Event Summary: Toward A Green New Deal, March 11, 2009
Toward A Green New Deal: How Greening the Economy Will Fight Climate Change and Create Quality Jobs
On March 11, the Worldwatch Institute joined the Heinrich Böll Foundation to forge a transatlantic dialogue on green jobs at an event on Capitol Hill. Participants included Chris Flavin of the Worldwatch Institute, and Ralf Fücks and Klaus Linsenmeir of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. The were joined by U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who gave introductory remarks.
Panel one speakers addressed how to build a super grid for large-scale renewable energy. Speakers included Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes of the European Renewable Energy Federation, Klaus Linsenmeier (Moderator), and Daniel J. Weiss with the Center for American Progress.
Panel two speakers looked at how to create quality jobs and transform business as usual and featured Christopher Flavin (Moderator), David Foster of the Blue Green Alliance, and Harry Lehmann with the Federal Environmental Agency of Germany.
PowerPoint presentations from the event:
Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes, European Renewable Energy Federation: The Great Energy Transformation: Paving the Way for Renewables [PDF]
Harry Lehman, Federal Environmental Agency of Germany: How to Create Quality Jobs and Transform the Way We Do Business [PDF]
Participant biographies:
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) was elected to his position in 2006, after having served in the House of Representatives from 1993-2006. Throughout his service as a Congressman and Senator, Sherrod has been a leading advocate for fair trade policies. As Senator, Mr. Brown has been leading the effort to create green energy manufacturing jobs that will strengthen American middle class families.
Christopher Flavin is President of the Worldwatch Institute, an international research organization that focuses on innovative solutions to global environmental problems. Mr. Flavin is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and serves as a Board Member of the Climate Institute. He is on the Advisory Boards of the American Council on Renewable Energy and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. He is co-author of three books on energy, including Power Surge: Guide to the Coming Energy Revolution.
David Foster is the Executive Director of the Blue Green Alliance, a national partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the green economy and advancing workers' rights around the globe. For the past 20 years, Mr. Foster has been among the labor movements' leading environmental advocates, serving as Director of United Steelworkers District 11 and on USW's International Executive Board. He sits on the Advisory Committee of the Alliance for Climate Protection and co-chairs the Mayors‘ Initiative on Green Manufacturing.
Ralf Fücks has served as a Co-President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation since 1996 at its headquarters in Berlin. The focal points of his work are sustainable development, migration, the future of Europe and international politics. He joined the German Green Party in 1982 and has served in various state and national positions, including as Co-President of the national party as well as a State Parliament Member and Deputy Mayor of Bremen, Germany. Mr. Fücks studied social sciences, economy and history.
Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes is a Board Member of the German Renewable Energy Federation in charge of European and international policies as well as the Vice-President of the European Renewable Energy Foundation. He is chairman of the Policies Committee preparing the 2010 World Renewable Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi. Previously, Mr. Hinrichs-Rahlwes served seven years as a Director General of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
Dr. Harry Lehmann is the General Director at the Federal Environmental Agency of Germany and Head of the Environmental Planning and Sustainable Strategies Division. He is a member of the World Council for Renewable Energies and on the scientific board of several institutes specializing in renewable energies, as well as the co-founder and scientific board chairman of the "Energy Watch Group." Since 1987, he has been on a variety of boards of Eurosolar, a federation promoting solar power in Europe.
Klaus Linsenmeier is the Executive Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation's North American office. Prior to this position, he served as the Director of the Foundation's International Division at its headquarters in Berlin. He holds a diploma in Economics from the Albert Ludwigs University, studied SM Enterprise Promotion at Cranfield School of Management in the UK and earned an MBA at the University of Hagen/University of Wales. Before joining HBF, he worked in the private business sector.
Daniel J. Weiss is a Senior Fellow and Director of Climate Strategy at the Center for American Progress, where he concentrates on clean energy and global warming policies and advocacy. Previous to his work at CAP, he spent 25 years working with environmental advocacy organizations and political campaigns, including as a Senior Vice-President of M + R Strategic Services and as the Political Director of Sierra Club. He holds a B.A. and M.P.P. from the University of Michigan.