Bradley-Burns Champions Green Jobs During Lunch Keynote

Melissa Bradley-Burns considers green jobs to be tools to rebuild communities, and she’s pursuing this mission with the nonprofit group Green for All.

“We truly see green jobs as an opportunity to lift people out of poverty,” said Bradley-Burns, Tuesday’s lunch keynote speaker at the SJF Summit on the New Green Economy.

Green jobs – which she said should be solid-paying opportunities – should be created in areas with minorities like African-Americans and Native Americans, as well as areas such as Appalachia.  She said these are the areas that need community investment.

Bradley-Burns, who works for Green for All’s capital access initiative, said the current administration is funneling unprecedented resources into sustainable employment opportunities.

“Obama’s stimulus package is the best down payment on creating a new green economy,” she said. “I’m not going to leave this money sitting on the table.”

She encouraged attendees to reach out to new partners.  For example, Bradley-Burns, who spent time in the business world, said she is currently collaborating with two labor unions, the AFL-CIO and the SEIU.

“For us, the opportunities are tremendous,” she said. “This is our time.  Clean energy does mean good-paying jobs.”

For more information on Green for All, visit www.greenforall.org.