Issue #13: January 2011
Green Jobs
Green Jobs Overview
The first step in discussing “green jobs”, is to define what we mean. According to Green For All, a national organization focused on building an “inclusive green economy”: “Green-collar jobs… are well-paid, career track jobs that contribute directly to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. Like traditional blue-collar jobs, green-collar jobs range . . . [Read more...]
Green Jobs: Turning a Corner, Moving Forward
Two-action packed days. That’s the best way to describe the Compass VII Conference on Green Jobs on Oct. 8-9, sponsored by Tennessee Alliance for Progress. Approximately 150 people participated in the Conference, which included a Friday strategy session and a Friday night reception at LeQuire Gallery. Saturday events included . . . [Read more...]
Legislator Calls for Making Sustainability a Non-Partisan Issue
When Tennessee State Representative Mike Stewart addressed the Tennessee Alliance for Progress’s Green Jobs meeting at Nashville’s East Community Center on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, he pointed out that Tennessee’s new political climate calls for a change in strategy for passing “Green” legislation, such as the Tennessee Green Jobs Act, which recently failed on a party-line vote. The Act would have coordinated existing research and apprenticeship programs and directed them toward sustainable development projects and regions of high unemployment, as well as create job and . . . [Read more...]
From the Bioregion
Cumberland Bioregional Council: Jan 28–30
You are cordially invited to the winter gathering of the Cumberland-Green (River) Bioregional Council, which will take place in Nashville from the 28th through the 30th of January. The theme of this year's gathering is “Seeing the Light In Dark Times,” reflecting our commitment to, as Gandhi put it, “being the change we want to see,” in spite of economic downturns and political right turns. . . . [Read more...]
Short-Term Gain, Long-Term Pain
As you drive into Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, you are greeted by a sign that welcomes you to "The Phosphate Capital of the World." Mt. Pleasant is no longer a mining town, but many of the effects remain, and they are not exactly tourist-friendly. The city tried to become tourist-friendly by replacing the failing hardware, clothing, and appliance stores . . . [Read more...]
Green Transportation
The Electric Car Revolution Is Here Now!
GM's Volt, Nissan's LEAF, and other electric vehicles are expected on the market in the coming months, and about two dozen more will arrive in the next few years. The Chevy Volt and Nissan LEAF will come with warranties of 100,000 miles or eight years. Worries about limited driving range are also being addressed. Engineers are making steady advances in Lithium Ion battery technology. The next wave of plug-in cars . . . [Read more...]
On the Lighter Side
Sustainable Undertakings: What's a Body To Do?
For a comprehensive and understandable summary of Tennessee’s funeral laws, a web search of “Tennessee Funeral Laws” will turn up a FAQ section on the Hamilton County website. Briefly, there is no law saying that one has to use the services of a funeral home or obtain a burial vault or casket. If a body is embalmed, however, it must be done by a licensed embalmer. Family or loved ones may claim a body and prepare it themselves if . . . [Read more...]