Green Jobs

TWO POINT 6 million U.S. jobs were lost last year, and unemployment continues to climb, with many experts predicting the rate will exceed 10 percent by early next year, if not sooner. The situation is far worse for younger workers, minorities, single moms and millions of others living on or below the poverty line. While faith organizations continue their work serving those in need in their communities, many groups also recognize that we need to support serious efforts from our political leaders to reduce poverty.

WE ASKED Christine Knapp, executive director of Penn Futures, to send us her Rolodex, or at least the top names of people she consults for her work on sustainable issues. Here's who she's got on speed dial: Green jobs: Leanne Kreger-Braneky, director of Sustainable Business Network. Convener of the Green Economy Task Force. Kate Houstoun, new Green Jobs coordinator. Fran Pettricione, Philadelphia Area Labor Management. Sally Silver, head of Smart Energy Initiative of SE Pa. Tom Tuffey, director, PennFuture Center for Energy, Enterprise and the Environment.

From her seat at the Franklin Institute last week, one of nearly 300 on hand for the unveiling of Mayor Nutter's plan to make Philadelphia "the greenest city in America," Leanne Krueger-Braneky drew praise from a White House envoy. Van Jones, a green-jobs trailblazer and now an adviser to President Obama, lauded Krueger-Braneky for her leadership on sustainability issues in Philadelphia long before political officials embraced the cause. Two years ago, even Krueger-Braneky wasn't familiar with the terms "green jobs" and "green economy.

Sustainability entrepreneur Charlie Szoradi is offering $1 million in green-jobs scholarships through his GreenandSave Eco Academy in Devon. To qualify, recipients must be either U.S. veterans, home-installation contractors, home inspectors or real estate agents, and apply by July 4. The money would be used for training specialists in green building and energy conservation. For more information, visit www.EcoAcademy.com . "We're seeding the job opportunity market to ensure we provide opportunities that attract, educate, train and provide excellent, long-term careers for a whole new class of green-energy workers," Szoradi said.

Vice President Biden convened the White House's Middle Class Task Force in Philadelphia yesterday for a daylong inaugural hearing on the promise of prosperity in thousands of "green" jobs expected to be created by the drives to make the nation energy-independent and reduce global warming. The event, in the Irvine Auditorium at the University of Pennsylvania, featured questions from six cabinet secretaries, testimony from eight experts, and a bevy of public officials, including Mayor Nutter, touting their early embrace of the coming green economy.

If talk about greenhouse gases or carbon footprints makes your eyes glaze over, think about this: New parks and leafy trees throughout the city, more farmers' markets with fresh food for sale, cheaper household energy bills and - most importantly - more than 10,000 new jobs. That's Mayor Nutter's vision for the city in his new sustainability plan, Greenworks Philadelphia. The agenda, which Nutter was to reveal today, sets 15 targets to make Philadelphia a greener place to live by 2015.

By Victor Davis Hanson To newly inaugurated President Obama and his prime-the-pump technocrats, the logic seemed so simple: America's problem was a struggling economy. The solution was to spread around even more borrowed government money. The result would be a return to prosperity. But after nearly three years and almost $5 trillion more in borrowed "stimulus," things have only gotten worse. Unemployment is stuck at 9.1 percent. Consumer confidence is approaching a record low. The stock market is tanking.

More than half of all Americans - about 160 million - think of themselves as middle class, according to a 2008 Pew survey. But recent events suggest officials in Washington have a much narrower definition, encompassing only the 16 million workers represented by a union. This definition gives new perspective to last week's first meeting of the Middle Class Working Families Task Force in Philadelphia. Headed by Vice President Biden, the task force certainly seems to be a high priority for the White House.

"I think it's an injustice. I'm a proud American who did the best I could for my country and this is how they reward me. " - Bradley Birkenfeld, a whistle-blower in a tax-evasion probe of UBS AG, as he reported to prison for helping clients hide hundreds of millions of dollars and evade U.S. taxes "Make no mistake about it, this case is about more than just hats. " - DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the National Football League Players Association, on the Supreme Court battle over who gets to make official NFL headgear logos "The Europeans should focus the conversation on the economic issues of climate change, the green jobs, the recovery.

MY TWO grandchildren are excited about celebrating the Irish part of their heritage today. Like millions of others, Dylan, who's 8, and Kaya, 5, want to paint the town green in commemoration of St. Patrick's Day, the celebration of the man who, according to legend, helped spread Christianity throughout Ireland near the end of the fourth century. I told the grandkids that although I'm donning green as well today, I will not be downing any green beer or green potatoes. Although I do have Irish in my bloodline, my reasons for going green have little to do with shamrocks and more to do with helping to save the environment.