Hawaii’s initiative will make it possible for homeowners and businesses to sell power they generate from small to medium-scale renewable energy projects (i.e. solar panels) to Hawaii’s main power producers at higher than market-value rates.

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For example, take this morning’s BBC feature on Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, a part of the British news radio network’s recent series of features on the US economic downturn and its ground-level impacts in California. The BBC focused on some of the funding problems that Homeboy faces in these times of both declining philanthropy and state budgets.

Still, the organization - devoted to reintegrating former LA-area gangbangers by providing everything from job training to tattoo removal - is finding a productive niche in the green-collar economy. Operating under the slogan “nothing stops a bullet like a job,” Homeboy recently began training former gang members as solar panel installers.

Class members in the solar program attend a two-month course - with the $131 tuition and an $8 hourly stipend paid by Homeboys - and graduate with skills that are helping them land jobs that pay from $15 to upwards of $30 an hour. If programs like Homeboy’s can catch on the way that Jones has envisioned, the average political observer some years hence may remember Jones more for the green-collar economic policies that the BBC highlighted rather than as the political cautionary tale that defined his 15 minutes of fame over one Labor Day weekend.

Illustration of Van Jones “greening the ghetto” by RADillustrates at Flickr.

New 30% tax credit for advanced energy manufacturing industries

The Department of Energy on Thursday released the details of a new $2.3 billion manufacturing tax credit, enacted earlier this year as part of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The tax credit of 30% is for investment in new renewable energy manufacturing facilities and re-equipped or expanded facilities.

The idea behind the stimulus is to grow the domestic manufacturing industry for clean energy, stimulating economic growth, creating jobs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building a long-term strategy for addressing them.

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President Obama announces $2.4 billion in grants to speed the manufacturing and deployment of the next generation of batteries and electric vehicles

As part of the $787 billion stimulus package approved in February, Congress agreed to include $2 billion in research and development grants for advanced battery technologies, and today, speaking in Elkhart, Indiana, the President announced that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will fund 48 new advanced battery and electric drive components manufacturing and electric drive vehicle deployment projects in over 20 states.

The President said the announcement marks the single largest investment in advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric-drive vehicles ever made.

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The blade plant on the Isle of Wight was in the process of researching and testing the world’s longest wind turbine blade—a project that will likely continue thanks to the deal announced Monday.

The sluggish turbine market and political opposition to large-scale wind development in the UK are being cited as reasons for the plant closures by Vestas officials. Company officials said they would likely be shifting production of its onshore turbines to its facilities in Colorado.

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San Jose, CA - Achieving a goal of 100 percent energy independence is a little closer for San Jose thanks to a momentous move by the City Council today. The City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop potential lease terms and guidelines for developing an organics-to energy bio-gas facility.

The bio-gas facility, planned to be constructed and operated by Zanker Road Biogas, will be based on a 40-acre site near the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plan. The proposed facility would also be bound on either side by two solid waste recovery and recycling facilities owned and operated by Zanker Road Resource Management, Ltd.

The MOU, which was authorized today, will set forth the guidelines and work-plan for the potential lease terms of the bio-gas project. Pending successful negotiations for the MOU, San Jose will issue a lease to Zero Waste Energy Development Company, Inc., a partnership between GreenWaste Recovery and their sister company, Zanker Road Resource Management.

This project would also see the cooperation of GreenWaste and Harvest Power, Inc., a company that provides leading technology and project development capabilities for harnessing the renewable energy in organic waste.

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Washington D.C. -

The Chargebar will make charging your EV or Plug-in Hybrid easy because it charges both 120v and 240v vehicles, is simple to use and does not require membership, proprietary technologies, or specialized knowledge.  It is the EV/PHEV charger for everyone.  David King, a co-founder of GreenlightAC said, ”Our goal was to make it as easy and convenient to use our charging unit as it is to use a gas pump. And with our GreenlightAC ChargeBarTM we believe that we have succeeded in meeting that goal.”

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So, what exactly are green jobs? The answer to that question largely depends on an individual’s skills, training and experience: construction workers, computer programmers, and public relations professionals could all find themselves labeled as green collar in the right circumstances. For Dave Foster, a former official with the United Steelworkers, the phrase has a specific definition: ”A green job is nothing more than a blue-collar job with a green purpose.”

Today’s Post-Dispatch provides us with yet another example of how organized labor and mainstream environmental groups are joining forces to promote a green economy. Writer Steve Giegerich took note of steelworkers and Sierra Club members marching together recently to protest the loss of jobs at Granite City, Illinois’ U.S. Steel plant. As you can see in both the video above, and the article, blue collar workers around the country increasingly “get it”: green industry provides one of the most promising means of rebuilding a manufacturing economy in the United States.

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Wind turbine manufacturer Global Wind Systems announced today that it will be hiring 250 new employees to work in the company’s new wind turbine assembly plant in Novi, Michigan, thirty miles west of Detroit. The news brings a ray of hope for a regional economy struggle under the weight of a sinking auto industry.

In December, Global Wind Systems received $7.3 million in tax credits from the Michigan Economic Growth Authority in December to create 256 direct jobs over six years. Founder and CEO of Global Wind Systems, Chris Long told the Detroit News that he hopes to almost double that number of jobs in just two years.

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Company officials at the UK-based Smith Electric Vehicles announced on Friday that they will begin manufacturing “The world’s largest battery-electric-powered truck” at a new plant in Kansas City, Missouri.

The battery-powered Newton will be the first vehicle to be produced at the new plant, but starting next year, the plant will manufacture an electric version of the new Transit Connect light-duty vehicle in collaboration with made by Ford Motor Co.

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Today, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will be announcing a major chunk of funding for the city’s commercial and residential energy efficiency program, called SF Energy Watch. Since it began in 2007, the program has been successful in creating 150 green collar jobs through services like free on-site assessments of energy usage.

Why do energy efficiency programs matter? To date, SF Energy Watch has reduced energy usage by 6 megawatts, which is about the amount it takes to power 6,000 San Francisco homes.

SF Energy Watch provides jobs for the green collar workforce of San Francisco and the Bay Area. As we move forward, energy efficiency will be increasingly important and in the national mainstream thanks to President Obama and his advocacy on the issue. I want to ensure that San Francisco has the base of workers to meet the need.

-Mayor Newsom

For more information on this announcement, see Mayor Newsom’s post on CleanTechnica.com, and watch the following video from the SF Energy Watch website:

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Image Credit: permanently scatterbrained via Flickr under Creative Commons license.

That “Green Vision,” which is responsible for San Jose’s success in being a leader on the green frontier, includes goals of receiving 100 percent of the city’s electrical power from clean renewable sources, diverting 100 percent of its waste from landfills and converting waste to energy.

The facility surely would help San Jose meet zero waste and energy goals. Capable of taking in 150,000 tons of organic waste per year to process and produce energy will no doubt help clear up land fills. It is likely that the energy produced would be used to power the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant. Excess energy could be sold to the regional electric grid.

The Zanker Road Biogas project would be developed in three phases, each phase designed to increase capacity by 50,000 tons per year of organic materials—a combination of primarily food waste and the organic portion of the municipal solid waste stream—and produce two products: a renewable bio-gas containing methane and high-quality compost.

Paul Sellew, CEO of Harvest Power commented, “We applaud the City of San Jose for its proactive effort in making renewable energy from organic waste a reality. Our organic waste project will be a major step in moving the City to 100% renewable energy while at the same time enriching local soils with our high quality compost product.”

During development and construction, the facility could employ 30 to 40 workers and it is anticipated that it will employ 50 to 60 jobs during full operation. “Creating green jobs that can’t be outsourced overseas is essential to rebuilding our local and state economy. Through projects like this, San Jose is becoming the world center for clean tech innovation. The proposed Zanker Road Biogas facility can be a model for other municipalities, showing how this technology can help solve their energy challenges,” Reed said.

With the completion of the proposed facility, San Jose would become the first city in the states with such capabilities. And we can only hope that other cities across the nation will adopt such facilities in the near future.

More: Who else is making bio-gas?

Photo Credit: bbchin via flickr under Creative Commons License

Photo2 Credit: PSA Farming

Every day more San Francisco residents and businesses are signing up for two San Francisco programs that will cut monthly utility bills and help the City meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals. One is SF Energy Watch, which provides technical assistance and financial incentives that pays over half the cost of energy efficiency upgrades to commercial and multifamily properties. The other is GoSolarSF, which, when combined with federal tax credits and state incentives, can reduce the cost of installing a residential solar power system by more than 50 percent.

In the past 2 years, 1,500 businesses and multifamily properties have saved over $5.7 million in energy bills through SF Energy Watch. The program has also delivered 6 megawatts (MW) of energy efficiency savings, which in turn reduces the amount of energy generation we need from polluting power plants.  

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Editors Note: This is a guest contribution from the Lieutenant Governor of California, John Garamendi.

The Commission for Economic Development, which I chair, released its annual report this week, offering economic development strategies for California lawmakers as they pursue policies that can best help promote new employment in California. After extensive meetings with commission members and stakeholders, and after a thorough examination of the final report, I am convinced that California should consider the creation of targeted tax incentives for small green businesses that can deliver on the creation of new green collar employment opportunities for Californians.

The need to offer incentives to start-up and small green businesses is clear. President Barack Obama’s stimulus package calls for doubling our nation’s renewable energy capacity in three years.

>> Read the rest of the Lt. Gov.’s post on CleanTechnica.com

These additional funds will allow the companies that provide energy efficiency services to add an additional 30 new employees on top of the 150 already employed.

SF Energy Watch and GoSolarSF help build the local economy and develop a skilled local workforce for the exploding green tech industry. But most importantly, these jobs are sustainable. They are not based on a single project, so when completed, the jobs do not disappear. Instead, these programs are open-ended, and in the case of GoSolarSF, supported by city legislation that helps feed the process. And I can see a time coming shortly when residential and commercial energy efficiency will be required by local or even statewide mandates.

On a final related note, last September I announced the Mayor’s Solar Founders’ Circle. This initiative served to inject an important new element in our solar efforts: providing free energy efficiency audits together with solar assessments for any business or non-profit in the City that wants it. This “efficiency first” approach is the smartest path to cost savings when planning to go solar.  Energy efficiency improvements to a property will decrease the size of the solar array needed to cut utility bills.

Related:

• A Green Future for All Americans (by Gavin Newsom)
• SF-Based 1 Block Off the Grid’s Community Solar Initiative Expanding to 20 US Cities

Listen to Mayor Newsom’s Green 960 radio show online or subscribe to his weekly policy discussions on iTunes. On the show this week Mayor Newsom talks with the founder of SunTech, one of the world’s biggest solar companies. Join Mayor Newsom on Facebook. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Image Credit: http2007 via Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Editors Note: This is a guest contribution from the Lieutenant Governor of California, John Garamendi.

As a lifelong Central Valley rancher, I know all too well that our food supply and energy demands are interconnected. When California faced record high gas prices last summer, my small ranch felt the impact when we received bills for transportation costs.

Our state’s seemingly yearly succession of droughts, a phenomenon predicted by current understandings of climate change, have forced me to cut back on production, impacting my family, my employees, and the local community.

Those of us who work on the land are often the first to recognize that global economic and ecological shifts have an impact on the local level, and yet, it is often on the local level where we can have the greatest global impact.

The Commission for Economic Development, which I chair, released its annual report this week, offering economic development strategies for California lawmakers as they pursue policies that can best help promote new employment in California. After extensive meetings with commission members and stakeholders, and after a thorough examination of the final report, I am convinced that California should consider the creation of targeted tax incentives for small green businesses that can deliver on the creation of new green collar employment opportunities for Californians.

The need to offer incentives to start-up and small green businesses is clear. President Barack Obama’s stimulus package calls for doubling our nation’s renewable energy capacity in three years.

Plenty of manufacturing and installation jobs will be available as a result of this plan, and combined with California’s commitment to reducing our state’s emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, the introduction of targeted tax incentives for green businesses will help create and cultivate innovative companies in a state desperately in need of new employment. With California facing a 10.1 percent unemployment rate, the highest in over a quarter century, we must attract businesses that will employ locally and have a sustainable long-term vision, substantially increasing our net tax revenue potential in the process.

When I visited the World Ag Expo last month in Tulare, I discovered “Green Boxes,” a product manufactured by a local start-up called EnergyRecyclers. Nominated one of the Top 10 New Products of 2009 by the World Ag Expo, the Green Boxes optimize the energy usage of industrial equipment, leading to a cost savings for the producer or farmer while simultaneously reducing demand on California’s strained energy grid and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

EnergyRecyclers is the type of company California must continue to attract and nurture if we hope to remain as competitive in the 21st century as we were in the 20th century. California’s innovation did not come through luck but through the mutual willingness of the public and private sectors to invest in our economic and educational infrastructure. Our leadership in stem cell research and Internet technologies came about in part through sound state investments. It’s time for us to think outside the box (or perhaps think inside the Green Box), get people back to work, and continue to accelerate the Golden State’s green transformation.

Jones is the founder of Green for All and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. He will reportedly begin work next week as the Special Adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, with a particular focus on “vulnerable communities.”

“Van Jones has been a strong voice for green jobs and we look forward to having him work with departments and agencies to advance the President’s agenda of creating 21st century jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources,” Sutley said in a statement.

When rumors began to swirl around the interwebs on Monday as news broke that Van Jones would likely be named as some sort of “Green Jobs Czar” in the Obama administration, many of us here at Green Options were reminded of David Anderson’s persuasive argument for Van Jones as the next “Secretary of Prosperity.”

I’ve argued before that Van Jones gets what green collar jobs are all about and understands what they mean for the environment and for the economy. Jones’ brand of environmentalism is not so much about the preservation of pristine wilderness areas (though I’m sure that’s part of it), as it is about creating jobs in urban communities in the construction, building efficiency, and renewable energy sectors.

Notwithstanding the fact that there is actually no such thing as a Secretary of Prosperity (yet), we’re pretty jazzed about the Van Jones appointment and look forward to seeing what he can accomplish working from inside government, because we’ve already seen what he can doing working outside it.

Image: Center for American Progress

Plenty of manufacturing and installation jobs will be available as a result of this plan, and combined with California’s commitment to reducing our state’s emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, the introduction of targeted tax incentives for green businesses will help create and cultivate innovative companies in a state desperately in need of new employment. With California facing a 10.1 percent unemployment rate, the highest in over a quarter century, we must attract businesses that will employ locally and have a sustainable long-term vision, substantially increasing our net tax revenue potential in the process.

When I visited the World Ag Expo last month in Tulare, I discovered “Green Boxes,” a product manufactured by a local start-up called EnergyRecyclers. Nominated one of the Top 10 New Products of 2009 by the World Ag Expo, the Green Boxes optimize the energy usage of industrial equipment, leading to a cost savings for the producer or farmer while simultaneously reducing demand on California’s strained energy grid and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

EnergyRecyclers is the type of company California must continue to attract and nurture if we hope to remain as competitive in the 21st century as we were in the 20th century. California’s innovation did not come through luck but through the mutual willingness of the public and private sectors to invest in our economic and educational infrastructure. Our leadership in stem cell research and Internet technologies came about in part through sound state investments. It’s time for us to think outside the box (or perhaps think inside the Green Box), get people back to work, and continue to accelerate the Golden State’s green transformation.

Van Jones and Gavin Newsom at the San Francisco signing of “Green Collar Economy”

OFFICIAL UPDATE 3/10 : The White House has officially confirmed Van Jones as  “Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation” at the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

Nancy Sutley, Chairwoman of the CEQ, welcomed her new senior adviser:

“Van Jones has been a strong voice for green jobs and we look forward to having him work with departments and agencies to advance the President’s agenda of creating 21st century jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources.  Jones will also help to shape and advance the Administration’s energy and climate initiatives with a specific interest in improvements and opportunities for vulnerable communities.”

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/03/10/van-jones-to-be-the-obama-administrations-green-czar/feed/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/25/how-many-lobbyists-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-lightbulb/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/25/how-many-lobbyists-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-lightbulb/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:35:06 +0000 Alan Smith http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/25/how-many-lobbyists-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-lightbulb/

Follow the Money

As we watch the dollars going to alternative energy and exciting new transportation options in the stimulus package, it’s always fascinating to see who will actually be on the receiving end of these huge checks. The answer to that question isn’t out yet, but a good way to guess who gets what piece of the pie might be at hand.

The Center for Public Integrity has put out a study on the number of lobbyists on Capitol Hill who have spent some time on Global Warming, and the numbers are amazingly high.  Marianne Lavelle, writing for the center, lays it out:

“A Center for Public Integrity analysis of Senate lobbying disclosure forms shows that more than 770 companies and interest groups hired an estimated 2,340 lobbyists to influence federal policy on climate change in the past year, as the issue gathered momentum and came to a vote on Capitol Hill. That’s an increase of more than 300 percent in the number of lobbyists on climate change in just five years, and means that Washington can now boast more than four climate lobbyists for every member of Congress. It also means that 15 percent of all Washington lobbyists spent at least some of their time on global warming in 2008, based on a tally of the total number of influence-peddlers on Capitol Hill by the Center for Responsive Politics.”

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/25/how-many-lobbyists-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-lightbulb/feed/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/11/obama-spur-economy-with-green-jobs-video/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/11/obama-spur-economy-with-green-jobs-video/#comments Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:31:11 +0000 Timothy B. Hurst http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/11/obama-spur-economy-with-green-jobs-video/ In Barack Obama’s weekly address, the president-elect warned that the economy could possibly get worse before it gets better. But he also said he was confident that if we could “summon that great American spirit” we would be able to overcome this current economic downswing. Beyond summoning spirit, Obama said we could climb out of this economic ditch and create three to four million jobs, half a million of those by investing in clean energy.

Obama said we would create the green jobs “by committing to double the production of alternative energy in the next three years, and by modernizing more than 75% of federal buildings and improving the energy efficiency of two million American homes.”

Watch the video:
See also: Obama Wants our Ideas for the Zero Carbon Economy

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Plenty of manufacturing and installation jobs will be available as a result of this plan, and combined with California’s commitment to reducing our state’s emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, the introduction of targeted tax incentives for green businesses will help create and cultivate innovative companies in a state desperately in need of new employment. With California facing a 10.1 percent unemployment rate, the highest in over a quarter century, we must attract businesses that will employ locally and have a sustainable long-term vision, substantially increasing our net tax revenue potential in the process.

When I visited the World Ag Expo last month in Tulare, I discovered “Green Boxes,” a product manufactured by a local start-up called EnergyRecyclers. Nominated one of the Top 10 New Products of 2009 by the World Ag Expo, the Green Boxes optimize the energy usage of industrial equipment, leading to a cost savings for the producer or farmer while simultaneously reducing demand on California’s strained energy grid and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

EnergyRecyclers is the type of company California must continue to attract and nurture if we hope to remain as competitive in the 21st century as we were in the 20th century. California’s innovation did not come through luck but through the mutual willingness of the public and private sectors to invest in our economic and educational infrastructure. Our leadership in stem cell research and Internet technologies came about in part through sound state investments. It’s time for us to think outside the box (or perhaps think inside the Green Box), get people back to work, and continue to accelerate the Golden State’s green transformation.

]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/11/obama-spur-economy-with-green-jobs-video/feed/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/04/michigan-gov-granholm-signs-bill-for-green-collar-job-training-sort-of/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/04/michigan-gov-granholm-signs-bill-for-green-collar-job-training-sort-of/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:12:03 +0000 Timothy B. Hurst http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/04/michigan-gov-granholm-signs-bill-for-green-collar-job-training-sort-of/ Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has signed two bills to expand job training opportunities in high-demand fields for Michigan workers. The bills allow the state’s community colleges to tailor job training to meet the needs of employers in their regions.

The jobs produced by the new training programs will not necessarily “green collar,” because they will vary depending on local market needs. But the emphasis Gov. Granholm has been putting on building the state’s clean energy manufacturing sector, for example, is creating new jobs in the state’s budding wind turbine manufacturing industry that require specific types of knowledge, skills, and abilities.

>>More on green collar jobs at RG&B

“We must do everything we can to help our citizens get the training they need for good-paying jobs in this challenging global economy,” Granholm said. “These bills are another part of our plan to ensure that we have a strong workforce that can compete and win in the 21st century.”

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/04/michigan-gov-granholm-signs-bill-for-green-collar-job-training-sort-of/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/26/naturally-successful-entrepreneurship-that-redefines-the-bottom-line-dvd-review/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/26/naturally-successful-entrepreneurship-that-redefines-the-bottom-line-dvd-review/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:05:12 +0000 John Ivanko http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/26/naturally-successful-entrepreneurship-that-redefines-the-bottom-line-dvd-review/ “We need solutions at the speed of business,” says Hunter Lovins, author, speaker and founder of Natural Capital Solutions in the Naturally Successful DVD, produced by Arnold Creek Productions, Inc., known for its award-winning videos on sustainability used by organizations around the world.

Naturally Successful is an expertly assembled compilation of inspiring interviews of the leading visionaries giving a voice to the emerging green ECOnomy and the businesses that are in the business of remaking the world for the better. The release of this video couldn’t be better timed as millions of Americans explore ways to prosper despite the economic downturn.

“Build your business around your calling,” continues Lovins, who like the many leaders featured in the DVD, recognize opportunities for enterprising ecopreneurs to solve the most pressing problems now facing us, turning some profits in the process while achieving a happier, more fulfilling life. “We’re not in a sprint. We’re in a marathon to save the world…What is it that you love to do? How do you make a business of it?” asks Lovins.

To grasp the scale of the sustainability movement afoot and harness ideas to guide your green business, this 78 minute DVD offers insights on what being an ecopreneur is all about with a focus on building a values-driven business, providing meaningful leadership, achieving results beyond profits, serving customers, thinking long-term, seizing opportunities in new and existing markets, creating a thriving business and embracing a new type of commerce that seeks to make the world a better place. Interviews are woven together like a well-made life raft for anyone setting out to launch a green business that thrives with a triple bottom line.

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