President-elect Barack Obama got it right when he announced
Representative Hilda Solis as his pick for the next secretary of labor.
Headlines are heralding her as the first Latino to hold the post. But
the green jobs movement is jumping for joy not only because she's
brown. It's because she's green. Through Solis, Obama makes clear his
commitment to creating green jobs to lift the nation out of its current
economic crisis.
We're thrilled that Hilda Solis shares the green jobs vision. In
fact, she's already helped make it real. Rep. Solis was the original
author of the Green Jobs Act, and our Green For All team worked closely
with her in 2007. During that year's Congressional session, she worked
with colleagues on both sides of the aisle and was instrumental in
getting that hallmark legislation passed. Her work demonstrated her
commitment to a socially responsible, clean-energy economy that will
create millions of good-paying jobs and save our environment. She is
the right secretary of labor to take advantage of a great opportunity
not only to make America's economy stronger by making it greener, but
also to make Americans living in poverty part of a revitalized middle
class.
As Obama raises his right hand on inauguration day, he should be
signing new green jobs bills with his left. Early next year, Green For
All will join a coalition of groups advocating for the Clean Energy
Corps. The Clean Energy Corps is a combined service, training, and
job-creation effort to combat global warming, grow local and regional
economies, and demonstrate the promise of the clean energy economy.
You'll hear more from Green For All in the upcoming year. We're a
national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy,
strong enough to lift people out of poverty. By advocating for local,
state and federal commitments to job creation, job training, and
entrepreneurial opportunities in the emerging green economy --
especially for people from disadvantaged communities -- Green For All
fights both poverty and pollution at the same time. For more
information, please visit our web site.
