The Force Pushing Green Jobs

The New Yorker profiles Van Jones, a leading environmental activist and the driving force behind the movement to create a green energy jobs policy in the United States.

1 minute read

January 9, 2009, 7:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"'I love Barack Obama,' he said. 'I'd pay money just to shine the brother's shoes. But I'll tell you this. Do you hear me? One man is not going to save us. I don't care who that man is. He's not going to save us. And, in fact, if you want to be real about this-can y'all take it? I'm going to be real with y'all. Not only is Barack Obama not going to be able to save you-you are going to have to save Barack Obama.'"

"The logo of Green for All, which is based in Oakland, California, is a sun rising over a crowded cityscape. The group's goal is to broaden the appeal of the environmental movement and, at the same time, bring jobs to poor neighborhoods. Jones often says that he is trying to 'green the ghetto.'"

"'Your goal has to be to get the greenest solutions to the poorest people,' Jones told me. 'That's the only goal that's morally compelling enough to generate enough energy to pull this transition off. The challenge is making this an everybody movement, so your main icons are Joe Six-Pack-Joe the Plumber-becoming Joe the Solar Guy, or that kid on the street corner putting down his handgun, picking up a caulk gun.'"

Monday, January 12, 2009 in The New Yorker

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