On Earth Day, environmental advocate Van Jones promotes green economy and green-collar jobs
"I don't think you can understand what's happening in America if you don't recognize that we're living in a country that makes up only four percent of the [world's] population but 25 percent of greenhouse gases and 25 percent of [the world's] prisoners," [Van Jones] said. "Some people think we have a disposable planet and disposable people."
In celebration of Earth Day and the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning's 35th anniversary, the organization hosted a lecture by Van Jones last night in Cohen Auditorium, where he urged students to confront the world's environmental crisis.
Jones is the founder and president of Green For All, an organization seeking to build an inclusive, green economy "with the marriage of environmental and economic concerns," Provost Jamshed Bharucha said.
Jones said that it is most important to recognize that the current environmental situation in the United States is not acceptable.
"I don't think you can understand what's happening in America if you don't recognize that we're living in a country that makes up only four percent of the [world's] population but 25 percent of greenhouse gases and 25 percent of [the world's] prisoners," [Van Jones] said. "Some people think we have a disposable planet and disposable people."
Last year, Jones helped to push the Green Jobs Act of 2007 through Congress. The bill allotted $5 million to train 35,000 people a year in green-collar jobs, or working-class occupations at companies seeking to improve the environment.
Jones's motto, "green-collar jobs and not jails," promotes eco-friendly reforms that create jobs across the nation.
