New national initiative to capitalize on the exploding green economy to
         create 250,000 green-collar jobs for poor urban Americans

    NEW YORK, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Green for All, an important new
campaign focused on bringing "green collar" jobs to urban areas, launched
today at the Clinton Global Initiative. The group, created by Van Jones,
co- Founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, seeks to capitalize
on the exploding green economy while ensuring that the coming green
economic wave lifts all boats.
    "It's time the African American community had a part in the discussion
on climate change," said Jones. "We're not going to solve global warming
just with expensive consumer choices like buying hybrid cars and shopping
for organic food. People need to realize that you don't have to be white or
wealthy to benefit from going green."
    The Green for All campaign is a bold effort to harness the growing
power of the green economic revolution to fight the war on poverty. By
securing job training for 250,000 workers from urban communities for the
emerging green job market, the program will provide new avenues of
opportunity for those who have traditionally been left behind by the
nation's economic growth. It will also give the crusade against global
warming a broader social base, extending the green revolution to the
neglected streets of cities like Oakland, Detroit, Baltimore and New
Orleans.
    Green for All was launched today with the support of over 200
businesses and organizations.
    "The green economy is being slowed because there aren't enough
qualified workers. I've had solar industry entrepreneurs tell me the only
thing slowing their business down is the lack of qualified installers,"
said Jones. "Green Collar jobs, such as installing solar panels or making
homes energy-efficient, are local jobs. They can't be outsourced to China
and India. Solar panels must be installed on the American homes that need
them."
    The effort already has gained traction among supporters. The city
government of Oakland, California recently invested $250,000 in
green-collar job training. In August, Congress approved a bill that would
authorize $125 million for training more than 30,000 green-collar workers a
year.
    "By giving the urban poor an economic stake in the environmental
movement, Green for All demonstrates how the green revolution must embrace
all races and social groups," said Jones. "This is the next wave of the
environmental movement in minority communities: we are moving beyond equal
protection to equal opportunity."
    Contact:
    Erica Sackin, esackin@fenton.com, (212) 584-5000, x335