Our podcast this week features State Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-York), the prime sponsor of the Clean Energy and Green Jobs bill (now HB 2405), talking about the need for the legislation at PennFuture’s Clean Energy breakfast, held in York earlier this year. This bill is a major piece of unfinished business for the General Assembly to attend to when the members return in September.

The legislation will help Pennsylvania regain its leadership in the 21st Century green energy economy, by increasing the amount of clean energy – especially solar and wind power – that our utilities must include in our electricity mix. This bill expands and extends our groundbreaking 2004 Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, which has already created thousands of great green jobs and attracted billions in private investment. This bill will also save Pennsylvania families and businesses more than $2 billion.

Urge your legislator to make passage of the Clean Energy and Green Jobs bill a top priority for the fall. We can’t let the green economy pass us by.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvania's environment and economy. Isn't it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications. And remember, you won’t miss any podcasts if you subscribe to them through iTunes.

This podcast features a press conference held by State Representative Chelsa Wagner (D-Allegheny) to discuss the Green Workforce Training Act (HB 1550). Rep. Wagner, along with 33 House co-sponsors and local leaders, are pushing for passage of the bill, which would create a program to train workers in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. A companion bill, SB 21, has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Shirley Kitchen (D-Philadelphia).

Passing this legislation would be a great win for both our economy and environment. It would build the green economy and train workers to meet the need to fix our homes and businesses so that we use energy smarter. Every year for at least five years, $5 million would go to training programs, with veterans, unemployed workers, those displaced from old economy industries, low income and formerly incarcerated and rehabilitated people. 

Among those joining Representative Wagner at the press conference were Dewitt Walton, A. Philip Randolph Institute/United Steelworkers, coordinator of Breaking the Chains of Poverty Program and Richard Morris, Bedford Hope Center.

PennFuture works every day to make a difference for Pennsylvania’s environment and economy. Isn’t it time to join us and make a difference yourself? Go to our secure website to join PennFuture, and make sure you sign up for our publications.

And remember, you can make sure you don't miss any podcasts by subscribing to them through iTunes.

After a delay of a few weeks, this week’s podcast is the third and final part of Recovery Act 101, a free forum held on May 11 in Philadelphia, targeting small businesses, discussing the top things businesses need to do to compete for funding for green initiatives in the federal stimulus package.

Led by David C. Dickson, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, this podcast features a terrific group of experts who guide the audience through exactly how to get a part of the stimulus money, and grow green jobs.

If you aren't already a member of PennFuture, what are you waiting for? PennFuture was called the state's "leading environmental advocacy organization" by the Philadelphia Inquirer. So join the leader on our secure website, and sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you hear our podcasts first subscribing to them through iTunes.

This week’s podcast takes up where last week’s podcast left off, continuing the workshop with the third panelist, Fred Dedrick, Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development, continuing the discussion of opportunities for growing green jobs through the stimulus programs. Dedrick’s presentation is followed by a question and answer session moderated by Leanne Krueger-Braneky, executive director, of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, with answers coming from all three panelists: Dedrick, Mark Alan Hughes who, at the time of the workshop, was director of sustainability for Philadelphia, and David C. Dickson, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

You’ll then hear the nitty gritty about how the city of Philadelphia stands ready to help grow the green economy in a quick presentation by Kevin Dow, who at the time was Deputy Commerce Director, Office of Neighborhood and Business Services.

This podcast is the second in a three part series featuring Recovery Act 101, a free forum held on May 11 in Philadelphia, targeting small businesses, discussing the top things businesses need to do to compete for funding for green initiatives in the federal stimulus package.

Tune in for the third podcast next week.

If you aren't already a member of PennFuture, what are you waiting for? PennFuture was called the state's "leading environmental advocacy organization" by the Philadelphia Inquirer. So join the leader on our secure website, and sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you hear our podcasts first subscribing to them through iTunes.

This  podcast features the first of an ongoing series featuring Recovery Act 101, a free forum held on May 11 in Philadelphia, targeting small businesses, discussing the top things businesses need to do to compete for funding for green initiatives in the federal stimulus package.

The all-day workshop featured in this podcast was chaired by Leanne Krueger-Braneky, executive director, of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia. After a quick welcome and introduction by Dr. Stephen Curtis, president of the Community College of Philadelphia (where the workshop was held), Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter outlines what the city is doing with money from the stimulus package, and the real opportunities that are available to Philadelphia’s businesses and public interest groups. This podcast ends with two presentations from the morning panel by Mark Alan Hughes who, at the time of the workshop, was director of sustainability for Philadelphia, and David C. Dickson, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Stay tuned for more in this podcast series.

If you aren't already a member of PennFuture, what are you waiting for? PennFuture was called the state's "leading environmental advocacy organization" by the Philadelphia Inquirer. So join the leader on our secure website, and sign up for our publications. And remember, you can make sure you hear our podcasts first by going to iTunes and subscribing to them.

A host of environmental and labor groups, including PennFuture, helped release a report this week that is great news for green jobs and the 21st Century economy. Our podcast, courtesy of the Clean Air Council, is the teleconference held on Tuesday to present the data to Pennsylvania reporters.

The report, “Green Recovery – A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy,” was prepared by the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, commissioned by the Center for American Progress (CAP).

The report shows that two million new green jobs could be created in two years with significant investment in a low-carbon economy. The jobs would be created in the fields of energy efficiency, public transportation and rail, clean energy, biofuels and building a smart electric grid. Investing in green jobs would create four times as many jobs as spending an equivalent sum of money within the oil industry; reduce the unemployment rate from 5.7 percent to 4.4 percent; and bolster employment nationwide, especially in construction and manufacturing, according to the analysis.

The report shows that Pennsylvania is off to a great start in joining the green economy, but more should be done. Over 86,000 of the jobs would be created in Pennsylvania. These are family-sustaining good paying jobs with benefits that cannot be shipped overseas. The jobs would go a long way to restoring our manufacturing base and cleaning our air and water.

HB 2200 will help create these Great Green Jobs by infusing investment in energy saving technology and education in every area of the state. The bill would give Pennsylvania families and businesses the tools they need to use energy smarter and cut their electricity bills. The bill has already passed the House; it is vital that the Senate pass this legislation in the nine days left in the session.

Send an email today asking your State Senator to sign a pledge to pass HB 2200 without delay.

All eyes in Pennsylvania are beginning to turn towards green jobs, as we focus on the overwhelming need to combat global warming, cut back on energy costs, and provide new opportunities for working families statewide. Pittsburgh recently played host to the first national Blue/Green Alliance conference, this year entitled Good Jobs, Green Jobs. The conference began a national discussion between labor, environmental, industry, financial, and government leaders on the economic, health and security benefits that are being and will be realized through the growth in the clean, renewable energy field, energy efficiency retrofits and upgrades, green chemistry, and many other environmentally-responsible endeavors.

A pre-conference event organized by cityLIVE, a monthly forum showcasing intellectual talent in Pittsburgh, brought s few of those national leaders together with a young leader from Pittsburgh to bring the green jobs conversation to a broader audience. Armed with a balanced blend of viewpoints, the cityLIVE forum featured moderator Nathaniel Doyno, executive director of Steel City Biofuels; Donele Wilkins, executive director of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice; Dr. Jerry Paytas, director of research for the Economic Architecture practice of GSP Consulting; and David Foster, executive director of the Blue/Green Alliance, a strategic partnership between the United Steelworkers (USW) and the Sierra Club.

In this podcast, PennFuture's Alex Bard visits the Labor=Green forum, exploring with the presenters many of the principal concepts. You have an important role to play in the movement to bring thousands of great green jobs to Pennsylvania. Use PennFuture's Action Center to contact your state senator urging timely “yes�? votes on two critical pieces of legislation that will significantly change the way we make and use energy in Pennsylvania: SSHB1 and HB2200. Passing this legislation will lay the policy framework necessary to support new green pipelines and support industries, and consequently a brighter, more secure, and healthy future.

PennFuture invites your business, organization or group to sign on to the Great Green Jobs Campaign. Visit the links within our campaign headquarters to learn more, and become a leading force behind the green jobs movement by joining PennFuture as a member and supporter.

It’s time to turn a new leaf. In America today, we are on the cusp of a major paradigm shift encompassing how we think about the environment, the economy and the way that these important areas of our lives interact. In the clean energy, carbon-constrained future, economic stability and job stability will grow together as we change the way we use and make energy.

In Pennsylvania, there are two critical pieces of legislation currently in the state Senate that are essential to us making the shift. Special Energy Session House Bill 1 (SHB1, the clean energy funding bill) and House Bill 2200 (the energy savings bill) will position Pennsylvania as a leader in the field of renewable energy development, at the same time spurring thousands of new family-sustaining jobs.

To inspire this change, PennFuture has launched our Campaign for Great Green Jobs this week, together with dozens of businesses, community groups, faith-based organizations, and environmental/conservation groups. Passing this legislation as soon as possible will not only enable Pennsylvanians to begin to reap the energy savings benefits such as lower electricity bills, rebates for energy efficient appliances, and grants for solar energy, it will enable the Commonwealth to compete with neighboring states for thousands of outstanding new jobs. And it will begin to significantly curb our state's massive contribution to the crisis of global warming.

Citizen action is essential. Contact your state senator today, and tell them that you want a “yes�? vote on both SSHB1 and HB2200. Passing House Bill 2200 and Special Session House Bill 1 by the Senate would be a one-two punch against an economy sliding into recession, skyrocketing fuel prices and pollution.

Listen in to this week’s podcast, as John Hanger discusses the importance of the green economy and Pennsylvania’s clean energy future. PennFuture knows that a thriving economy depends on a healthy environment and healthy communities. Help us achieve this mission by joining us as a PennFuture member. Membership with PennFuture offers the opportunity to become a part of the solution to the challenges Pennsylvania is facing. Your voice counts: let it be heard loud and clear.