We've have to heed our Biblical obligation to be good stewards of the Earth after leaving the Garden of Eden. Van Jones More Quotes by Van Jones More Quotes From Van Jones We should stop calling ourselves environmentalists - and just call ourselves patriots. Van Jones patriot should calling Back in 2007, I met this white guy [director Peter Byck] with a lot of hair and a video camera, at a conference that I happened to be attending for the launch of an organization called Blacks in Green. I had never heard of him and Peter had never heard of me. We just started talking; he liked what I had to say, so he asked me if I'd be willing to be in this documentary he was doing about carbon pollution. I said, "Sure!" It was kind of a no-brainer. Van Jones white hair talking I saw in the Nineties that we were increasing police power with get tough policies and 3 strikes laws, but without additional oversights. Van Jones saws police law I had this radical idea that the police should obey the law. My view was that any human system without adequate checks and balances will tend towards corruption and abuse. That's why you have meat inspectors. Not because you hate butchers, but because of an understanding of human nature. Van Jones hate views law Though the rampant racial injustices throughout the criminal justice system were offensive to me and to millions of other people, I've never drawn a tight circle around the black community to define the limits of my moral concern. But that narrative tends to get imposed on you, if you're an African-American activist. Van Jones circles justice people In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we did create Color of Change, an organization which focused on African-Americans in particular, because we felt that there was a big gap there in terms of online advocacy which had left the black community particularly vulnerable. Van Jones community color organization There are 80,000 jobs in the wind energy industry right now. And you can quadruple that number, if you have the right policy in place to promote clean energy. Van Jones numbers wind jobs The prospects of green economic opportunity is going to be determined to a great extent by politicians arriving at some sort of bi-partisan resolution. Van Jones arriving green opportunity I used to be called the "Green Jack Kemp" because of my promotion of entrepreneurial and work-based solutions for poor people. Van Jones promotion green people I'm not calling for redistributing wealth; I'm calling for reinvigorating our stuck energy sector, so some new entrepreneurs can create some new wealth. Van Jones entrepreneur energy calling Right now, when you go and hit the light switch in your house, you're participating in a state-protected monopoly. You're being forced to accept dirty power from a single producer. Van Jones light house dirty People in red states and blue states can agree that we are a nation blessed with extraordinary natural wealth and beauty, which we would be foolish to waste; therefore conservation and efficiency are values we all can share. Van Jones blessed blue people People in red states and blue states can agree that clean air is better than dirty air; therefore we should use clean energy where we can. Van Jones air blue dirty Clean energy independence should be an area of common ground. Van Jones independence energy common To green our country, regular people will have to put on hard hats and work boots, roll up their sleeves - and get to work. Van Jones boots country people In other words: we can fight pollution and poverty at the same time, with the same method. We can beat global warming and the global recession at the same time, with the same method. We can do this by putting people to work re-powering America with clean energy. Van Jones fighting america people Too often we think about the green economy as an elite market niche, one in which affluent people spend more money to consume greener and cleaner products. Van Jones green people thinking A green jobs bill would include both job creation and job training. Van Jones training green jobs We need to aim high - in the area of 20-25 percent - to create the urgent demand for new technologies, manufacturing plants and green jobs. Van Jones technology jobs needs We are talking about capital-intensive enterprises, so market certainty is the key. Investors and entrepreneurs have to know that there will be a guaranteed U.S. renewable energy market in which they can compete. Otherwise, they will create the next generation of green companies and green jobs in Asia, not here. Van Jones keys talking jobs
