Obama's Investment in Solar Power: A Very Good Start

This week, President Barack Obama announced plans to award nearly $2 billion for new solar plants. He argues that the investment will create thousands of jobs and improve the nation's commitment to renewable energy.

"We're going to keep competing aggressively to make sure the jobs and industries of the future are taking root right here in America," Obama said.

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Black and Green

Green in the Inner City: Majora Carter
Carter has become a green celebrity -- and improved the lives of New York denizens -- through her nonprofit, Sustainable South Bronx, which provided "green-collar" job training for the underprivileged. She now heads the Majora Carter Group, a green economic development consulting firm.

Neilsen Barnard, Getty Images

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Black and Green

Green in Washington: Jerome Ringo
When Ringo was elected chair of the National Wildlife Federation in 2005, the lifelong environmentalist became the first African American to head a major conservation group. Ringo, who is a member of Newsweek's Environment and Leadership Council, is now the president of the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of labor, environmental, national security, civil rights and business leaders who promote energy independence.

Black and Green

Green in Hip-Hop: Rev. Lennox Yearwood
Hip-hop and environmentalism aren't two things that are generally associated with each other, but Yearwood is trying to change that with his organization, Hip Hop Caucus. The caucus recently announced its "Green the Block" campaign, which promotes environmental causes in the black community.

Black and Green

Green in the Kitchen: Bryant Terry
Terry, eco chef, food justice activist and author (he wrote 'Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine' and 'Grub: Ideas for an Urban Kitchen'), has dedicated his professional career to promoting a sustainable food system and shedding light on poverty as it relates to the availability of organic, healthy foods.

Black and Green

Green in the Government: Lisa P. Jackson
When President Barack Obama appointed Jackson the administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, she became the first African American and the fourth woman to hold the position. She also sparked controversy among some environmentalists who didn't like her record as head of environmental protection in New Jersey. Whether you love her or hate her, she should get props for being an African American woman in a powerful -- and green -- position.

Black and Green

Green in Travel: Frank & Audrey Peterman
During a 1995 road trip, Audrey and Frank Peterman fell in love with the beauty of America's natural landmarks but were concerned that so few of their fellow travelers were people of color. The trip inspired them to create Earthwise Productions, which publishes Pick Up and Go! an environmental and travel newsletter focusing on the contributions people of color have made to our national parks.

Black and Green

>Green in Corporate America: Karen Y. Ellis
This FedEx leader isn't some corporate executive who doesn't care about the affect her company has on the environment. FedEx's carbon footprint is anything but small, but as the company's director of corporate and international environmental programs, Ellis challenges her corporation and others to be more environmentally responsible.

Black and Green

Green in Higher Ed: Michael K. Dorsey
A Dartmouth University professor and a longtime member of the Sierra Club, Dorsey's work focuses on the intersection of finance, environmental policy and social justice. He was recently granted a prestigious Ford Foundation grant to support his climate change research.

Black and Green

Green in the Black Community: Naomi Davis
Davis is a Chicago-based attorney and activist who sits at the helm of not one but two green organizations: BIG: Blacks in Green, a nonprofit promoting environmental causes in the black community, and Daughter's Trust, a green economics consulting firm.

Black and Green

Green in the White House: Van Jones
One of the most famous faces in the green movement, Jones was the founding president of Green for All, an organization dedicated to economic development of the poor through the green economy. Surprise, surprise: He's now Barack Obama's Green Jobs Czar.

Black and Green

The two companies awarded funds for the projects are Abengoa Solar and Abound Solar manufacturing. The Obama Administration says the the projects will create roughly 3,600 jobs combined between the two companies.

The president is facing heat for the inability of government leaders to create jobs in a poor economy. The Republicans are taking advantage of this pressure by refusing to support legislation that will fuel job creation or provide unemployment benefit extensions for millions of out-of-work Americans.

The president's announcement does provide a positive signal about the nation's commitment toward utilizing alternative energy sources, given that the BP oil spill has reduced America's appetite for oil. Our country's dependence on oil, both foreign and domestic, will be one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Oil companies have been allowed to hold our nation hostage, keeping the country from finding other ways to heat our homes and drive our cars. In fact, the United States is, by far, the greatest consumer of energy in the world, which depletes resources and destroys environments in third world countries. China and India are also emerging as massive energy consumers, setting the stage for a global showdown, which could very likely lead to international strife over oil within the next 20 - 30 years -- if we don't support initiatives like this one now.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

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