GreenBeat

Van Jones, an activist and “green jobs” advisor to President Obama respected by many for his work in pushing for environmental justice in low-income neighborhoods, has resigned after controversy over statements and actions that enraged the Republican right-wing.

Jones’ past began to be scrutinized in March, after he was appointed to the position: In 2004, he’d signed a petition suggesting that then-President Bush might have allowed the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to occur so that he could use them as a “pre-text to war.” Jones says now that the petition did not reflect his views, but the Yale-trained lawyer said the controversy, along with the continued criticism by Republicans about his other statements and past affiliations, led to him to resign in order not to damage the President’s agenda.

I just got off the phone with Mark Donohue, a long-time investor in clean-tech who has known Jones for years. Donohue, who also teaches entrepreneurship at Babson College, said he was extremely saddened by the resignation. He called Jones a “true leader and advocate of the underprivileged.” Because of his expertise on green jobs, Obama had appointed Jones to work with government agencies and departments to advance the administration’s climate and energy initiatives, with a focus on improving vulnerable communities.

Creating green jobs is a challenge. Business models for the green industry are still being explored and developed. Entrepreneurs need to lead the way, but they can certainly be helped with government policy. Donohue, in fact, is helping advise the Cleantech Forum event starting Tuesday in Boston, which will focus on entrepreneurship. And at GreenBeat2009, our conference on the Smart Grid in November, we’ll also be focusing on disruptive technology, business models and where dynamic companies are likely to create jobs. We plan to have administration officials represented too. Now I’m thinking we should invite Van Jones.

Right wing bloggers seized on Jones’ very frank interviews, including admissions that he was “radicalized in jail,” to label him a Black Nationalist and communist. Jones had founded a number of groups, including one called Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement.

In recent years, though, Jones had won widespread respect for his work to help the disadvantaged. He is the founder of “Green For All,” an environmental group dedicated to bringing green jobs to the low-income neighborhoods, arguing it was those communities that are the most hurt by poor environmental standards. Jones told Mother Jones Magazine last year:

“The only reason that we have the unsustainable accounting that we have right now is because incinerators, dumping grounds, and sacrifice zones were put where poor people live. It would never have been allowed if you had to put all the incinerators and nasty stuff in rich people’s neighborhoods; we’d have had a sustainable economy a long time ago… We don’t want to be first and worst with all the toxins and all the negative effects of global warming, and then benefit last and least from all the breakthroughs in solar, wind energy, organic food, all the positives…”

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