I wrote back in January about how more private sector jobs had been created in 2010 than in Bush’s entire 8 years in office. I think this was a significant accomplishment. But there were and are a number of things hindering continued growth, some more complicated than others. But knowing how American voters vote (i.e. (more…)

“We the undersigned residents of the District of Columbia urge our City Council to pass the Distributed Generation Amendment Act of 2011 to help put more solar on the rooftops of our home city. Let’s build DC solar to create jobs, grow DC businesses and protect the environment.” (more…)

Since the Department of Transportation announced the availability of an additional $2.4 billion for high-speed rail projects last month, governors and members of Congress from both major parties have been clamoring for the opportunity to participate.

As of our Monday deadline, we received (more…)

Europe has a challenge ahead, in terms of renewable energy targets. The UK government has signed up to a commitment which states that by 2020, 15% of energy production will come from renewable sources. Quite a target for any government to achieve, but in a climate where purse strings are being tightened, this challenge is ever more complex. However, the UK (more…)

How great is it when one good thing creates a bunch of other good things? According to national averages provided by the American Wind Energy Association, the 201-megawatt Nobles Wind Farm in southeastern Minnesota created approximately:

• 200 construction jobs (more…)

For generations, getting a job in Central Appalachia has almost always translated into “going into the mines.” The coal industry has dominated the economies in West Virginia, Kentucky, and parts of Ohio for 150 years. While that hasn’t changed completely, a young organization has dedicated itself to keeping the region’s economy tied to energy production—but (more…)

Imagine the last time you took a trip between two American cities.  Maybe you had to wait in line at a crowded airport; maybe you spent hours in traffic in a car or a bus.  Or maybe you made the trip on a train that had to slow down over and over because it was running on outdated tracks.

Now think about the fact that over the next (more…)

No one would disagree that this is a good time to be in the energy efficiency business. Another report, this one out last week, signals just how good.

Conducted by Comverge, the survey of more than 100 US utilities found that 92% plan to increase their efficiency budgets by at least 10% in 2011. Comverge also found (more…)

Last month, The Economist told us that changes on the scale necessary to prevent even a two-degree rise in global temperatures are a “wishful dream.”  The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2007 Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability concluded that the poorest regions in the world were going to suffer the most.  And as the world keeps (more…)

You know about white- and blue-collar workers, but now there is a new color to add to the spectrum – green collar workers. Green collar jobs are a bit like blue collar jobs, except there is the intent to improve the environment. Van Jones, award winning human rights advocate, saw the opportunity that a clean energy economy would create for the blue collar workforce, and (more…)