Green For All is an organization that aims to create a green economy while helping people escape poverty. The group is based in Washington, D.C. It brings together unions and environmentalists to work on efforts to reduce poverty and build a clean energy economy. Green For All was co-founded by Van Jones, who was the former head of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and Majora Carter, who was the former head of Sustainable South Bronx. The organization was officially launched in September 2007 at the Clinton Global Initiative.
History
Green For All was started together by Van Jones and Majora Carter after they became worried about problems like poverty, crime, and the lack of a strong system for "green" jobs. Instead of dealing with each problem alone, Jones chose to bring them together into one plan and business model. The group began in September 2007 at the Clinton Global Initiative, where Jones announced Green for All's goal to raise one billion dollars by 2012 to help 250,000 people in the United States escape poverty through "green pathways." Jones also said the Ella Baker Center would keep working on a "Green-Collar Jobs Campaign" in California.
A key part of Green For All’s work is creating job security.
According to a March 26, 2008, news report from United Press International (UPI), the number of green-collar jobs in the United States is increasing and could reach more than 14 million people by 2017. While it is hard to define exactly what a green-collar job is, the American Solar Energy Society estimated there are about 8.5 million U.S. jobs connected to Earth-friendly businesses and renewable energy. Jerome Ringo of the Apollo Alliance said this number could grow by 5 million more over the next 10 years.
Green For All and other green-energy companies have received more attention from major news sources like the New York Times, USA Today, Business Week, and The Nation. This shows that the growth mentioned by UPI is becoming more noticeable in the public sector.
In an interview on CNN on April 21, 2016, hours after the musician Prince’s death, Van Jones shared that Prince had helped fund Green for All without others knowing.
In January 2020, Green for All, along with other environmental groups and individuals, asked a Boston-area transit agency to switch to electric buses and promise to use only electric buses by 2030.