Source #18

TITLE: Will Green Jobs Become the New Greenwash? 

SUMMARY: This article argues that the new cry for green jobs is a nation-wide mania. The author argues the movement has yet to define itself. It raises reader skepticism by arguing that Americans do not even know the definition of a “green” job, and that the phrase “green economy” is being horribly overused by the government, activists, and politicians. Author Joel Makower argues that one of the biggest problems is that there is not a clear distinction between what is a “created” green job and what is a “retained” green job, therefore making any system of measuring the improvement of the economy futile. Makower coins the term “greenwash” to describe the state of disarray in the environmental activist community. For example, many words and terms (“environmental friendly,” “non-toxic,” etc.) used in marketing and advertising do not have legal definitions- a scary reality. 

TOPIC: “Green job” terminology is futile 

CATEGORY: Institutional Non-Profit 

WHAT IS IT? An article written for the online media organization, WorldChanging.com

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: WorldChanging.com, February 23, 2009 

AUTHOR: Joel Makower 

LOCATION: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009461.html

ACCESSED: February 24, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
* U.S. President Barack Obama
* U.S. Congress
*  State of Green Business Forum, measures the environmental impacts of the growing green economy 
* Commonwealth Club of California, non-profit educational organization based in Northern California  
* United Steel Workers, largest industrial labor union in North America
* Communications Workers of America, largest communications and media union in the U.S.A.
* Service Employees International Union, collective labor union for occupations in the U.S.A., Canada, and Puerto Rico
* Sierra Club, environmental activist group  
* Apollo Alliance, project organized by the Institute for America’s Future  
* Center for American Progress, liberal political research and advocacy organization
* Political Economy Research Institute, research institute for human and ecological well-being  
* United States Conference of Mayors, non-partisan organization of mayors of USA cities with populations of 300,000 or more
* Global Insight, world’s largest economics organization  
* American Solar Energy Society, U.S.A. section of the International Solar Energy Society
*  Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, non-profit public policy think tank focusing on technology and innovation
* United Nations Environmental Programme, environmental organization that assists developing countries
* U.S. Federal Trade Commission, independent agency focusing on consumer protection

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: WorldChanging is an independent, non-profit international media organization founded in 2004. It does not claim to be liberal or conservative, democratic or republican, etc. According to its website, their targeted audience is “readers who are ready to change the world” via intellectual activity and a humanitarian philosophy. The organization focuses on topics of social and public interest, such as renewable energy, refugee camps, public and economical transportation, and other progressive issues. The organization is based out of Seattle, WA., and relies on reporting from its independent journalists based in many different countries around the world. WorldChanging is funded by private, tax deductible contributions from its readers and supporters. 

USEFULNESS: This is one of the articles I would love to refer to when discussing opponents of a federal green job agenda. Joel Makower makes very powerful arguments regarding the futile “green” terminology used by American society. One of the strongest arguments against any federal green job initiative is that the term “green job” is not even legally defined. In the midst of this research project, I began to ask myself more and more, “what exactly is a green job?” When I found this article, it explained my quandary. Reading this has forced me to seriously consider any counter arguments against my Should question (“Should the United States Federal Government focus on green job development and an environmentally aware economy?”) This article also listed another resource I could use in a completely different source note entry.  

WORKS CITED: 
* Atkinson, Robert., Castro, Daniel., Ezell, Stephen. “The Digital Road to Recovery: A Stimulus Plan to Create Jobs, Boost Productivity and Revitalize America.” The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. January 7, 2009.

http://www.itif.org/index.php?id=212

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Federal Trade Commission. “Part 260- Guides for Use of Environmental Marketing Claims.” No publication date listed. 

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Commonwealth Club of California, Audio Podcast from January 2009 meeting. 

http://audio.commonwealthclub.org/audio/podcast/cc_20090126_inforum_greenjobspanel.mp3

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Event Compression Group. “The Green Jobs Opportunity.” GreenBiz.com. 

http://greenbiz.com/stateofgreenbusinessforum/video/GreenJobsOpportunity

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Global Insight. “U.S. Metro Economies: Current and Potential Green Jobs in the U.S. Economy.” October 2008. 

http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/GreenJobsReport.pdf

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Good Jobs Green Jobs National Conference. February 4-6, 2009. 

http://www.greenjobsconference.org/site/c.rvI3IiNWJqE/b.4950285/k.BE91/Home.htm

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Lurie, Neal. “ASES Green Collar Jobs Report Forecasts 37 Million Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in the U.S. by 2030.” American Solar Energy Society. No publication date listed. 

http://www.ases.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=465&Itemid=58

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Makower, Joel. “How Bad is Greenwashing, Really?” GreenBiz.com. July 6, 2008. 

http://makower.typepad.com/joel_makower/2008/07/how-bad-is-gree.html

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Makower, Joel. “Strategies for the Green Economy.” McGraw-Hill. December 1, 2008.

http://www.makower.com/book.html

Accessed February 24, 2009 
* Nicolow, Jim. “Greenwashing is a Gateway Drug.” American Public Media. April 5, 2008. 

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/sustainability/greenwash/2008/04/greenwashing_is_a_gateway_drug.html

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Podesta, John. “Green Recovery: A New Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy.” Center for American Progress. September 9, 2008. 

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/09/green_recovery.html

Accessed February 24, 2009
* Schneider, Keith. “Clean Energy is Foundation of Proposed Stimulus.” Apollo News Service, January 15, 2009.

http://apolloalliance.org/new-apollo-program/clean-energy-serves-as-foundation-for-proposed-reinvestment-bill/

Accessed February 24, 2009

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