On Thursday, December 4th, I had the pleasure of attending one of the most informative discussions I have ever been to yet. Van Jones greeted a modest audience of about 30 people at the Lower East Side's "Bluestockings" radical bookstore to talk about his critically-acclaimed new book, The Green Collar Economy. Throughout his lecture, Jones detailed his vision of how to solve both America's economical and environmental problems. He opened his discussion with what he saw as the three most fatal buttresses of the US's economic foundation: 1) The US economy can survive solely on production; 2) The US economy is based on borrowing instead of building; 3) The US economy can run forever on ecological destruction.
Jones used these points to structure his lecture, describing how each ideology has lead to the current economic and environmental crisis faced by the US. He touched upon points ranging from the potentially counter-production dangerous "eco-chic" movement to the dilemmas of consumerism. Weaved throughout discourse of poverty, racism, and exploitation, Jones's essential thesis was the the environment can be saved by improving the lives of America's working-class. The "eco-chic" movement that equates saving the environment to buying a brand-new Prius is dangerous in that it, according to Jones, imposes a sort of eco-apartheid (Jones wittily refers to Wholefoods and "Whole-Paycheck"). The answer to both problems comes from the development of his book's namesake: a "Green Collar Economy." For Jones, this means training all the unemployed automobile factory workers in Detroit to make wind-turbines; employing thousands of working-class Americans to install solar panels not just on the houses of people who can afford them, but on apartment buildings and government-subsidized housing. We must start greening the city before we start greening the penthouses - We must ensure that saving the environment and the economy means eco-equity; means equal employment, fair pay, and rewarding working conditions. As he reminds us, "everything in the fight against global warming is a job."
As a frequent lecture-attendee, I found Jones's presentation enlightening and informative. As he was wrapping up, it was clear that he sparked inspiration in the crowd. Jones's dual plan is realistic, practical, and most importantly, critically rethinks the way that America operates its economic and environmental policies. I was very impressed when he noted that we cannot simply change the way we power (meaning energy, etc) current society, that we need to rework the powers that operate in society. This aspect made him a radical - I know that the word economy sends shivers down my spine because I know that so much depends on the United States completely rethinking its relationship with capitalism and industry. I was even more surprised when Jones made a point to mention what the "environment" and "going green" means to Native Americans - being that massive amounts of our nuclear waste is being stored on their lands, as well as their lands being critical locations for wind and solar energy. I think that in order for this country to move in the right direction both environmentally and economically, we must consider and include the rights and sovereignty of all peoples, not only those financially able to have a substantial political voice. For me, Jones outlines what seems a workable and radical solution. Hey, I bought his book and I've even started reading it!