February 2007 - Saving Oil Saves Jobs!
Green Machines Road Trip Spreads the Word
The green automobiles of tomorrow are already here today. They're being built by
UAW workers across the Midwest and they are saving oil, reducing pollution, and generating jobs.
To get the word out about these fuel-efficient vehicles and the union jobs they are saving,
the Ecology Center's Charles Griffith and Claudette Juska recently took an official "Green Machines
Road Trip".
Driving a union-made Saturn Vue "Green Line" hybrid electric car, the intrepid duo plus camera
"crew" made their way across snowy highways in seven states, making stops at union halls, factories,
farms, government offices, research institutes, diners and gas stations -- talking, listening,
learning, and getting folks to sign on to support new policies
for the auto industry. And, of course, blogging.
What follows are excerpts from the online Green Machines Road Trip blog. You can read the entire
entries, see video interviews and photos, explore related links, delve into archives, see a map of
the Trip, add your own comments, and more, on the blog
.
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One
might question the idea of a road trip through the northern Midwest
region in the middle of January when there’s nothing but snow
flurries and blustering winds all around. But we’re Michiganders,
with adventurous spirits … By the time we’re done, people
from Minneapolis to Detroit will know all about Green Machines and
why they’re so important for our economy.
Watch
the video and read more!
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| Today
we officially kicked off the Green Machines Road Trip at the Ford
Twin Cities plant here in St. Paul. UAW Local 879 represents retirees
and about 1800 workers from the Ford plant, half of whom have just
taken buy-outs from Ford, and the rest of whom will be laid off
or transferred when the plant shuts down next year. … The
story of this plant exemplifies the need for stronger policies to
encourage investment in energy-saving technologies.
Watch
the video and read more!
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After
leaving St. Paul, we made our way over snow-covered highways early
on Sunday morning to stop in Lakota, Iowa. Even if we didn’t
have directions to Global Ethanol Services, we probably could have
found our way there by rolling down the windows and following the
smell of cornbread. We hadn’t expected an ethanol plant to
smell so good!
Read
more!
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We
started out our day at the Madison hilltop offices of the Wisconsin
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, where
we met with Secretary Rod Nilsestuen and his top policy director.
The Secretary shared his strong optimism for growing Wisconsin’s
bio-economy, and his commitment to encouraging local ownership.
Read
more!
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Before we got here we thought we already knew the story about Belvidere’s
newly renovated assembly plant, but it turns out there was even
more good news than we had thought. … We found out today that
union employment at the plant went from 1700 before the renovations
to 3600 after. In addition, an entire supplier park was created
in the surrounding neighborhoods that now employs 2900 workers,
all of whom have been organized. That’s 4800 new jobs in the
area – what an enormous impact that must have on the local
economy!
Read
more!
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