For all the discussion about how green the economic stimulus will be, much of the funding being considered is for “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects that will build new highways and make our already grey economy even more dependent on the fossil fuels that bake our planet and undermine the health and future of our people.

We must deliver a message to Congress that we need a green and equitable recovery plan that includes funding for the Green Jobs Act. The Green Jobs Act funds partnerships that train workers for jobs in the green economy and has a special focus on creating “green pathways out of poverty.”

If funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects is included in the stimulus – as we demand and expect – then it’s essential that we invest in the skills of the people who will do that work, particularly those who are on the margins and at the smokestack end of the current dirty economy.