I'm not too wild about the Apollo Alliance's partial tagline "freedom from foreign oil," as opposed to, say, "freedom from oil." It's too easy to get good intentions misdirected toward xenophobia (don't let anybody holler "China" at a crowded meeting this week). But "three million new jobs" and the strong green-collar messaging on the organization's site, that I can happily buy into.
If you're not familiar with the Apollo Alliance, you may have followed the environmental business news that gets the most attention. Much of that relates to companies' frivolous greenwashing practices or individual organizations' innovative products and technologies. So far, the labor movement has not been granted a lot of mindshare in the environmental conversation. Founded in 2004, the Apollo Alliance is relatively new. The mission statement reads as follows:
"The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of business, labor, environmental, and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution in America to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, cut the carbon emissions that are destabilizing our climate, and expand opportunities for American businesses and workers.
"Inspired by the vision and technological achievements of the Apollo space program, we promote policies and initiatives to speed investment in clean energy technology and energy efficiency, put millions of Americans to work in a new generation of well-paid, green collar jobs, and make America a global leader in clean energy products and services."
As you see, the Alliance aims to create an unprecedentedly broad coalition. The organization's founders claim inspiration from the Apollo space program, but their language also reminds one of the Civil Rights Era. And the kind of patriotism expressed in its goals should resonate well with those who have been uncommitted to environmental values because they don't consider themselves as liberals.
"Harkening back to President Kennedy’s visionary call to meet the challenge of the Sputnik launch with an aggressive national commitment to landing the first man on the Moon within the decade, the Apollo Alliance spoke – and continues to speak -- directly to the core values we share as Americans: our can-do spirit, our inherent optimism, and the pride we feel (or want to feel) about our country’s place in the world. The subtext is clear: we did it before, we can do it again. This is America, the richest, most technologically advanced and industrious country in the world. If anyone can do it, we can do it. And we will."
The Apollo Alliance has received endorsements from labor unions, environmental organizations, businesses and trade groups, and faith-based and other initiatives. When Christine Gregoire, the governor of Washington State, recently announced draft legislation to promote green-collar jobs and climate action, the Apollo Alliance did not receive a lot of credit in the media because it had not taken a visible leadership role in promoting that effort, but Alliance members from Washington immediately came out strongly in support of Gregoire.
The Apollo Alliance has the potential to cut across ideological divisions to advance environmentally sound energies and policies. Even better, it could bridge chasms of race and class that have been confining green activism to mostly white, mostly middle-class people. You might want to get in touch, subscribe to the newsletter, and see what might be relevant and actionable for you personally. Maybe the most valuable section of the Alliance's Web site is the resources area and the reports it offers; consider spending some time there before you head back to more trafficked, segmented areas of environmental technology, policy, and marketing. A little perspective never hurts.
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