WASHINGTON, DC, March 2, 2009 (ENS) - More than 80 labor, environmental, civic, and policy organizations have endorsed a proposal to secure America's economic recovery and environmental health by applying energy-efficient measures to over 15 million existing buildings - from adding insulation to replacing inefficient boilers.
The Clean Energy Corps would combine job creation, service, and training to combat global warming. "The beauty of the Clean Energy Corps is that it doesn't just create jobs," said Green For All founder Van Jones, "it also creates pathways out of poverty."
The Clean Energy Corps is a proposal of the Clean Energy Corps Working Group, which includes representatives of the Apollo Alliance, Center for American Progress Action Fund, Center for Economic and Policy Research, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Corps Network, Energy Action Coalition, Green For All, Innovations in Civic Participation, and 1Sky.
"At a time of severe hardship in the construction sector, retrofitting residential buildings to cut energy use can save consumers money, expand economic growth, reduce pollution, and create jobs," said Bracken Hendricks, senior fellow at Center for American Progress.
By retrofitting millions of structures, the Clean Energy Corps proposes to create at least 600,000 living-wage, career-track jobs in green industries, train people for them, and directly engage millions of Americans in diverse service-learning and volunteer work related to climate protection.
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