Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference Tweets

Courtesy of @gresourcesnews tweeting from the Feb. 8-9 conference

Leo Gerard, president of United Steelworkers, addressing Good Jobs, Green Jobs

United Steelworkers Gerard: 60% of school buildings in US more than 50 years old. New ones could be built to scientific standards

Frances Beinecke, president of Natural Resources Defense Council, addressing Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference

NRDC's Beinecke: Oil spill investigation showed that Federal regulation of offshore drilling had eroded over years

NRDC's Beinecke: oil addiction puts workers, oil supply and marine ecology at risk

NRDC's Beinecke: Clean energy is a global competition and the US is falling behind

NRDC's Beinecke: This year's battle is the Clean Air Act

Steelworkers Gerard: If US does not move forward with clean energy next level of R&D will be done somewhere else

EPA administrator Lisa Jackson addressing the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference. Gets boxing gloves as birthday present.
Her prepared remarks as posted on the EPA Website

EPA's Jackson: environmental regulations updates level the playing field

EPA's Jackson: Every $1 invested in energy efficiency will yield $2 in savings by 2020

EPA's Jackson: Innovation in environmental protection equipment will create new orders for US businesses

EPA's Jackson: Benefits of Clean Air Act have returned $40 in benefits for every $1 spent on compliance

EPA's Jackson: Chrysler committed to 1,000 new engineers to work on medium, compact cars

EPA's Jackson: US needs regulatory certainty. President Obama brought stakeholders together for a clean car policy

EPA's Jackson: Annual market for environmental products and services has been estimated at $700 billion

Gene Sperling of the National Economic Council addressing the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference

Nat. Econ Council's Sperling: Green tech loan program benefiting 4,000 firms

Nat. Econ Council's Sperling: 800,000 green jobs forecasted

Nat. Econ Council's Sperling: US has made 2% of world's batteries for cars. Forecasts that 5 years from now will make 40%

Nat. Econ Coun's Sperling: Pres Obama seeks 20% commercial building efficiency by 2020. tax incentives, competitive grants to come

Don Podesta: US now has 16% of auto batteries market, up from 2%

Good Jobs Green Jobs session on workforce training and tapping labor pools starting

Workforce training for green driven most by public policy

Workforce training 3 types of training: college credits; employer-recognized certification; certificates

Workforce training Key employer recognized certs: LEED, BPI NABCEP, Resnet, AEE

Workforce training Green credentials are often not enough by themselves:

Workforce training: Standards of green work are still evolving

Workforce training: green training bit a wild west New players as well as experienced. Not regulated. Varying quality

Workforce training: online training for green is the new frontier

Workforce training: Key trends: Crowding at the bottom, lot of training for entry level workers

Workforce training: Key trend 2: Widely varied connections to the job market and related training. some have hiring agreements

Workforce training: Key trend 3: Lack of career ladder transparency. students don't know what to do after first job

Workforce training: many green jobs are layered on very basic and traditional skills

Workforce training: If you want to be a sustainability manager, you have to be a good manager as a foundational skill

Workforce green training: courses should help lead to higher wage jobs

Workforce training: tracking progress of training effectiveness is key recommendation

Workforce training: Disabled adults should not be overlooked for green jobs

Workforce training: veterans with disabilities are good candidates for green jobs, especially if teamwork is involved

Workforce training: people with disabilities have to be very creative to live daily lives, so can be creative employees

Workforce training: WOTC tax incentives available for firms making reasonable accommodations for disabled workers

Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari speaking

DepSecy Porcari. making it easier to not have a car if they don't want one

DepSecy Porcari. high speed rail could reduce US oil consumption by 125 million barrels per day

DepSecy Porcari: demand for fuel efficient cars helping auto industry

Trans DepSecy Porcari: speaks of http://www.proterra.com/ which is making a fast-recharge bus

Jared Bernstein, chief economist for VP Joe Biden about to address Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference

economist Bernstein: vision is to out-innovate, out-build the rest of the world

economist Bernstein at Good #Jobs, #Green_Jobs Conference. what role government out to play in green innovation

economist Bernstein: find middle ground about govt. not 5-year planners nor laissez-faire

economist Bernstein: but in recession must temporarily increase demand for goods and services

economist Bernstein: 1 million net new jobs since March 2010

economist Bernstein: #externalities exist when a firm or individual doesn't pay for all damages they cause

economist Bernstein: government can help overcome barriers that are too high for one firm to address

economist Bernstein: private firms fund less than 20% of R&D, with govt and nonprofits fund rest

Kojo Nnamdi introducing Good #Jobs, #Green-Jobs Conference plenary on sustainable communities

Keith Ellison (D 5th MN) theoretically no one against sustainability but some have other concerns that outcompete sustainability

Ellison sustainable community is where links of lives are structured to last and give independence

Ellison need to treat green job creation like the rural electrification was pursued in the 1930's

Ellison: Dems got sent to woodshed and now getting ready to connect to the base that sent us there

Lawrence Hanley pres Amalgamatd Transit Union speaking to Good #Jobs, #Green_Jobs conference

Hanley: No discernible urban policy in the country. Mass transit systems getting cut back in cities

Hanley: only way to turn mass transit around is to get the users to stand up and make grievances known

Hanley: more than sustaining mass transit but sustaining the world

Kathy Gerwig of Kaiser Permanente addressing Good #Jobs, #Green-Jobs Conference

Gerwig: Kaiser started an eco-training program in hospitals

Clark Manus, pres of American Institute of Architects addressing Good #Jobs, #Green_Jobs conference

AIA Manus: AIA using regional design assistance and sustainable design assistance teams working on more than individual buildings

#AIA Manus: if look at building efficiency it is in everyone's building

Nnamdi: sustainable culture versus convenience culture

Ellison: possible to change culture (no smoking movement is example)

#AIA Manus: need more action on mass transit.

#AIA Manus: need to allow people to walk their communities. evolution of multiple uses is emerging in a good way

#AIA Mans: urbanization is a given, more people in cities than ever before. people moving back to cities because of opportunities

Kaiser's Gerwig: $26 million saved by buying products that are more eco-friendly

Ellison (5th MN) $1 trillion needed for infrastructure repairs

Manus: #AIA has begun an effort to work with mayors to look at schools

Ellison in Minneapolis there are schools with zero carbon footprint

Gerwig Kasier Permanente will put 4 megawatt of fuel cells at health facilities

Good #Jobs, #Green_Jobs conference session on green housing development programs about to begin

Pathways Project of NE Maine discussing use of Recovery Act funding in Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties ME for housing

Pathways Project: $2.1 Million grant to give 150 people training in green building skills

Pathways Project: One of reasons got the grant was strength of partnership among groups in #Maine

Pathways Project Web site http://www.emdc.org/index.php?id=37&sub_id=152

Pathways Project: Tri County Workforce Investment Board puts job seekers together with employers

Pathways Project: has individual training account (ITA) How much will each individual get for training

Pathways Project: some unemployed might come from an industry other than construction and would need a transition

Good #jobs, #Green_Jobs session on sustainable investing underway

Sustainable Investing: Ceres says that Roadmap for Sustainability lays out flexible metrics for disclosure

Sustainable Investing: Ceres pension funds need to understand the sustainability risks in investments

Sustainable Investing: Ceres: portfolio leaders will be ones that take sustainability into consideration

Sustainable Investing: Liuna pension fund: in last 15 years most investment capital controlled by rich individuals

Sustainable Investing: now 70% is institutional control. endowments foundations, mutual funds (bulk 401k), pension funds

Sustainable Investing: Liuna pension fund: risk-adjusted returns concerns vs collateral benefits (triple bottom lines)

Sustainable Investing: Liuna pension fund: how move financial decision makers to concerns of collateral concern

Sustainable Investing: Liuna pension funds: considers infrastructure an asset class, ask about policies to sustain jobs

Sustainable Investing: Liuna pension fund: finding private equity for home energy efficiency is difficult

Sustainable Investing: $450 B invested in Taft-Hartley funds (which are union pension funds)

Sustainable Investing: LIUNA works closely with socially responsible funds

Sustainable Investing: Ceres: there are possible ways for influencing mutual funds.

#Sustainable #Investing: Ceres is publishing reports about which mutual funds are investing sustainably

#Sustainable #Investing: NYC pension funds owns the market. so #externality in one company is felt in another part of portfolio

#Sustainable #Investing: NYC funds filed 70 shareholder proposals. 1 was to disclose emission goals

#Sustainable #Investing: Q&A Standard Code of Business Ethics?

#Sustainable #Investing: Aspirational guidelines exist (Global Compact), but not transnational standards that have force of law

#Sustainable #Investing: NYC funds want companies want report to shareholders Global Reporting Initiative sustainability info

#Sustainable #Investing: Principals for Responsible Investing guidelines used by some NYC funds

#Sustainable #Investing: some short-term investors take excessive risk if they see a reward. long termers need sustainability

#Sustainable #Investing: Capital gaps are effecting housing, green energy manufacturing, etc

#Sustainable #Investing: $24 trillion of assets under institutional control

#Sustainable #Investing: only 1% of institutional capital dedicated to the 13-state Appalachian regions

#Sustainable #Investing: Capital gaps in industrial areas

#Sustainable #Investing: Australian pension funds own biggest wind company in that country

Good #Jobs, #Green_Jobs session on Financing #Building Retrofits about to begin #housing

#Building Retrofits: Moderated by Philip Henderson of the #Natural_Resources_Defense Council

#Building Retrofits: session on intersection finance, building, efficiencies

#Building Retrofits money savings direct benefits of retrofits clear, but tools are available to show benefits from pollution cuts

#Building Retrofits: how do you measure and create confidence in building retrofit projects

#Building Retrofits: energy saving retrofits will create a type of cash flow and lenders should recognize this

#Building Retrofits: but how do you provide reliable documentation of savings for retrofit loans

#Building Retrofits: HUD and FHA are trying out a new loan program called Power Saver

#Building Retrofits: Need to address a lack of standards in energy retrofits. Tweeting from Good #Jobs, #Green_Jobs conference

#Building Retrofits: US gov funding billions of $ for weatherization projects

#Building Retrofits: But weatherization subsidies will diminish and Feds want weatherization workers to have a place to go

#Building Retrofits: DOE Home Energy Score, 45 data points describing basic assets of houses

#Building Retrofits: To do DOE Home Energy Score need BPI certification or HERS audit qualification

#Building Retrofits: the DOE Home Energy Score like the MPG rating for cars. But is has a scale of 1-10

#Building Retrofits: DOE Home energy score adjusts for climate zone. assumes 2 adults and 1 child living in house

#Building Retrofits: Home Energy Score pilot projects in 11 states (va, ma, mn in sc co ne tx or pa il)

#Building Retrofits: Home Energy Score not a replacement for a full energy audit

#Building Retrofits: PowerSaver loan program an expansion of existing home improvement program

#Building Retrofits: Home Energy Score is relatively quick to do and should be a low cost effort

#Building Retrofits: Energy Star for homes is for new homes

#Building Retrofits: Lisa Hall, interim pres and CEO Calvert Foundation, socially responsible investing

#Building Retrofits: Hall: Calvert has new strategy to fight poverty through green initiatives

#Building Retrofits: Hall: Calvert pioneered community or impact investing. gives social return as well as financial return

#Building Retrofits: Calvert's Hall: How drive capital from individuals to underserved communities

#Building Retrofits: Calvert funds green affordable housing, green job creation, sustainable ag & microloan for eco protection

#Building Retrofits: Calvert is developing a secondary market to securitize loans made for energy retrofits

#Building Retrofits: Matt Cooper pres of Peg Environmental largest provider of Energy Star ratings on new homes

#Building Retrofits: Peg Evironmental's Cooper access to financing single biggest driver of whether retrofits happen or not

#Building Retrofits: new changes for energy retrofit programs happen in March. Some contractors will drop out

#Building Retrofits: PegEnv.com Cooper: Impediments to market transformation:

#Building Retrofits: PegEnv.com Cooper: sometimes energy retrofits are not looked at as capital improvement

#Building Retrofits: PegEnv.com Cooper: lenders lack confidence in longevity of energy savings

#Building Retrofits: PegEnv.com Cooper: need more concise standardization of energy savings model computer programs

#Building Retrofits: Split incentive. resident's interest in getting retrofits thwarted by building owner's lack of interest

#Building Retrofits: PegEnv.com Cooper: But also owners may have split incentive if residents aren't going to work to save energy

#Building Retrofits: PegEnv.com Cooper: impediments to auditors: Workforce Gap, auditing working with different building types

#Building Retrofits: PegEnv.com Cooper: evaluation and certification firms should work collaboratively for better standards

#Building Retrofits: getting contract specifications with accurate pricing is necessary

#Building Retrofits: long-term or delayed energy retrofit programs have to keep up with building code changes

#Building retrofits: Bruce Schlein, VP corporate sustainability of Citibank about to speak

#Building retrofits: Citibank's Schlein: look at energy efficiency projects as comparable to utility scale project

#Building retrofits: Citibank's Schlein: just closed funding for Solar City

#Building retrofits: Citibank's Schlein: we are some time away from underwriting energy performance projects

#Building retrofits: Q&A: Idea from floor. Allow penalty-free loans from retirement account such as 401k for energy retrofits

#Building retrofits: Q&A: comment from floor ROI on energy retrofit greater than investment return in the market

#Building retrofits from floor SAVE act Sensible Accounting to Value Energy would adjust mortgage rules based on efficiency

Good #Jobs, #Green_Jobs session on clean energy policy about to begin

#cleanenergy policy: building consume 40% of energy and are a big part of pollution

#cleanenergy policy: Lowell Ungar of Alliance to Save Energy addressing Good #Jobs, #Green_Jobs panel

#cleanenergy policy: Ungar: each $1 invested in Energy Star program gave $75 in energy cost savings

#cleanenergy policy: $500 Billion investment would yield $1.2 trillion in savings, McKinsey 2009 report

#cleanenergy policy: utility and state programs estimated savings resulted in 93GWh in 2009, 2.5% of electricity

#cleanenergy policy: spending on efficiency programs grown from $3.1 B to $6.6

#cleanenergy policy: appliance and lighting standards save about 3.6% of energy use

#cleanenergy policy: Model building codes 2012 IECC to achieve 30% savings

#cleanenergy policy: mortgage limits do not consider 2nd largest home cost: utility bills

#cleanenergy policy: Philips lighting company: lighting standards will go into effect in 2012

#cleanenergy policy: light bulb of future replaces a 60W with light emitting diodes using 9 watts and last 25,000 hours

#cleanenergy policy: Bright Light for Tomorrow replace 60W with over 900 lumens of light with less than 10 watts

#cleanenergy policy: Philips lightbulb of future will cost about $40 with $20 rebate. Save about $130 in electricity

#cleanenergy policy: 4.4 billion light sockets (medium) if had old bulb, replace with modern bulbs give $15.8B energy savings

#cleanenergy policy: organic LEDs are next step in lighting, 1/32 the thickness of a piece of paper

#cleanenergy policy: Recovery Through Retrofit of Oct 2009 called for uniform set of standards for EE work

#cleanenergy policy: Home Star bill HR5019 accredited contractor passed House, but not Senate. Pres mentioned it

#cleanenergy policy: Home Performance Labor, 2,000 apprenticeship requires some energy efficiency skills

#cleanenergy policy: http://www.greenforall.org/blog/newark-weatherization

#cleanenergy policy: OptiHome Alliance nonprofit to advance EE job creation

#cleanenergy policy: Need to establish data capture protocols: How real are the standards?

#cleanenergy policy: tech for hi EE light bulbs have been around for 40years but no one built them 'til energy standards set

#cleanenergy policy: when gasoline hits $4 this summer energy policy will be pushed

#cleanenergy policy: floor comment: parents learn abt green subjects from kids. Alliance to Save Energy has Green Schools Program

#cleanenergy policy: Q&A: discussion of tax credit for plug in e vehicles

#cleanenergy policy: most savings will be in existing buildings 90% of office bldgs that will b here in 10 years are already built