Panelists talk jobs, economy and environment at CWA

Four experts from across the country came together at the Conference on World Affairs Friday morning to discuss “green jobs” and what the economy could look like in the coming years.

Jimmie Moore, a judge with the Philadelphia Municipal Court, says he sees a green economy as a “triple win” situation, addressing a need for jobs, care for the environment and dwindling natural resources. Moore told how he was troubled when a man he had sentenced to prison later approached Moore, saying he wanted to “go clean” but couldn’t find work.

“I had the ability to incarcerate someone,” he said, “but I did not have the ability to say, ‘Go to 1234 Market St. [for work].”

Moore now works to improve policies and programs to help individuals with limited opportunities, and serves as a mentor for the Green For All Incubator Program, which works to foster a clean energy economy and provide job opportunities for impoverished Americans.

Andrew Butcher, co-founder and CEO of Growth Through Energy & Community Health, addressed the fact that shifting to a “green” economy is “really hard.” The workforce development is different, the business models are more distributed and the focus on local materials makes the traditional large-scale corporate model untenable.

Andrea Moffat is vice president of the corporate program at Ceres, an organization that works with companies and investors to address sustainability issues. She spoke of the need for accountability at businesses and corporations. She helped developed 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap to Sustainability, a guide for companies of all sizes to develop comprehensive sustainability policies.

The final speaker, Jayni Chase, spoke of the challenges of educating students, from kindergarteners to the high school crowd. Currently she is spearheading two green-school initiatives, GREEN Community Schools, and Energy Efficient Schools, in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation and Serious Materials Inc. According to Chase, schools need to do a better job of teaching students to “live in the world,” and instilling in them a sense of environmental activism.

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