Create jobs in Bristol by building a green economy

I doubt that anyone can say how many Bristol jobs will be lost due to the current recession with accuracy (the front page of today's local paper headlines 20,000 local jobs at risk). However, there's little doubt that the economic situation is bad and that jobs are going, with more job losses to come.

With properly directed investment though we can be positive and hopeful. I believe we need a Green New Deal * which would involve:

- Massive investment in renewable energy and wider environmental transformation in the UK, leading to,

-The creation of thousands of new green collar jobs

-Reining in reckless aspects of the finance sector – but making low-cost capital available to fund the UK’s green economic shift

-Building a new alliance between environmentalists, industry, agriculture, and unions to put the interests of the real economy ahead of those of footloose finance

Going green is the best way to fight the recession and get a healthier society with ongoing decent quality of life - ask an ever growing number of economists!! After all we have worked hard to mess up the environment for decades which means there is a lot of work to be generated in stopping this and putting things right!

* The Green New Deal Group is:

Larry Elliott, Economics Editor of the Guardian,
Colin Hines,Co-Director of Finance for the Future, former head of Greenpeace International’s Economics Unit,
Tony Juniper, former Director of Friends of the Earth,
Jeremy Leggett, founder and Chairman of Solarcentury and SolarAid,
Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP,
Richard Murphy, Co-Director of Finance for the Future and Director, Tax Research LLP,
Ann Pettifor, former head of the Jubilee 2000 debt relief campaign, Campaign Director of Operation Noah,
Charles Secrett, Advisor on Sustainable Development, former Director of Friends of the Earth,
Andrew Simms, Policy Director, nef (the new economics foundation).

Talking trash on Bristol City Council (again!)

I see that Bristol's councillors have again been talking trash!

The mass incineration they seem so keen on is the thinking of the past - why keep recycling it ??

We need central and local government investment in waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

We need much more investment in making things from recycled materials here in the UK - and we need consumers to preference buy items made from recycled materials once they are made more available (some background here).

Now is the time to direct govt money this way - to create jobs and build a greener economy for the future!