In February 2008, the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN) launched a new initiative to advocate for a comprehensive green collar job development strategy for the Philadelphia region.
Green collar jobs are blue-collar jobs in companies that improve environmental quality. These jobs have the ability to plug the holes left behind by the 400,000 manufacturing jobs that left our region in the past four decades and will be targeted towards low-income communities.
The Green Economy Task Force (GETF) is made up of four committees with 70 representatives from over 50 organizations who are working together towards a triple bottom line solution. Unfunded until recently, the Green Economy Task Force is an excellent example of what a committed group of volunteers can accomplish when they are working towards a common goal.
The momentum over the past ten months has been incredible and Van Jones has said that we have moved forward more quickly than any other group across the country. Philadelphia is poised to jump to the front of the green collar jobs movement and this work will benefit low-income communities at the same time we are improving environmental quality.
Activities To Date:
On February 21st, SBN convened a sold-out public event with Van Jones at the Urban Sustainability Forum. Over 600 people participated in this event and we set up nine webcast locations across the region to accomodate the demand from participants. Mayor Michael Nutter welcomed Van Jones to Philadelphia and reaffirmed his commitment to make Philadelphia the green city in the United States.
On March 6th, Philadelphia's City Council approved a resolution calling on the Committee on the Environment and the Committee on Economic Development to hold joint hearings on adopting a Green Jobs Corps to help Philadelphia create a qualified, trained workforce to support local green businesses and contractors.
On March 20th, we brought Van Jones back to Philadelphia for an invitation-only Green Economy Strategy Session at City Hall. This strategy session brought together key leaders from green business, workforce development, green building, labor, youth development and local government to start to work on a strategy for the Philadelphia region. Four committees were formed to continue the planning: Policy, Funding, Job Training and Employer Relations. These committees all held their first meetings within three weeks and are actively pursuing short-term and long-term goals.
SBN released a report entitled, "Building a Green Economy: Green Collar Job Development Initiatives in the Delaware Valley." The report is intended to be resource about the organizations currently training and hiring green-collar workers, as well as new projects on the horizon. It is not intended to be a complete anthology of every "green" project that is underway in the Philadelphia region.
On May 5th, Philadelphia's City Council held a hearing on Green Collar Jobs in City Council Chambers in Room 400 of City Hall. The hearing was the first step in bringing the issue to Council's attention.
In August 2008 the Green Economy Task Force released recommendations for sustainable procurement policies for the City of Philadelphia. These recommendations outline how the City can use the $1.4 billion spent annually on products and services as an economic tool to stimulate green business development.
On September 25th, Philadelphia's City Council resolved to recognize September 27th at Green Jobs Now: A National Day of Action to Build the New Economy in Philadelphia. We are grateful to Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown for bringing attention to the Green Jobs Now Day of Action. On September 27th, we partnered with Green for All, 1 Sky and the We Campaign to participate in the Green Jobs Now! National Day of Action to Build a New Economy.
On December 22nd, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation approved a grant for $125,000 to create the Philadelphia Green Jobs Corps. This funding will
• Within the Philadelphia region, brought visibility and excitement to the concept of green collar jobs as a tactic to simultaneously fight climate change and raise people out of poverty.
• Organized a grassroots coalition that brought together green businesses, workforce development, city government, labor, community-based organizations and the environmental community.
• Over 600 people attended sold-out Urban Sustainability Forum with Van Jones.
• Released a report entitled, "Building a Green Economy: Green Collar Job Development Initiatives in the Delaware Valley."
• Released recommendations for sustainable procurement policy and briefed City Council and the administration. Two City Council hearings resulted from this work.
• Formed four committees to continue the planning: Policy, Funding, Job Training and Employer Commitment.
• Secured a grant for $125,000 from the Knight Foundation to create a Green Jobs Corps.
