I don’t know if you read this article in the weekend Seattle Times, but I found it very thought provoking. The basic concept is that “green” as it is defined now tends to have a very white ethnocentric viewpoint. And, I would somewhat shamefully agree that this is the case. Go to most conferences, meetings, or other discussions about environmental issues and you’ll be smothered by fleece wearing liberal whites.
In the Seattle Times article (in Pacific Northwest Magazine portion) there is a highlight of Van Jones and his opinions in this matter. I do agree with a lot of his commentary.
Van Jones (above)
Truly, as Van Jones discusses in his talks on the subject, if we want global warming to be tackled by everyone on the planet, then we do need to include all races in the discussion and in the creation of a solution. I loved the idea of jobs programs that teach the skills necessary to learn how to build or retrofit buildings for alternate energy forms such as solar panels. Personally, I’d love to see a program like this back in Kansas where I grew up so that some of the skilled manufacturing and other skilled labor there can perhaps adjust their skills from a focus on plane parts fabrication and installation into a sustainable program of green building practices that pays a good living wage.
A report from Northeastern University written by Dr. Daniel R. Faber, Project Director and Deborah McCarthy, Project Research Assistant covers similar topics of social justice and environmentalism.
