In the early oughts, Van championed the concept of young people learning “green collar” jobs with solar installation in the Bay Area, which caught the attention of Nancy Pelosi and then president George W. Bush, and led to the Green Jobs Act of 2007.
Many people have come to know Van Jones through his political analysis on CNN, but he’s also the godfather of green jobs. In the early oughts, Van championed the concept of young people learning “green collar” jobs with solar installation in the Bay Area, which caught the attention of Nancy Pelosi and then president George W. Bush, and led to the Green Jobs Act of 2007. Van served a stint at the White House as green jobs czar under president Obama, and founded several organizations dedicated to green jobs, civil rights, and prison reform, weaving the social issues with his slogan “Green jobs, not jails”. He is one of the most talented communicators of our time and we are thrilled to have his powerful voice in this series.
