Go Green & Buy American Made Christmas Tree

"It's no secret that employers and workers alike are facing the worst economy since the Great Depression," said Kimberly Freeman Brown, Executive Director of American Rights at Work Education Fund. "But innovative businesses across the country are proving how the clean energy economy can give all workers a shot at the American Dream.  The companies and union employees featured in our report are leading the way toward a sustainable economy in which businesses thrive, the planet prospers, and workers share in the success they help create."

Bechtel Construction Company and two labor organizations today announced an agreement for the construction of BrightSource Energy's Ivanpah Solar Electricity Generating System, a 440-megawatt solar power facility in southeastern California.

Under the Project Labor Agreement (PLA), the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California (SBCTC), and the Building & Construction Trades Council of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties will provide qualified, skilled craft workers to BrightSource's Ivanpah project, and Bechtel will provide fair wages, fringe benefits, and working conditions for all craft workers.

The State of Missouri has been awarded a $6 million Recovery Act Grant to create two new Green Energy Sector training programs that will focus on veterans.

“I want to congratulate Governor Nixon and his staff at the Missouri Division of Workforce Development for winning this Recovery Act Grant to help veterans train to compete in the 21st Century Green Economy,” said Congressman William Lacy Clay. “I am proud to support their efforts to create training and job opportunities for veterans in solar, wind and geothermal energy. I ’m also very pleased that this ARRA grant will allow Missouri’s Heat and Frost Insulators & Allied Workers Unions to greatly expand the capacity of their apprenticeship programs to help veterans and displaced workers train for clean energy jobs.”

The overall green building market (both non-residential and residential) is likely to more than double from today’s $36-49 billion to $96-140 billion by 2013

The value of green building construction is projected to increase to $60 billion by 2010

The construction market accounts for 13.4% of the $13.2 trillion U.S. GDP

With today’s world more eco-friendly than ever, there are countless ways to get a handle on reducing those pesky carbon footprints.