standing straight while the world is reeling

Van Jones needs to be offered a post in the Obama cabinet--according to analysts, Gore won't accept a post, so let's move on to a different visionary, one who recognizes the links between poverty, racism, and environmental degradation.

Living in New Orleans, I have obviously witnessed the effects of natural disasters. On one hand, we can say that hurricanes don't see color, they don't see poverty. After all, the affluent community of Lakeview was devastated in much the same way that the low-income Lower 9th ward was leveled. But now, nearly three years after the storm, Lakeview is thriving--homes are being rebuilt, schools are open, even Robert's Supermarket has re-opened. But a drive through the L9 still shows wrecked homes, overgrown streets, and an average of one occupied home per block.

Perhaps natural disasters don't see color or income level, but the fact remains that those that are impoverished have a harder time putting their lives back together after such a disaster. When most of your equity is tied up in your home, and then your home is swept away after the breech of a levee, suddenly you're struggling even harder to survive. Add to that a lack of access to groceries (as a resident of the Upper 9th, I have to travel five miles for groceries), an inefficient transportation system, and a lack of well-paying jobs. Can we really say that natural disasters affect all income levels in the same manner?

Van Jones understands this concept, and he is at the forefront of a movement to include all income levels in the greening of the United States economy. He insists that the most vulnerable in our communities be given protection against disasters, but more than that, he insists that they be given access to jobs created by the green sector--Green Collar Jobs. This involves training mechanics to fix electric engines, or construction workers to install solar panels, or helping individuals develop the skills needed to work in renewable energy. These are jobs that will remain local, and give people the ability to stay in their community rather than leave in search of work.

Of course, what stands out to me in Jones' remarks at the Dream Reborn conference in Memphis are his reminders that the green tide must lift all boats--and that this includes providing equal access to healthy, local, sustainable, organic agriculture. That's what our mission is with the New Orleans Food Cooperative--to make sure that the groceries provided are not priced in such a way that those in the community cannot afford to buy the local, organic foods that we will provide.