This event is being sponsored by Sustainable Williamson, one of the presenters on the Building a Sustainable Future for the West Virginia Coalfields workshop. RSVP, or learn more, here.

Sustainable Williamson is an effort to diversify the economies of coal-dependent Central Appalachian communities through an emphasis on sustainable economic development. Core components include market-based initiatives promoting rural health and wellness, local food systems, sustainable tourism, integrated education, sustainable building/construction, and energy optimization.

On Thursday, April 18, leaders from the Williamson community will be holding a panel presentation and fundraising event at Cause DC to discuss their efforts and how you can get involved. This event will be a convergence of liberals, conservatives, independents, libertarians and many others across the political spectrum in support of our Collaboration Across the Nation campaign.

This blog is by Joel S. Yudken, Ph.D., High Road Strategies, LLC.

The American biofuels industry is getting a boost from an unexpected place — the U.S. military. Primarily for national security reasons, the military wants to source renewable fuels from within the country. As a huge fuel user, the military’s demand for renewable fuels means it could drive the growth of an entire industry.

The military renewable fuels program will be featured in a panel on the Economic and Environmental Benefits of Advanced Biofuels, organized by High Road Strategies, LLC and Environmental Entrepreneurs — a non-partisan national community of business people promoting environmentally smart policy — for the upcoming Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference in April. The panel is scheduled for 2:40 pm, Wednesday, April 17. It will bring together representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the biofuels industry, environmental advocates, and economic experts to discuss how we can make money and create jobs through the use of advanced biofuels.

The following blog, by Carol Zabin, Research Director for the Berkely, Center for Labor Research & Education, is cross-posted from the Berkely Blog. Carole will be discussing these issues on the “Building Entry-Level Career Opportunities at a Greening Utility” workshop on April 17 at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference.

It’s time for California, long a leader in green energy investment, to take another big step forward on the environment and job creation.

When Californians passed Proposition 39 last year, they voted for more carbon reduction, school improvements and jobs – all through a five-year, $2.5 billion program using revenues from newly closed tax loopholes to pay for investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Now state policymakers are making critical decisions as they craft the guidelines for this massive new investment.

School facilities are the primary target of Proposition 39 retrofitting efforts. But if the measure is going to deliver on its promises of carbon reduction, healthier schools and neighborhoods, long-term career opportunities and a timely economic boost for communities that need it the most, the proposition needs to be implemented right.

This blog is by Jamie Silberberger McConnell, Director of Programs and Policy for Women's Voices for the Earth and National Coordinator of the National Healthy Nail and Beauty Salon Alliance. For more on Women's Voices of the Earth, find them on Twitter and Facebook.

Salon workers dedicate their lives to making their clients look good, but there is an ugly side to this industry. Many chemicals used in salon products pose serious risks to workers’ health. On a daily basis and often for long periods of time, salon workers are exposed to chemicals such as formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, methyl methacrylate (MMA) and many other chemicals that are used in dyes, glues, polishes, straighteners, acrylic nails and other salon products. Many of these chemicals are linked to cancer, allergies, respiratory, neurological and reproductive harm.

This is especially troubling considering the demographics of the industry — women make up 96 percent of the industry’s workforce and most are of reproductive age, making them more vulnerable to chemical exposure. Almost 42 percent of nail salon workers are Asian immigrants who have limited access to health and safety information in their primary language.

This blog is by Camille Grant, Environmental and Climate Justice Fellow for the NAACP. They can also be found on Twitter or Facebook.

The emerging green economy is largely framed as centering on advancing energy efficiency and “clean” energy initiatives. As this new field expands, we, as black communities, must be in a position to steer focus and practices to ensure that new developments fully incorporate a civil and human rights lens. We must also view this as an opportunity to address economic inequities. Furthermore, we must make certain that our black communities are involved at every step of the green economy sector - from legislation to implementation in local communities.

The Bridging the Gap: Connecting Black Communities to the Green Economy event on April 15, 2013 is an NAACP hosted pre-conference being held in advance of the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference on April 16- April 18, 2013 at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Bridging the Gap is a full-day conference geared toward solution-focused discussions to advance justice based energy policies and practices with engagement and leadership from black communities.

This blog is by Jackie Ostfeld, Outdoors Policy Manager for the Sierra Club. The Sierra Clubs Mission Outdoors program can be found on Twitter @SierraClubMO and Jackie is @JackieOstfeld.

Think fast — which industry provides more jobs for America: the outdoor recreation economy or the oil and gas sector? Answer: the outdoor recreation economy, and by a huge margin.

An oft-overlooked economic driver, protecting and connecting people with the great outdoors supports 6.1 million jobs right here in America, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. In fact, in 2011 our National Parks alone generated $30.1 billion in economic activity, contributing 252,000 jobs to the American workforce. Outdoor recreation bankrolls more jobs than a host of economic behemoths like oil and gas (2.1 million jobs), information (2.5 million jobs), transportation and warehousing (4.3 million jobs) and construction (5.5 million jobs). Supporting these outdoor recreation jobs (not to mention the additional $80 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue that they generate) is consumer spending to the tune of $646 billion each year.

Unfortunately, we may not be adequately preparing the next generation of job seekers to participate in the outdoor economy, which has seen steady five percent growth since 2005. Today’s children are spending less time exploring and enjoying the great outdoors than their parents did just a generation ago. Young people are using most of their free time on increasingly sedentary and indoor activities. For instance, youth spend more than seven hours a day on electronic media. And it’s not their fault, they have nowhere to go. One in five kids cannot even access close-to-home outdoor spaces because they do not have safe parks or playgrounds nearby.

We are pleased to announce the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation is partnering with the United Steelworkers Tony Mazzochi Center for Health, Safety and Environmental Education to offer a set of skills building workshops at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference in Washington D.C. April 16-18 that will arm workers with knowledge they need to make safer and healthier workplaces.

We are proud to have sponsors for the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference ranging from large, multi-national corporations to small start-ups. All of these organizations and business have recognized our conference as an important resource and networking tool, and we are exciting to hear when they have taking a new step to be more sustainable and profitable.

That is why we wanted to share the news that International Paper joined the Global Forest & Trade Network in North America, one of World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s initiatives focused on eliminating illegal logging and promoting environmentally and socially responsible forest management.

This blog is by John Guevarra, Research and Policy Analyst for Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE). Learn more about LAANE’s recycling campaign here. LAANE is a convener of the 2013 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference. Learn how to add your organization’s name to the — at no cost — here.

Picture this moment at last year’s Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference in Los Angeles: Several hundred environmentalists, union members, and green jobs advocates rallying on behalf of green jobs at a recycling facility in a heavy industrial area. The crowd — some donned in business casual, others in reflective vests, and many in union t-shirts— held signs that read “Fight for Recycling Workers!” while rallying in support of the workers’ right to fair treatment and safe conditions.  

In an industry that is deemed one of the “most dangerous industries in the nation” by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and with injury and fatality rates higher than police and firefighters, the workers at this facility appreciated every bit of our support.

The line-up for Good Jobs, Green Jobs 2013 — April 16-18 in Washington, D.C. — just keeps getting better and better. Today, we’re proud to announce AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten will keynote the 2013 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference.

Since being elected President of the AFL-CIO in 2009, Richard Trumka has been at the forefront of the battle to ensure that American working people aren’t left behind and that the jobs we create now and in the future are good jobs that can support families.

Randi Weingarten is president of the 1.5 million-member American Federation of Teachers. She and the members of her union are leading the effort to green our schools to save energy, reduce carbon emissions, and ensure that students have a safe and healthy learning environment.