Source #10

TITLE: An Interview with Mac Lynch of the Apollo Alliance 

SUMMARY:  Mac Lynch is the Program Associate of the Apollo Alliance, a national organization that advocates for green job development and economic sustainability. In this interview, he addresses the concerns and opposing arguments for a new green collar economy in America. Lynch also provides more information on his organization and its mission. The underlying theme throughout the interview is that it is of paramount importance for the United States to start investing in green collar jobs for the sake of our economic well-being and the environment. 

TOPIC: The urgency of moving towards a new green economy 

CATEGORY: Citizen Interview 

WHAT IS IT? A telephone interview I did with Mac Lynch, Program Associate of the Apollo Alliance 

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: Chocolatedragon.wordpress.com, March 9, 2009 

AUTHOR: Ericka Staples, Interviewer, & Mac Lynch, Interviewee 

LOCATION: Telephone interview 

ACCESSED: Interview conducted on March 5, 2009 

SUPPORT: 
* U.S. President Barack Obama
* Congressman Edward Markey, 7th District of Massachusetts  

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of labor, business, environmental, and community leaders who promote the clean energy revolution. It was established in 2001 in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Since the it is a collection of organizations, the Apollo Alliance has multiple resources available to its use. Not only does the organization provide a job bank for green careers, it is also a strong voice on Capitol Hill. Apollo Alliance conducts thorough research to support its mission of increasing U.S. green jobs and environmental sustainability. The Alliance’s most generous donors are dozens of labor unions and developmental and environmental foundations. Among these donors are the Town Creek Foundation (promotes sustainability and public eduction), the United Steel Workers (largest industrial labor and trade organization in the USA), and the Victoria Organization (Newark, NJ non-profit organization that addresses issues of poverty and the environment.) All of these funders have donated anywhere between 5,000 to over 100,000. Apollo Alliance hopes its rigorous efforts are able to jump start the clean energy revolution in America. 

USEFULNESS: This interview is one of my most valuable resources. Mac Lynch was very thorough and articulate in addressing questions and concerns I had encountered during my research for green job development. As I noted in older entries, I became stumped when I encountered articles about the problems with associated with greenwashing, since there is no legal or official definition of the term “green job.” Lynch gave me an awesome definition of what the Apollo Alliance defines as a green job: a green collar job offers quality of work with opportunities for career advancement while benefitting American people, the economy, and the environment. He made sure to emphasize that Apollo strictly uses the term “green collar job” to describe jobs that would fit into this definition. By focusing on promoting these green collar jobs that fit this definition, Lynch argues that greenwashing-the business practice of using any and all green terminology to describe products and services, regardless of what such terminology implies- becomes less likely to occur. This argument was one of the best I have heard so far, and I will continue to use this definition to guide the rest of my research. Lynch also talked about the 2009 Stimulus. He basically said that although he is happy that it passed, the Apollo Alliance believes there are a few key pieces of legislation the bill lacks, such as its failure to address job quality, green job safety standards, and workers rights. 

WORKS CITED: 
* Environmental Priorities Coalition. “Cap and Invest.” 2009 

http://www.environmentalpriorities.org/cap-and-invest

Accessed March 9, 2009
* New Apollo Program 

http://apolloalliance.org/

Accessed March 9, 2009
* OpenCongress.Org. “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” 2009 

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h1/show

Accessed March 9, 2009 
* Schneider, Keith. “Newark’s Green Future Summit.” Apollo News Service, September 11, 2008.

http://apolloalliance.org/what’s-new/newarks-green-future-summit/

Accessed March 9, 2009

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