Help Win MILLIONS for Green Jobs Training: Support HR 2847

While kick-starting the groundbreaking Oakland Green Jobs Corps here in California,
we've also been working "inside the beltway" in DC to push for funding for a
national green-collar job training program. If passed, this bill would establish
$125 MILLION every year for greening the nation's workforce, including $25 million
per year specifically for programs that provide "pathways out of poverty."

IIn other words, this would fund programs just like the Oakland Green Jobs Corps in
cities across the country, helping low-income people with barriers to employment get
into quality careers in renewable energy manufacturing and installation, green
construction, alternative fuel production and more.

This is a huge opportunity, but the bill has a ways to go before becoming law.

Since the bill is just getting started, we need other members of the House to sign
on as co-sponsors. The more legislators we have putting their weight behind it, the
more momentum the bill -- and the green jobs movement -- gains.

Can you ask your representative to become a co-sponsor of the Green Jobs Act of
2007? We've created an easy form for you to use:

Click here to ask your representative to co-sponsor:
http://www.ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=82&contentid=289

The Green Jobs Act, sponsored by Representatives Hilda Solis (D-CA) and John Tierney
(D-MA) is a monumental first step in transforming the U.S. economy into one that
supports both the planet and its people. The bill would provide $80 million for
"greening" the labor union workforce, $20 million for labor market research, and $25
million for "pathways out of poverty" programs like the Oakland Green Jobs Corps,
for a total of $125 million per year. Big thanks go to The Workforce Alliance
(http://www.workforcealliance.org) and the national Apollo Alliance
(http://www.apolloalliancew.org) for playing central roles in creating the legislation.
Special acknowledgement should go to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for supporting the
idea of a green jobs bill from the very beginning. And Rep. Solis, in particular,
has been an incredible champion for the bill.
Get Your Organization to Endorse the Bill!

If you work with an organization, you have a special opportunity to make a
difference: Ask your organization to endorse the Green Jobs Act of 2007. Just send
an email to greenjobs [at] ellabakercenter.org with your organization's name and your
contact info.

Over a dozen leading organizations have already signed on, including the Sierra
Club, MoveOn.org, ColorOfChange.org, Global Exchange, the Center for American
Progress, Urban Habitat, Communities for a Better Environment, the Rainforest Action
Network, the Workforce Alliance, the Ella Baker Center, and many more.

Please forward this email to friends, family, and anyone you think might be
interested in our green-collar jobs initiative. Because this is a national campaign,
we need to make as much noise as we can.

Thank you for all your time and energy. You are a critical part of our campaign for
justice in the system, opportunity in our cities, and peace on our streets.

Sincerely,

Van Jones and Ian Kim
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights


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