Why we love Van Jones November 20, 2008

Van is the man.  He is so inspiring and intelligent and daring and energetic…and not to mention sexy.

Van Jones was in Seattle this week and some of us had the fantastic opportunity to hear him speak.  When you go to a Van Jones presentation though, it’s not just hearing him speak – it is a full-on sensory experience because he is so present and alive and full of these great ideas about sustainability and a green collar economy that are – at the same time - forward-thinking, revolutionary and obvious.  We have just been blind.  That is until Van Jones helped to open our eyes to the truths standing before us.

Van Jones, for those who are unfortunate not to know, is the founding president of Green For All, an organization that promotes green collar jobs (think installing solar panels and working on wind turbines – or what Van calls “caulk gun jobs”) and opportunities for the disadvantaged.  His mission is to help build an inclusive, green economy strong enough to resolve the ecological crisis and lift millions of people out of poverty.  He is a tireless advocate, committed to creating “green pathways out of poverty” and expanding and diversifying the coalition fighting global warming.  He is also the author of The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems.

I was able to hear him speak at the Seattle Chamber’s Sustainability Breakfast on November 13th.  Here are some of his key messages that I took away from this awesome presentation:

• With the downturn of the economy, the floor has fallen out from beneath us.  But with the election of president-elect Barack Obama (wahoo!), the ceiling has been lifted off.  So what is it going to be: fall or fly?
• We need to move our econonmy away from one of consumption to one of production.  This will help ensure jobs stay here instead of getting shipped overseas.
• He is calling for a new phase in the fight against global warming: Retrofit America.  We need to weatherize our existing buildings, make them more energy-efficient.  And in doing so, we are creating jobs.  We need people to go in and perform energy audits on our buildings.  We need people to install double pane windows.  And to install new sustainable insulation.  And to weather-strip around doors.  That’s economic and environmental sustainability.
• Lastly, we need to stop paying the polluters and make them pay.  We can’t litter for free so why can Big Oil?

Needless to say, we are HUGE fans of Van’s.  I highly recommend experiencing one of his presentations for yourself if you are so lucky.