In February of last year, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The $787 billion act included $500 million allocated to train “green-collar workers” in the environmental sector. The inclusion of this funding in the bill was a major boon for the city of Philadelphia, whose own commitment to building a green economy was well under way.
The Philadelphia initiative was spearheaded by local BALLE chapter and founding member Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia (SBN). SBN Executive Director Leanne Krueger-Braneky heard Van Jones, author of The Green-Collar Economy, speak at the 2007 BALLE annual conference. Inspired by his work to bring green jobs to disadvantaged communities, Leanne realized that green jobs development could have an enormous, positive impact on Philadelphia’s low-income communities. She invited Jones to Philadelphia where he challenged the city to meet a simple, straightforward goal: train 100 low-income individuals in green jobs within one year.
To read the full, original article click on this link: The Green Economy: Strategies for Building Green Jobs Development Initiatives |Triple Pundit
Author: Vale Jokisch
