He’s the perfect man for the job, so of course greenies across America are thrilled that Van Jones is joining President Obama’s administration to become a ‘green jobs adviser’. But, there are some who have questioned whether it’s really the best way to put Jones’ expertise to use, and wondered what he’s leaving behind as he heads to Washington. Jones sat down for interviews with E&E News and YES! Magazine to explain.
From Greenwire:
E&E: What will be your new role within CEQ, and why did you decide to join this administration?
Jones: The title is special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation. … As we begin to move toward a clean-energy economy, we have an opportunity to have equal opportunity from the very beginning, making sure all Americans can take part.
E&E: Will you also advocate the president’s agenda among the public?
Jones: That’s still in development. Part of my job description does have me available to advocate publicly, but I think we’re going to be focusing primarily internally for the near term.
E&E: Do you consider yourself Obama’s “green-jobs czar,” as some have dubbed you?
Jones: No, I’m the green-jobs handyman. I’m there to serve. I’m there to help as a leader in the field of green jobs, which is a new field. I’m happy to come and serve and be helpful, but there’s no such thing as a green-jobs “czar.”
Jones also answered some pressing questions from YES! Magazine, via GreenBiz.com:
Doug: What happens to Green for All while you’re in DC?
Van: That’s the best news of all, that we have an extraordinary leader in Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, who’s coming on board. Anybody in California knows that she is a truewunderkind. She has been a phenomenal leader of the progressive labor movement, she’s African-American, she’s young — in her early thirties. You just could not dream up a better person to come into Green for All at this time.
Doug: While you’re in DC, what can folks who have been following Green for All and working with you or on your initiatives, what can folks do to keep the movement going?
Van: Continue doing the things we have planned. We’re working to implement the green recovery in a just way. We need to get those recovery dollars out fast and fair. Anybody who’s interested can got to the website greenforall.org and you’ll see lots of opportunities to get involved and also lots of information about how to get those recovery dollars working in your own community. And that’s going to be an important part of what Green for All does going forward. To tell you the truth, I think in that start-up phase the early phase, visioning and initiating, I think I did an extraordinary job. We are in a different world, and Green for All needs a different leader. And it has that leader in Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins.
Jones is passionate about what he does – that’s what makes him such a great pick. So, of course he’s going to make sure that things are taken care of before he leaves Green for All to help Obama tackle the green jobs angle of economic recovery in Washington. I think we’ll see a lot of amazing things come out of this partnership, and Green for All will continue the fantastic work they’ve been doing for so many years now.
Link [Greenwire] + [GreenBiz.com] via [The Huffington Post]
