the planet, and little to nothing for the people or the economy, is not a green-collar job. The green economy cannot be built with solar sweat shops and Wal-Mart wind farms.

Green-Collar Jobs Provide Pathways Out of Poverty

Most green-collar jobs are middle-skill jobs requiring more education than high school, but less than a four-year degree — and are well within reach for lower-skilled and low-income workers as long as they have access to effective training programs and appropriate supports. We must ensure that all green-collar jobs strategies provide opportunities for low-income people to take the first step on a pathway from poverty to economic self-sufficiency.

Green-Collar Jobs Require Some New Skills (and some new thinking about old skills)

The green economy demands workers with new skill sets. Some green collar jobs — say renewable energy technicians — are brand new. But even more are existing jobs that are being transformed as industries transition to a clean energy economy: computer control operators who can cut steel for wind towers as well as for submarines; or mechanics who can fix an electric engine as well as an internal combustion engine. We need identify the specific skills the green economy demands. Then we need to invest in creating new training programs and retooling existing training programs to meet the demand.

Green-Collar Jobs Tend To Be Local Jobs

Much of the work we have to do to green our economy involves transforming the places that we live and work and the way we get around. These jobs are difficult or impossible to offshore. For instance, you can’t pick up a house, send it to China to have solar panels installed, and have it shipped back. In addition, one of the major sources of manufacturing jobs — a sector that has been extensively off-shored — are components parts for wind towers and turbines. Because of their size and related high transportation costs, they are most cost-effectively produced as near as possible to wind-farm sites. Cities and communities should begin thinking now about ways their green strategies can also create local jobs.

A Green-Collar Job Strengthens Urban and Rural Communities

Urban and rural America have both been negatively impacted over the past decades by a failure to invest in their growth — green-collar jobs provide an opportunity to reclaim these areas for the benefit of local residents. From new transit spending and energy audits in inner cities to windmills and biomass in our nation’s heartland, green jobs mean a reinvestment in the communities hardest hit in recent decades.

And By the Way … Green-Collar Jobs Save Planet Earth

This may be obvious. The “green” in green-collar is about preserving and enhancing environmental quality. Green-collar jobs are in the growing industries that are helping us kick the oil habit, curb greenhouse-gas emissions, eliminate toxins, and protect natural systems.

Green-collar workers are installing solar panels, retrofitting buildings to make them more efficient, constructing transit lines, refining waste oil into biodiesel, erecting wind farms, repairing hybrid cars, building green rooftops, planting trees, and so much more. And they are doing it today. There are already many green-collar jobs in America. But there could be so many more if we focus our economic strategies on growing a green economy.

It is exciting that the presidential candidates have taken up this banner. We must thank them for their leadership, and we must help them ensure that the green jobs of tomorrow build a green and prosperous economy for everyone, here and around the world.

I want to thank clean-energy champions Jeremy Hays, Parin Shah, Jason Walsh, Joel Rogers, and Bracken Hendricks for contributing their thoughts and words to this post.

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Here are some resources we pulled together on the topic:

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century — American Solar Energy Society

Community Jobs in Green Economy — Apollo Alliance and Urban Habitat

Growing Green Collar Jobs — Urban Agenda

Oakland Green Jobs Corps — Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

Jobs in LA’s Green Technology Sector — Economic Roundtable

Also, see the green-collar jobs story on the cover of the Washington Post Style Section.

Finally, here are the references to green jobs from the NYT transcript of the South Carolina debate.

Clinton: “We need to make sure that we start jumpstarting the jobs in this country again. That’s why I want to put money into clean energy jobs, green-collar jobs … “

Edwards: “Now, one difference between what I have proposed and what my two colleagues have proposed is I have done something that not only stimulates the economy, but creates long-term benefits, investment in green infrastructure, which creates jobs. Instead of just getting money out in the short term, this will actually create jobs over the long term, create green infrastructure.”

Edwards: “What I’m saying is if we do what we should do to green the economy, if we change our unemployment insurance laws, modernize them to make them available to more people, to more Americans, if we in fact give help to the states, which gets money straight into the economy and we deal with the mortgage crisis in a serious way with a home rescue fund to provide transitional financing for those people who are about to lose their homes, all those things will stimulate the economy.”

Obama: “I think the idea of bringing jobs is important, which is why that’s central to my energy plan.”

Clinton: “As a further point, I do believe that the green-collar job piece of this is important. That’s why I have $5 billion to do it. There are programs already. Oakland, California, Mayor Dellums is working to have a green-collar job program. We could put hundreds and hundreds of young people to work right now, putting solar panels in, insulating homes.”

Clinton continued: “That would give them jobs and it would move us more quickly to a green economy. And I think that if you look at this from a jobs and justice, a stimulation and long-term planning effort, we need to lay down the markers now. And that’s why the Congress, under the leadership of a lot of the people who are chairs of committees and subcommittees who are here today are going to play a major role in this.”