Michigan, and its neighbors Indiana and Ohio sit at the forefront of the recession. Once the cornerstone of American manufacturing, the drop in U.S. based auto manufacturing has left thousands unemployed in the Midwest and the Millennial generation in search of an economic future. In the Midwest where unemployment hovers at 15% in Michigan – the highest jobless rate since early 1983 – combined with a growing national trend of jobless young people, emphasized by the Labor Dept.’s report that the employment rate of 16-to-24 year olds has eroded to 46.6 percent — the lowest ratio of working young Americans in that age group, including all but those in the military, since WWII, it is time for us as young people to chart a new economic path, we must Define the Decade for the auto states as the decade we become the clean energy manufacturing states.
The potential of the green economy in the Midwest cannot be overstated – it could revitalize our economy while maintaining environmental equity, thus sustaining future generations. Closed auto plants could be retrofitted to pump out solar panels, wind turbines and advanced transportation to power the new clean energy United States economy. However, the fossil fuel industry led by forces trying to push through 8 coal-fired power plants in Michigan have led major marketing and public relations campaigns, to win over the jobless with the promise of job security through building more fossil fuel based infrastructure. This being the case, public opinion and commitment to building the green economy will deepen only once people can see, participate in, and benefit from concrete community-based energy solutions. So this must be our focus as we dive head first into 2010 and a new decade.
Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition, Global Exchange and the Energy Action Coalition have some exciting work planned to get us started. Read on to get the details.
Continue reading ‘Hey Michigan, Let’s Define Our Decade w/ our leadership & vision for green economy revitalization’
