LONG ISLAND YOUTH SHOW CONCERT GOERS WHAT GREEN JOBS ARE ALL ABOUT

Sammy Chu is the Director of Long Island Green Homes in Babylon, NY.

When Green for All called me looking for volunteers for their joint effort with The Black Eyed Peas, I knew just where to find some.

Since 2008 the Long Island Green Homes program has been retrofitting homes in Babylon, Long Island and is on its way to thousands more. What’s better than that? This year we partnered with United Way’s Youth Build program to train low-income youths from Wyandanch, the most economically depressed community on Long Island. They are attaining the skills they need to start careers with Green Homes contractors. Who could be better to spread Green for All’s message of high road green jobs for everyone than our Youth Build kids?

Our Youth Build kids along with the Long Island Green Homes crew canvassed Nassau Coliseum all night long. I was so impressed with the enthusiasm that they demonstrated taking part in a movement that will have such an enormous impact on their lives and the future of our clean energy economy. These kids have seized the opportunity to forge their own futures through self-improvement, volunteerism and civic participation. We are so grateful to Green For All and The Black Eyed Peas for providing such a powerful platform for change. We truly appreciate the opportunity to advance our green economy and create new opportunities for those who have been left out in the past.

You’ve got to give it up for Green For All, the innovative national grass roots organization started by Van Jones and Majora Carter currently being led by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins. Now in conjunction with THE BLACK EYED PEAS, RETHINK, AND LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS their launching the ENERGY NEVER DIES (END) TOUR .

To raise awareness about climate change and to promote a strong clean-energy economy during the U.S. leg of their 2010 The E.N.D. World Tour. will.i.am, member of six-time Grammy Award winning The Black Eyed Peas said, “From creating new sustainable products out recycled bottles to capping harmful global warming pollution, the actions and policies that protect the planet for future generations are the same as those that create new jobs and economic opportunities.”

The campaign launched in Washington, D.C., and will continue throughout the band’s 23 U.S. tour stops. Each city features a unique recycling initiative with Rethink, an innovative fabric and apparel company that focuses on producing sustainable fabric from recycled plastic bottles. Green For All volunteers will encourage fans at each tour venue to recycle their plastic bottles, which will eventually be converted into fabric to produce The Black Eyed Peas merchandise including t-shirts.

In addition to supporting this recycling initiative, non-profit partners Green For All and LCV are conducting community outreach and educational events, including conversations around jobs and opportunities in the green industry.

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EVENTS

GREEN NEWS WALL

GREEN TRANSPORTATION

N THE MIX

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Read the article:

Building Health Wealth (TM)

by John C. Bish

SOLAR WALL

SunRun

First to Offer Solar For No Upfront Cost in New Jersey Leading Residential Solar Company Makes Solar Affordable for Every New Jersey Homeowner

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TRAINING

WEBINARS Now “LIVE” AND ON DEMAND

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Hear Inverness Valley Inn Owners

Leslie & Alden Adkins interview with QuestPoint n The Mix

on going green.

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Not long ago I talked with Ginny Madeiros of ZAP electric cars, a pioneer in electric transportation based in Santa Rosa, California. Ginny drives an all electric vehicle, the Xebra . You can hear our interview on

QuestPoint n The Mix.

In that conversation we envisioned a world where solar power homeowners would be able to plug their electric cars into their home’s solar power system and get the energy their car needed for the day. Well seems as if these ideas aren’t just wishful thinking. The city of San Francisco has announced a plan to build electric charging stations around the city in anticipation of electric cars to come. This is a collaborative effort between Nissan Motors, which has launched LEAF, an all electric vehicle. It is interesting to note that ZAP currently offers a solar powered line of vehicles which you can plug into a 110 outlet. The series is called Xebra Xero.

UPDATE – The United States Postal Service has awarded ZAP a contract for the design and development of an electric mail truck. US Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey recently toured the ZAP’s facilities and stated,

“I so appreciate ZAP for hanging in there all these years, knowing what we should be doing as a country. I think a majority of members of Congress, the House in particular, know that they were right and that this is where we need to be investing.
As we know, Congress is pushing to get at least 20,000 electric vehicles into the USPS fleet using a program called Edrive.org.” Here’s Jenny on the scene with Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.

ZAP has got a lot going on. I wonder what George Jetson of cartoon fame would think if he could see how we are using technology these days. Oh that’s right it was a cartoon.

By the way ZAP also owns Thomas Edison’s  “electromobile” from 1910  and the Detroit Electric brand. Seems as if electric vehicles have been around for some time now…interesting.

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Listen to the QuestPoint n The Mix

interview of GREEN ZEBRA founder

Anne Vollen

HERE

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Last year I attended the InterSolar North America Conference in San Francisco, it was the second time that the conference was held in the US. The conference attracts solar manufacturers, utilities and stake holders from renewable energy players from around  the globe. Walking around the showroom floor I felt then, as I do now that technological innovation has the potential to transform our society’s current energy puzzle.

One person that has been on the solar frontier for more than 30 years is solar pioneer, Miles Russell, CEO and founder of GreenRay Solar. For a real education and deep insight into America’s experience with energy

LISTEN Here to Miles Russell’s interview with

QuestPoint N The Mix.

An industry icon and innovator, Miles worked on programs with the Environmental Protection Agency and was involved in some of the first utility and federally funded projects on grid tied solar systems. Miles gives credit to former President Jimmy Carter who kicked started the industry during the energy crisis in the 70’s.

Miles Russell started his professional  career at the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Lincoln Laboratory and received his Masters in Science in Engineering from Stanford University.

Now as CEO of GreenRay Solar a venture backed company Miles and his team is pioneering a new solar product innovation that is billed as “the world’s first solar appliance.” It is anticipated to radically improve safety, reliability, drastically cut installation cost and make it easier for consumers to use and monitor their solar systems via computers and mobile devices such as the Apple iPhone.

Listen to  the Miles Russell interview here, and see the video of former President Jimmy Carter’s address to the nation on the energy crisis more than thirty years ago just below.

From the energy crisis of the 70’s to new solar power product innovation, Miles Russell, CEO of GreenRay Solar shares his wisdom.

Read more here.

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Listen to the QuestPoint n The Mix

interview of GREEN ZEBRA founder

Anne Vollen

HERE

The Olympic Village receives LEED Platinum status, making it certified as the greenest neighbourhood in the worid.

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The NISSAN ALL ELECTRIC - LEAF

Nissan, San Francisco Collaborate to Develop Bay Area EV Charging Network

Read about it Here

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Empower Others to Promote Your BusinessPresented By Andrea Sittig-Rolf

Andrea Sittig-Rolf

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Green Zebra recently opened the Environmental Action Center in Crocker Galleria (50 Post Street between Montgomery and Kearny) in downtown San Francisco, where you can learn how to live more sustainably and save money too.  Got questions? The friendly staff is knowledgeable about a wide variety of environmental topics, and can assist in connecting you with the resources you’re looking for. (That’s Heath Caceres and Cherise Rye Green Zebra Staff above)

The information provided at the Green Zebra Environmental Action Center will demystify information about going green including, solar power and composting as part of the convenient citywide collection program.  You’re invited to drop off your old cell phones, used printer cartridges, and household batteries, and we’ll make sure they’re disposed of properly so that the toxic ingredients they contain don’t seep out of landfill and into our water supply.

Just for fun, climb aboard the electricity making machine to pedal off a few calories and get a feel for how much human power it takes to light a bulb, play a radio or run a fan.

You’ll also find 2010 San Francisco Green Zebra guides for sale. Each edition acts as a green business directory that describes and presents thousands of dollars in savings from more than 150 local green companies. Additionally, it’s a valuable educational resource loaded with green living tips.

If there is an environmental topic you want to learn more about, just ask the staff!  They can arrange to bring in a local expert on the subject to speak to your group at lunchtime. Consider the Green Zebra Environmental Action Center when planning your next sustainability-themed event for 10-150 people.

The Center is also home to the reMake lounge which hosts classes and other events where adults can can learn to make everything from cleaning products out of natural ingredients to craft projects from discarded items.

Listen to the QuestPoint n The Mix

interview with co founder Anne Vollen

Here

A Strange Meeting in VIDEO Here

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VAN JONES IN THE BAY AREA

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Sometimes making a difference isn’t as hard as it seems. When you think about the movement Green, it seems like a big puzzle. Where are all the jobs everybody keeps talking about? By the way author Carol McClelland’s new book Green Careers For Dummies gives you details, insight and plans to get your green career going.

But now, take a look at the impact two non profits have made on our fellow citizens on this spinning hunk of land, sea, and sky we call earth. Jeff Olshesky and Trevor Knauf of Beyond Solar are two self described ’single guys” who were working for a solar company in southern California and decided they wanted to see developing countries get in on the promise of clean solar energy. In a fairly short period of time and a low budget; they were able to partner with an NGO ( non government organization ) and lighting manufacturer D. Light in India to bring small solar panels and electric lanterns to small remote villages.  Before they got involved these villages were using kerosene for their night time activities.

To hear the effects of the project on the people of this remote area of India, listen to

QuestPoint n The Mix’s interview here.

As Jeff said what’s surprising is how a little light can have such a major impact on those that didn’t have any before.

Now contrast that to the work being performed by Green For All which has partnered with the city of Portland,Oregon. The city of Portland has long been on the forefront of progressive ideas and eco friendly urban planning. The home-weatherization program in Portland, Oregon  can serve as a model for the entire country.

Clean Energy Works Portland is an effort that will cut energy bills, create green jobs, reduce pollution and expand business opportunities. In addition, it will ensure that Recovery Act investment dollars reach those hit hardest by the recession.  The city scale  model  builds an important component of a new clean energy economy.

 Green For All’s  Clean Energy Works Portland includes a revolving loan fund with innovative “on-bill financing” and a Community Workforce Agreement that creates jobs in the communities that need them most.

 Putting together all the pieces of the new green economy can be frustrating, but all one has to do is work on one piece of the puzzle the fits for you. That piece can be in your  home, school, job,  local community or on the other side of the world.

For More GREEN FOR ALL NEWS CLICK HERE

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A Strange Meeting in VIDEO Here

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It’s easy to loose sight of just how much effect the “green movement’ is having on our economy. Take for example, electric cars. It wasn’t long ago that the idea of driving a hybrid vehicle was so en vogue it was hard too imagine that electric vehicles ever even existed. But here we have ZAP, a northern California electric transportation firm that has been at this since the mid 1990’s.

Recently interviewed on QuestPoint N The Mix, ZAP driver and consultant Ginny Medeiros was able to show how more solar power availability aids electric transportation.

The politics and economics of the how we move forward as a local and world community in dealing with energy are being played everyday as innovators like ZAP,  meet the needs of profit, people and the planet.

You can read more about ZAP and other green transportation topics in QuestPoints’ new

Green Transportation section here.

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News from GREEN FOR ALL

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins – CEO

Green For All is a national organization working to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

Green For All is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through a clean energy economy.  They work in collaboration with the business, government, labor, and grassroots communities to create and implement programs that increase quality jobs and opportunities in green industry – all while holding the most vulnerable people at the center of our agenda.

GREEN FOR ALL Announces

The Dream Reborn Contest

STORY CONTEST

Win $1000  and other prizes

GREEN FOR ALL EXPANDS D.C. OFFICE

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A recent  U.S. Solar Industry Monitor finds that professionals within the solar industry value chain predict strong growth for their U.S. businesses in 2010 and 2011.
•    Respondents indicate that more favorable legislation and heightened marketing will be keys to the expansion of their businesses.

Nearly 100 professionals representing key areas of the solar business value chain participated in the poll. Highlights of the findings include:
•    The majority of participants forecasted growth for their U.S. businesses in 2010 (92.6 percent) and 2011 (95.1 percent). Many expected to register a growth rate of more than 25 percent in 2010 (37.3 percent) and 2011 (55.0 percent).
•    The majority (64.9 percent) indicated the recession has not had a crushing impact on the U.S. solar industry, which has dealt with economic challenges in a positive manner.
•    Respondents identified the main obstacles to growth as the lack of financing (81.8 percent), little support from utilities (62.9 percent), lack of customer knowledge (61.3 percent), and insufficient level of incentives (59.1 percent).
•    Awareness and differentiation are important in the nascent solar industry. To create demand in the coming year, 82.9 percent report that sales and marketing communications will be stepped up.
“The U.S. solar industry is positioning itself for a sales upswing in 2010 that could pave the way for aggressive expansion in the years beyond,” said Sebastian Goeres, a renewable energy specialist with Droege & Comp. “Competition is fierce, and players compete mainly via cost. We see the need for leading companies to improve their operational costs and to put more emphasis on their strategic plans.”
In anticipation of strong demand and harsh competition in 2010 and 2011, 60.2 percent of respondents said they will boost their U.S. supply. Approximately half of those polled will increase their assembly/production, while 38.6 percent will go about expanding market share via transactions, such as joint ventures, mergers or acquisitions.
Increased communication was also cited as a strategic priority, and references were made to a wide array of traditional, digital and social media techniques and platforms.
“Solar businesses regard their sales and marketing efforts as critical to revving up the U.S. growth engine,” stated Brian Hall, managing supervisor – advanced manufacturing and energy practice, Gibbs & Soell. “However, respondents said they favor more indirect methods to gain visibility, including search engine optimization that unlocks value from existing content, as well as media coverage earned from outreach to professional journalists and industry bloggers. A next step is to strategically integrate digital media tools such as corporate blogs and social networking into the mix, which can help companies establish clear voices and engage in more interactive conversations with their audiences.”

New Green Resolutions

Joy Adams  The Green X-Ray House South San Francisco

Check out job opportunities Here

LISTEN Leslie & Alden Adkins interview with QuestPoint n The Mix on going green.

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Hollywood Goes Solar?

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“Greener” Barry Pepper

Watching and reading the reports from UN World Climate Summit in Copenhagen I was reminded of  BattleField Earth, the movie based on Scientology leader L. Ron Hubbard’s  book of the same name. The movie had an all star cast including John Travolta, Barry Pepper and Forrest  Whitaker. The film was not well received and didn’t live up to Hollywood Box office standards.  In fact some critics had predicted this would spell the end to John Travolta’s career.

Set in the year 3000 humans are all but extinct,  save for those that have been enslaved by the Psychlo’s, a beyond greedy, twisted, manipulative race of aliens who are stripping the earth clean of its natural resources. These are some vile villains who turn on each other with such ease you have to wonder how the species even survives. Humans are seriously beat down until a “Greener” (someone always looking for greener pastures) played by Barry Pepper challenges them to fight back.

Who knows what really went on behind the scenes at Copenhagen. It is difficult for large scale projects to meet expectations. Both before, during and after the conference reports were coming in that were so negative towards everything and everybody you’ve got to imagine Norman Vincent Peale, author of Success through a Positive Mental Attitude was turning over in his grave. Big business, big organizations and banks seem to have difficulty being responsive and embracing change. When troubled their legions will claim they are too big to let fail. However, the issue may very well be that they are too big to succeed!

The good thing about the green movement as we move into 2010; is that citizens around the world are beginning to question the sustainability of our lifestyles including politics and profits. The battle for a better smarter existence maybe slow moving – yet it may be too soon to claim a complete failure in Copenhagen. A couple of things are certain, John Travolta is still acting, Forrest Whitaker has won an Oscar; and both of them got to wear some cool dreadlocks and bizarre battle uniforms.

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New Green Resolutions

Joy Adams  The Green X-Ray House South San Francisco

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Hear Inverness Valley Inn Owners

Leslie & Alden Adkins interview with QuestPoint n The Mix on going green.

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GET YOUR DISCOUNT FOR THIS BUSINESS EXPERT WEBINAR HERE

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Megan Epler Wood’s Mission

A new generation of Ecotourism professionals

Ecotourism icon Megan Epler Wood was recently named a Fellow with the Institute at the Golden Gate. In that role as well as others she is on a mission to help inspire a new generation of ecotourism professionals. Megan Epler Wood founded The International Ecotourism Society in 1990, the first and largest ecotourism NGO in the world and was its president for 12 years. Under her leadership, TIES developed a membership program in over 100 countries, publications, workshops and stakeholder meetings that reached tens of thousands, and an international communications program that reached millions.

Epler Wood has been a keynote speaker at events in over a dozen countries. She has lectured at Harvard, Duke, Columbia Business School, and the International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds Metropolitan University in the U.K. She was the lead ecotourism lecturer at George Washington University from 1995-2000. Megan lectured on ecotourism planning as a tool in economic development at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain in April 2008.

LISTEN to her recent interview with QuestPointnTheMix.com.

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From spaced based solar power plants

to making your own solar panels for under $100, the effects of the “green economy” are making it’s way into all aspects of our world. PG & E has just inked a deal with Solaren, a Southern California start-up to launch components for a solar power plant into orbit and sell the electricity it generates to Pacific Gas and Electric. The deal was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. The project is supposed to be turned on in 2016.

Solaren, founded by veterans of Hughes Aircraft, Boeing and Lockheed, plans to deploy a free-floating inflatable Mylar mirror over half a mile in diameter. This will collect and concentrate sunlight on a smaller mirror, that in turn will focus the rays on photovoltaic modules.
California regulators approved a utility contract for the first space-based solar power plant in the U.S. The 200-megawatt orbiting solar farm would convert solar energy collected in space into radio frequency waves, which would be beamed to a ground station near Fresno, in California’s central valley. These radio waves would then be transformed into electricity to be fed into the power grid.

Cows go green

Never underestimate the human spirit, just as big energy power players are beginning to show just how much juice they have; right back here on earth; Home Made Energy and others are offering “how to kits” that show you how to go green and build your own solar panels for under $100. The race is on. Seems everything is going green. Including… well see for yourself! Do the green thing!

Green Thing is a not-for-profit public service that inspires people to lead a greener life. With the help of brilliant videos and inspiring stories from creative people and community members around the world.

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A Quick Recipe for a Successful Copenhagen

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Listen in on Kevin Hopkins’s interview with QuestPoint N the Mix. Kevin is an author of ECO INSTITUTION’s Certified Green Consultant online training course.

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