Red, Green, and Blue

Few people have been able to inspire the kind of critical thinking and political action considered a necessary component of “success” in the modern environmental movement. But if you were to make a list of those few, Van Jones would definitely be on it.

The environmental movement has never spoken with one voice and that will likely remain the case for the foreseeable future. That said, the environmental movement shouldn’t speak with one voice, it should speak with a diversity of them, and Van Jones’ new book, The Green Collar Economy—published by Harper One and released on October 7—does just that.

What Van Jones does that makes his message different, is that he makes linkages between the “traditional” environmental movement, and the issues of economic development, urban sustainability, and quality of life issues that have often been overlooked. Mainstream environmentalism has been perceived largely as an endeavor undertaken by affluent white folks. But Van Jones is blowing that whole concept out of the water by arguing that environmentalism isn’t just about open space preservation, driving a Prius, and eating organically.

As Jones recently wrote at HuffPo:

“Rather than giving platinum parachutes to those who wrecked the economy, let’s throw a green lifeline to the ordinary people who want to rebuild it. We can’t drill and burn our way out of our present mess. But we can invent and invest our way out.

Our present economy is based on consumption, debt and environmental destruction. The next U.S. economy should be based on production, smart savings and environmental restoration. You can’t have a stable economy based on unregulated greed at the top. But you can have one based on unleashing green, at the bottom.”

Green Options’ founder, David Anderson, wrote a spirited post last week outlining the reasons why Van Jones should be Obama’s “Secretary of Prosperity.” And I don’t think he’s that wide of the mark with this clarion call. Just as some argue that we should have a Department of Peace, or a Department of the Environment, is it too pie-in-the-sky to argue that we should have a Department of Prosperity that can make the linkages between energy, economy, and the environment?

As we witness a reconfiguring the progressive movement, with some of the strongest contingencies in that movement joining forces to push forward a progressive clean energy agenda, we need leaders and critical thinkers that can help us in the cause—and Van Jones will undoubtedly be one of those leaders.

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