Meet Jerome Ringo

Jerome Ringo is a dedicated champion of environmental justice and vocal advocate of clean energy. He has first hand experience with environmental challenges we are face after having worked for more than 20 years in Louisiana’s petrochemical industry. Jerome spent most of his career as an active union member working with his fellow members to secure a safe work environment and quality jobs. Louisiana’s petrochemical industry focuses on the production of gasoline, rocket fuel, and plastics – many of which contain cancer causing chemicals. As he began observing the negative impacts of the industry’s pollution on local communities, primarily poor, minority communities , Ringo began organizing community environmental justice groups.

Jerome’s experience organizing environmental and labor communities and his drive to further diversify the environmental movement bridges many partners creating a broad based coalition that provides real solutions for our energy crisis. Ebony Magazine named Jerome Ringo one of the most influential African Americans for 2006 in its April issue. Ebony Magazine is one of the oldest and most successful African American magazines, with over 1.6 million readers. Jerome Ringo was also highlighted in the May issue of Urban Influence Magazine as one of the Top Ten African American Influences in the country. Jerome is a member of the Green Group, a member of Newsweek’s Environment and Leadership Council, and serves as an official advisor to the Sundance Channel’s “The Green.” In 2007, Ringo was invited to serve on the National Parks and Conservation Association board.

In 1996, Ringo was elected to serve on the National Wildlife Federation board of directors and, in 2005, Jerome became the Chair of the board. In so doing, he also became the first African-American to head a major conservation organization. Jerome is now the Immediate Past Chairman for the National Wildlife Federation. Jerome Ringo was the United States’ only black delegate at the 1998 Global Warming Treaty Negotiations in Kyoto, Japan. In addition to being present during Kyoto Treaty Negotiations, Ringo represented the National Wildlife Federation at the United Nations' conference on sustainable development in 1999.

Jerome serves as president of the Apollo Alliance, whose member organizations represent more than 17 million people across the country and has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO and 22 international labor unions. The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of labor, environmental, national security, civil rights and business leaders fighting to make America independent from foreign energy in 10 years. The Apollo Alliance is a broad coalition of major national environmental organizations, more than 50 businesses, and the support of more than 100 organizations in the nation’s states and cities.

To learn more click here

Meet Carolyn Finney

Carolyn Finney is currently serving as Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. Along with her academic duties, she works with the Center for Whole Communities in Vermont to develop curriculum and facilitate the creation of workshops with other environmental professionals. She also works with Second Century National Parks Commission to address the educational role of national parks in the 21st century. Lastly, she is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and serves on a board appointed committee on the Public Understanding of Science and Technology (COPUST).

Ms Finney's research interests include the participation of African Americans in the environmental debate, the development of greater cultural competency within environmental organizations and institutions, the representation of African Americans in environmental media, and the role of African Americans in influencing environmental policies.

She is currently working on her first book. For more information click here

Meet Van Jones

Van Jones is founder of Green For All and a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress. He is also a TIME Magazine 2008 Environmental Hero, one of Fast Company’s 12 Most Creative Minds of 2008, and the New York Times Bestselling author of The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Solve Our Two Biggest Problems (Harper One 2008), which is endorsed by Nancy Pelosi, Tom Daschle and Al Gore. Green For All is a U.S. organization that promotes green-collar jobs and opportunities for the disadvantaged. Its mission is to build an inclusive, green economy - strong enough to resolve the ecological crisis and lift millions of people out of poverty. A 1993 Yale Law graduate, Van is a husband and the father of two small boys. He is a tireless advocate, committed to creating "green pathways out of poverty" and greatly expanding the coalition fighting global warming.

Awards & Honors

In 2008, Van was awarded: one of Essence Magazine’s “Influential/Inspiring African Americans of 2008”; the Puffin/Nation prize for "Creative Citizenship"; the Elle Magazine “Green Award 2008”; selection as one of the George Lucas Foundation's "Daring Dozen 2008”; Hunt Alternatives “Prime Mover Award 2008”; Campaign for America's Future "Paul Wellstone Award 2008”; Global Green USA "Community Environmental Leadership Award 2008”; designation as one of the nation’s “Plenty 20” in the October/November 2008 edition of Plenty Magazine; San Francisco Foundation “Community Leadership Award 2008”; Environment News Feed’s “2008 Top Eco-entrepreneur of the Year”; in 2008, and one of the 20 Hottest Influences in the National Urban League’s Urban Influence Magazine. Earlier in his career, Van was also awarded: the 1998 Reebok International “Human Rights Award”; the International Ashoka Fellowship; selection as a World Economic Forum "Young Global Leader"; and the Rockefeller Foundation "Next Generation Leadership" Fellowship.
In 2008, Tom Friedman profiled Van in his bestselling book, Hot, Flat & Crowded. Also in 2008, Wilford Welch featured him in the book Tactics of Hope, and Joel Makower highlighted Van’s ideas in the book Strategies for the Green Economy.

A 'Green Jobs' Pioneer - Globally & Nationally

In 2005, Van produced the “social equity track” for the United Nations’ World Environment Day 2005 summit, which was themed “Green Cities: Plan for the Planet.” As a result of Van’s advocacy, the resulting Accords called upon the world’s mayors to: “Adopt a policy or implement a program that creates environmentally beneficial jobs in slums and/or low-income neighborhoods.” The adoption of these accords marked the beginning of the global movement for “green jobs.” In 2007, Van helped the City of Oakland pass a "Green Jobs Corps" proposal. The City allocated funds to train Oakland residents in eco-friendly "green-collar jobs." At the national level, Van worked successfully in 2007 with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), U.S. Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) to pass the Green Jobs Act of 2007. That path-breaking, historic legislation authorized $125 million in funding to train 35,000 people a year in "green-collar jobs." In 2008, Green for All partnered with the Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection to launch the Green For All Academy. The Academy trains U.S. grassroots leaders to effectively advocate for an inclusive, green economy. Also starting in 2008, Van began serving on the Committee to Engage African Americans in Climate Change, sponsored by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. On September 27, 2008, Green For All worked with national partners to produce “Green Jobs Now” – the first-ever “national day of action” calling for green-collar jobs in the United States. More than 600 communities in all 50 states participated, with more than 50,000 signing a petition that called for federal government action to spur green jobs.

(Serially) Successful Social Entrepreneur

In 1996, Van co-founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, which advocates for juvenile justice reform, police reform, youth violence prevention and green-collar jobs. The Center’s “Books Not Bars” campaign has successfully blocked construction of a super-jail for youth, closed two abusive youth prisons and helped to reduce California’s youth prison population by 30 percent.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Van co-founded Color Of Change with James Rucker. Boasting 400,000 members, Color of Change has become the nation’s biggest online advocacy organization that focuses on African-American issues. Van is also a co-founder of a new national coalition that promotes the idea of a national "Clean Energy Jobs Corps." This multi-billion-dollar federal initiative would put hundreds of thousands of people to work rewiring and retrofitting the energy infrastructure of the United States.
Additionally, Van is a founding board member of the National Apollo Alliance and 1Sky, two national organizations promoting clean energy jobs and climate solutions.

National Media Appearances

Van’s efforts have received attention from prominent news sources. In 2008, he appeared on CNN’s “Feature #1,” FOX News “Your World With Neil Cavuto,” NPR’s Living On Earth and Steven Colbert’s “The Colbert Report.” Van has also been featured in Good Magazine, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, and many online blogs. A proud native of Jackson, Tennessee, Van Jones, 40, is proud to champion some of the most hopeful solutions to America's toughest challenges.

Learn more at greenforall.org.