Van Jones Returns to Think Tank
What a year or so it's been for Van Jones.
Profiled last winter in the New Yorker by the great Elizabeth Kolbert, named President Obama's environmental advisor, then forced out in part because he signed a 9/11 internet conspiracy theory petition, Jones has found a new home, same as his old home: The Washington, D.C.-based think tank, Center for American Progress.
From Juliet Eilperin's recent Washington Post interview and story:
"[...Jones] will spearhead a "green opportunity initiative" as a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. Jones said he would spend his time at the think tank examining how to push for "green enterprise zones" that would encourage clean technology development in poor urban and rural areas; for an aggressive national renewable energy standard; and for a "Home Star" program that would provide federal incentives to make homes more energy-efficient. ""I'm getting back engaged because we have this huge jobs crisis. People are pulling their hair out, saying, 'What can we do?' And I think I can make a contribution," Jones said. "At this moment in the environmental movement, he said, "we're thinking about deep economic questions, and what we don't have a full grasp on is all the policy tools we're going to need to re-power the country, and to make sure we don't lose out to Asia and the jobs of the future, and to make sure places like Appalachia and Watts have a chance to be part of it." "John Podesta, CAP's president, called Jones "a pioneer in the effort to promote a clean, sustainable economy that works for all Americans," adding he's "proud" he will return to the think tank "to focus on creating economic opportunity in distressed communities.""
CAP, by the way, was named the second-best New Think Tank established during the last five years by Professor Jim McGann and his 2009 Global Go To Think Tank Rankingscrew. CAP was also named the 17th best tank overall in the U.S. (The best new tank, according to McGann's survey, is the European Council on Foreign Relations, in Belgium.)
Also worth noting: Green For All, the Oakland-based non-profit that Jones founded, remains active. Website is here.
Photo Credit: The image accompanying this post was taken by Flickr user Center_For_American_Progress. It was used under Creative Commons license.
