Six of the Coolest Green Work Policies

LOVE the latest article from the people over at SustainLane - looking at the best workplace bonus policies from a green perspective. Some quick highlights:

The New Belgium Brewing Company gives all employees a free bike after one year on the job, in addition to offering an on-site climbing wall, yoga classes, and a 50-acre cyclo-cross track.

Clif Bar & Co. lets employees work incredibly flexible hours (80 hours per 9 business days rather than the standard 9-10 hours per day) so employees can take longer blocks of time off for outdoor trips.

One of the coolest packages I have ever seen, REI offers everything from health care for part time employees, flexible schedules and 50 percent public transit subsidies for commuters to lunchtime bike rides and Ultimate Frisbee. To help people pursue their passions, the clothing giant even allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a year.

I wouldn't put these on par with working at the Google campus (funnest afternoon I ever spent "working"), but I wouldn't complain about any of them either.

Green Stimulus Expected by Friday

Well, we finally got an economic stimulus bill agreed, and it looks like it is going to be pretty good in terms of green -- much better than I expected actually. The $789 billion economic-recovery bill is expected to pass the Senate and House by the end of the week. President Obama hopes to sign it into law by Presidents' Day.

The final bill contains upwards of $62 billion in direct spending on green initiatives and $20 billion in green tax incentives. Here is a quick breakdown courtesy of Grist:

Energy transmission and alternative energy research:

* $11 billion for smart grid
* $7.5 billion for renewable energy and transmission-line construction
* $400 million for the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Project Agency for Energy for the development of alternative energy sources and efficiency

Efficiency:

* $4.5 billion for energy-efficiency improvements to federal buildings
* $6.3 billion for local government energy-efficiency grants
* $2.25 billion for energy-efficiency retrofits for low-income housing
* $2.25 billion for the HOME Investment Partners Program to retrofit community low-income housing
* $5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program for efficiency in low-income households
* $510 million for energy-efficiency retrofits for Native American housing programs
* $420 million for energy-efficiency improvements at the Department of Defense
* $300 million for Department of Defense research on energy efficiency at military installations
* $300 million for the appliance rebate program for Energy Star products

Mass transit and advanced automobiles:

* $8.4 billion for transit capital assistance programs
* $8 billion for Amtrak and intercity passenger rail
* $300 million for the purchase of more alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicles for the federal fleet
* $300 million in grants and loans for technologies that reduce diesel emissions

Green jobs training:

* $500 million for green jobs programs through the Workforce Investment Act

The thing about this bill that really surprises me is that all funding for coal and nuclear was dropped. I cannot believe that we were able to make the compromise to drop coal. I am just flabbergasted – I definitely expected the compromise to go the other way. In fact, it looks like when all is said and done, this bill is GREENER having gone through the conference between both houses then it was when it started. Kudos all around.

Which Side Are You On?

Great news: the AFL-CIO announced this morning that it is forming a new Center for Green Jobs at its Washington, D.C., headquarters.

According to President John Sweeney, "the mission of the center is not only to engage public policy but to also move beyond that to help our labor unions implement real green jobs initiatives—initiatives that retain and create good union jobs, provide pathways to those jobs and assist with the design and implementation of training programs to prepare incumbent workers as well as job seekers for these family-sustaining careers."

I hope this new effort will accomplish the two goals it aims for -- to end once and for all the idea that job creation and environmentalism are inherently opposed, and too further the belief that a job cannot be truly green unless it is as sustainable for employee as it is for the planet.

Image provided by AFL-CIO