ALPHA GOES GREEN: A Community Mentoring
Model to Introduce Underserved Constituents to Employment & Entrepreneurial
Opportunities in the Green Economy.
The official unemployment rate in the U.S. stands at nearly
10% and is projected to continue climbing in 2010. The unemployment rate for
African Americans is projected to reach as high as 27% in some major
cities. At the same time, the world is
facing a tremendous threat from the effects of climate change and the rapid
depletion of our natural resources. The
Obama administration has invested heavily in programs and policy to "green the
economy” as strategy for economic recovery, job creation and saving the
planet. Unfortunately some of the most
underserved populations and communities are not well positioned to participate
and prosper in this new initiative.
The green economy consists of economic sectors that use our
natural resources in an environmentally-friendly way, while sustaining our
current standard of living. Some of the
activities include developing renewable energy, alternative
fuel vehicles, organic farming, and better agricultural practices.
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The green economy is believed to hold promise for offsetting some of the nation’s
unemployment by providing new opportunities for high quality well paid "green
jobs”; creating new opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation; and
preserving our environment while reducing some of the negative effects of
climate change.
Although no standard definition of a "green job” exists
some scholars have defined a green job as a family-supporting job that
contributes significantly to preserving or enhancing environmental
quality. To ensure that the green
strategy is universally beneficial and has a lasting economic impact, policy
makers, scholar and community activists have also suggested that a significant
proportion of these jobs should have relatively low barriers to entry, and be
in sectors that are poised for significant growth. Some examples of green jobs
might include electricians,
energy auditors, solar panel installers, wind turbine manufacturers,
carpenters, construction workers, maintenance/repair workers.
The green jobs initiative represents a tremendous
opportunity for individuals, families and communities. The Green Jobs Act of 2007 authorized $125 million per
year from the federal government to create an Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy Worker Training Program. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor has allocated approximately
$500 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act specifically
toward training for green jobs. Further,
several other Federal departments as well as state and local governments are
developing their own programs and initiatives.
This means that a tremendous number of dollars are up for grab for those
organizations and individuals poised to take advantage. Some have projected the
number of green jobs to grow by over four million by the year of 2038.
Unfortunately African Americans and other minority groups are
underrepresented in many of the industries most likely to benefit from the
greening of the economy and the green jobs that will result. For example, it is
estimated that as many as 40% of green jobs are construction jobs, yet African
Americans only represent about 4% of workers in the construction industry.
Many of the green jobs pay wages estimated as much as 25%
higher than jobs in other industries with comparable education
requirements. Further, many green jobs
programs are designed to offer on-the job-training to get around credential
issues, as well as, apprenticeships to provide experience which will increase
the chances of future labor market success.
The
current "green” initiatives represent an important juncture in our economic and
social history. This massive investment has created an opportunity to engage
individuals and communities that have been hit the hardest by the latest
economic recession in addition to already being largely disconnected from
participation and prosperity in the formal economy. It also represents a watershed moment
wherein a bad situation could turn much
worse if once again, the disenfranchised are left out of yet another important
transformation in the economy which will dictate economic fates for a long time
to come thus reinforcing the social and economic status quo.
It is
important that Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., through its Alpha Goes Green
Initiative be a leader on educating the communities that we serve about
opportunities in the new green economy.
The Fraternity has a wealth of knowledge on green jobs and the green
economy and these Brothers should play an important role in communicating
information to the Brotherhood and the communities that we serve in order to
build the green economy in our communities, increase green entrepreneurship and
expand the number of minority-owned businesses in our communities who provide
employment opportunities in green fields.
Links:
- "Preparing the Workers of Today for
the Jobs of Tomorrow”. July 2009 Executive Office of The President http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Jobs_of_the_Future.pdf
- "Current and Potential Green Jobs in
the
U.S.
Economy”. Global Insight, October 2008 http://usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/GreenJobsReport.pdf
- "Are Green Jobs Good Jobs for African
Americans”. Economic Policy Institute, September 2009 http://www.thorainstitute.com/Green%20Jobs%20Good%20Jobs.pdf
- "Testimony of Associated Builders and
Contractors”. U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
April 2009 www.greenconstructionatwork.com/.../ABC%20Testimony%20for%204-22-09%20EPW%20Hearing.pdf
- Onet Online: Occupations Matching
Green http://online.onetcenter.org/find/result?s=Green&a=1
- Greening of the World of Work:
Implications for O*NET-SOC and New and Emerging Occupations. The
National
Center for ONET Development.
February 2009. http://www.onetcenter.org/dl_files/Green.pdf
- Measurement
and Analysis of Green Jobs: Report of the WIC Green Jobs Study Group Work
Session Discussion. July 2009 http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/contentpub/GreenDigest/Measurement-Analysis-Green-Jobs.pdf
- Interview:
Mr. Steven Kroll – Green Definition Status.
- Are
Stimulus Dollars Working for Minority Contractors in IL? http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Print.aspx?audioID=36732
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Recovering
Opportunity
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Racial barriers continue to hold back
millions of Americans -- and our economy.
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Alan Jenkins |
September 15, 2009
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- http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=recovering_opportunity
- "Black Businesses Shorted on Stimulus
Contracts”. New
America
Media, News Report, Aaron Glantz, Posted.
December 21, 2009http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=6bab75852aacadbffbc46fa842c58cd6
- Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 Are Minorities Being
Fleeced by the Stimulus? By Tim Padgett /
Miami
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1940338,00.html
- Stastical Programs of
the United States Government: Fiscal Year 2010 www.whitehouse.gov/omb/asset.aspx?AssetId=1951
- FY 2010 Congressional
Budget Justification, Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.dol.gov/dol/budget/2010/PDF/CBJ-2010-V3-01.pdf
- Occupational Outlook
Quarterly Winter 2009-2010. "Getting Started” by Dixie Sommers. http://www.bls.gov/ooq/
- White House Briefing Room. (2009). Class Task Force Announces
Agency Partnerships to Build a Strong Middle Class through a Green Economy, from The Briefing Room Middle Class Task Force. Retrieved
July 7, 2009 fromhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Middle-Class-Task-Force-Announces-Agency-Partnerships-to-Build-a-Strong-Middle-Class-through-a-Green-Economy.
17. Josh Bivens, John Irons, and Ethan Pollack, "Green
Investments and the Labor Market: How Many Jobs Could be Generated and What
Type?,” Issue Brief #253(Washington D.C.: Economic Policy Institute,
2009), http://epi.3cdn.net/3ede40f054b5406d66_q6m6b9ne5.pdf.
18. Goldman, David. Black unemployment ‘a serious problem’ CNN
Money .com http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.marketmixup.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/black_unemployment_chart.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.marketmixup.com/black-unemployment-a-serious-problem&usg=__HKdzJ4vQ6-J4GOluaWAWLmDAo6s=&h=299&w=220&sz=15&hl=en&start=18&sig2=F0kChldXc9hY5SAwuJcU8w&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=VAsXPpjrrvN0LM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=85&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dblack%2Bunemployment%2B2009%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4DKUS_enUS273US274%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=ikZXS66AOpzIMty7kNsE
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Definition Wilson, Sacoby and Lesley Wilson Green Jobs and the Green Economy