On March 9th the White House announced that Van Jones, the headlining speaker at the 25th Martin Luther King Convocation held on Feb. 12 at the Santa Cruz Community Center, has been appointed the Special Adviser on Green Jobs for the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Jones is the founder of the organization Green For All, which believes that the transition to a “green” economy also can help combat poverty by bringing employment to poor regions of the U.S.
His appointment signals that the Obama White House shares the Green For All vision that “the national effort to curb global warming and oil dependence can simultaneously create good jobs, safer streets and healthier communities.”
Follow the jump for the rest of the article and photos of Van Jones during his visit to Santa Cruz.
According to Sustainablebusiness.com, a website which provides news on sustainable business and investment, Jones’ responsibilities as Special Adviser on Green Jobs for the CEQ will include “helping to shape and implement job-generating climate policy; working to ensure equal protection and equal opportunity in the administration’s climate and energy proposals; and publicly advocating the administration’s environmental and energy agenda.”
Second-year environmental studies student Mackenzie Moen appeared enthusiastic when asked about Jones’s appointment. “I’m excited to have someone who is so environmentally conscious,” Moen said.
Sources:
Van Jones Joins Obama Team [Sustainablebusiness.com]
