Enemy of My Enemy

On the surface, unions and environmentalists don't have a lot in common; Laura Paskus's "The Union Makes Them Strong" (pages 32-42) does a nice job showing that blue-collar and green-collar folks actually do have a lot in common -- if only a common enemy.

Is the future of Green in the hands of unions? Perhaps so, because the underlying issue is jobs. Going green will take a lot of money, but with the money will come jobs. That's the key point. And these jobs could be union jobs, which would be a real shot in the arm to unions, which have seen memberships on the decline for decades.

Interesting to note, too, is just how far ahead of the game Europe is. Europe has set environmental goals and standards, and they are seeing real growth in green jobs. America, however, continues to subsidize oil companies in the billions while spending on renewable energy only receives support in the millions.

What will it take to change the direction of America's energy policy? Perhaps it will take Green and Blue working together.