Report: Invest in Broadband to Go Green, Overcome Digital Divide
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To build a green economy, we must also invest in broadband and overcome the growing digital divide in our society, according to a new report. “Networking the Green Economy: How Broadband & Related Technologies Can Build a Green Economic Future” calls for new communication technologies to make our energy-hungry economy more sustainable and energy-efficient.
By transforming the way people and businesses use technology, the United States can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 20 percent by 2020–and potentially see gross energy and fuel savings of $2 trillion over the next two decades, the report says.
The Communications Workers of America’s (CWA) Speed Matters project, along with the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Sierra Club and the Blue Green Alliance jointly released the report today.
Specifically, the report calls for increasing grid efficiency through real-time monitoring, automation and self-healing capabilities, allowing various building systems to communicate with each other through smart technologies and extending communication technologies, such as broadband, to everyone.
Click here to read the full report.
BlueGreen Alliance, Apollo Alliance Merge To Strengthen Push for Green Jobs
The BlueGreen Alliance and Apollo Alliance today announced a merger to strengthen and unify the movement to build a clean energy, good jobs economy to fuel U.S. job creation. The newly unified organization will call on Washington to focus anew on creating good jobs, securing America’s energy future and preserving the environment for future generations.
Beginning July 1, the two organizations will combine to become the BlueGreen Alliance, which will be home to the Apollo Alliance project. United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard and Sierra Club Chair Carl Pope will continue as co-chairs, and David Foster will continue as executive director.
Earlier this year, the BlueGreen Alliance launched Jobs21!, a nine-state grassroots campaign calling for a national jobs plan to put America back to work building the industries of the 21st century here in the United States. This initiative will be strengthened through coordination with the Apollo Alliance’s strong network of state and local affiliates–now dubbed BlueGreen Apollo Alliances. It will also be enhanced by Apollo’s recently-launched Clean Transportation Manufacturing Action Plan (TMAP) project that calls for federal investment in clean transportation that will create 3.7 million direct and indirect jobs over six years and will save Americans up to $5,000 per family each year in commuting costs.
Report: Romania Beats U.S. in Internet Connection Speed
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Just as the interstate highway system opened up the nation to fast transportation of goods and services in the 20th century, the road to economic prosperity in the 21st century rides on the Internet highway. But nearly half (49 percent) of U.S. residents have Internet connection speeds that do not meet the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) minimum broadband standards and, more importantly, the United States overall ranks in the bottom half of the world in broadband speed.
The “2010 Report of Internet Speeds in All 50 States” released today by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) found there are wide areas of the nation, both rural and urban, that do not have any broadband access at all. We even trail countries like Romania in broadband speed.
CWA President Larry Cohen told a Washington, D.C., press conference:
Improving broadband deployment, connection speeds, and adoption will help facilitate job and business growth across the nation.
The report shows that the rate of increase in U.S. Internet connection speed is so slow, it will take the United States 60 years to catch up with current Internet speeds in South Korea, the country with the fastest Internet connections.
Trade Commission Orders Duties on Paper Imports
The Obama administration today continued to support American workers by deciding to apply tariffs to subsidized and dumped coated paper imports from China and Indonesia.
The unanimous vote by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) clears the way for the U.S. Department of Commerce to immediately impose antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of coated paper from these countries.
United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo Gerard said the vote was a “strong confirmation” of the injuries suffered by American paper makers and workers.
Trade laws between nations must be enforced with government fact finding and the power to defend jobs and industries with strong tariff penalties for import violations.
UAW Joins Blue Green Alliance
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Citing its commitment to energy-efficient transportation, the UAW today announced it’s joining the Blue Green Alliance. The Blue Green Alliance is a partnership among nine unions and two major environmental groups dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy.
The Alliance last week launched “The Job’s Not Done Tour,” a three-week, 17-state, 30-city bus tour to remind lawmakers that Congress has stalled on legislation to create and save millions of jobs across the country through a clean energy economy. The tour began Aug. 16 in Los Angeles and will end Sept. 3 in Richmond, Va. For more information and a tour schedule on the bus tour, click here.
In addition to the UAW, members of the Alliance include AFT, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Communications Workers of America (CWA), Laborers (LIUNA), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), SEIU, Sierra Club, Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA), UAW, United Steelworkers (USW) and the Utility Workers (UWUA).
Union Workers Skilled for Clean Energy Jobs
Clean energy manufacturing jobs are the future of the American economy and unions are in the forefront of the movement to make sure these jobs are good jobs.
Union members already have many of the skills in electrical, welding, plumbing and other trades to build clean energy resources that will be needed to move to a green economy.
Speaking at the 2010 “Good Jobs, Green Jobs” National Conference earlier this month,, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said:
Never before has the need been so urgent to produce clean energy, to use energy more efficiently, to prevent climate change and to protect our natural environment.
And not since the Great Depression have so many Americans needed new and better jobs with secure benefits and promising futures-jobs that can’t be off-shored, downsized or downgraded into temporary or part-time positions.
Trumka’s message is echoed in a new video produced by the Blue Green Alliance. The video, which was screened at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference, rebuts the argument that creating a clean energy economy will cost good jobs.
Still Time to Register for Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference
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There’s still time to register for the 2010 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference set for May 4-6, in Washington, D.C. Click here to register.
The conference brings together union members, environmentalists, business leaders, lawmakers and administration officials to map out the path to green economy that creates good jobs, reduces global warming and preserves America’s economic and environmental security.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) head up an impressive group of speakers, including AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka; United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo Gerard; Sierra Club Executive Director Carol Pope; Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council; George Miller, president of the American Institute of Architects; high-ranking Obama administration officials; and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter.
Register Now for Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference
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The 2010 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference is set for May 4-6, in Washington, D.C., and you can click here to register. The conference brings together union members, environmentalists, business leaders, elected and administration officials to map out the path to green economy that creates good jobs, reduces global warming and preserves America’s economic and environmental security.
United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo W. Gerard says the conference “comes at a pivotal time.”
America is working to build a green economy. Now, it’s time to ensure that we create good jobs that support our families and our communities—revitalizing the American economy and protecting the environment for future generations.
Report: New Communications Technology = Good, Green Jobs
New communication technologies can be a key part of making our economy more energy-efficient and help create good jobs in the future, according to a new report.
“Networking the Green Economy: How Broadband and Related Technologies Can Build a Green Economic Future,” illustrates how a highly-networked economy with smart buildings, smart grids, teleconferencing and digital education will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and retain good, green jobs. The report was released yesterday at a Capitol Hill press conference by the Progressive States Network, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Sierra Club and the Blue Green Alliance. You can read the report here.
Speaking at the press conference, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming said the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) much anticipated National Broadband Plan could be a key part of an economic recovery.
Clean Energy Could Create 850,000 New Jobs
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With more than 2 million U.S. manufacturing jobs lost since the beginning of this recession in December 2007, a new report says developing a clean energy economy in the United States could create some 850,000 new manufacturing jobs.
The report, “Building the Clean Energy Assembly Line: How Renewable Energy Can Revitalize U.S. Manufacturing and the American Middle Class,” by the Blue Green Alliance, recommends major policy changes to build markets for clean energy and provide the financing and capacity building to create clean energy jobs.
Speaking at a telephone press conference today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said federal policies gave a boost to the auto, medical and other industries, and they can do the same for clean energy.
Clean energy can revitalize U.S. manufacturing. Clean energy technology utilizes many of the same components manufactured for the auto industry. Done right, clean energy policy will create new demand for…manufacturing.
