2009 Program

Over three days in February 2009, the 2009 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference was an extraordinary event, featuring a wide variety of keynote speakers, plenary sessions, workshops and the 2009 Green Jobs Expo.

Check out the 2009 Conference Journal.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009


9:00 - 9:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks

David Foster, Executive Director, Blue Green Alliance 

Leo W. Gerard, International President, United Steelworkers 

Donald Kennedy PhD, Campaign Chair Climate Recovery Partnership, Sierra Club


9:30 - 10:00 a.m. Opening Keynote

Achim Steiner, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, United Nations Under-Secretary General  

Larry Cohen, President, Communications Workers of America (CWA)


11:00 - 11:45 a.m. Keynote

Denise Bode, CEO, American Wind Energy Association

Peter Lehner, Executive Director, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison, Minnesota



1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Workshop Session 1 


3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Workshop Session 2


Thursday, February 5, 2009


8:15 a.m. Keynote

Margie Alt, Executive Director, Environment America 

Richard Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO 

Sharon Beard, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 

Terence M. O’Sullivan, General President,
Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)


9:30 – 10:45 p.m. Workshop Session 3


11:00 a.m.  Keynote

Rhone Resch, President, Solar Energy Industries Association 

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan 

Cathy Zoi, CEO, Alliance for Climate Protection


1:30 p.m.  U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota


1:45 p.m.  Plenary Panel

Lois Quam, Piper Jaffray 

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio 

James P. Hoffa, General President,
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)

Jared Bernstein, Economic Policy Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden


3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Workshop Session 4


Friday, February 5, 2009


8:00 a.m.  Plenary Panel

Winona LaDuke, Executive Director, Honor the Earth 

Robert Morales, Director of Solid Waste and Recycling Division; Secretary-Treasurer, Local 350, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)

Van Jones, President, Green For All 

Fred Redmond, International Vice President, United Steelworkers


9:25 a.m. Phil Angelides, Chairman, Apollo Alliance


9:45 – 11:00 a.m. Workshop Session 5


11:15 a.m. Keynote

George Martin, NewPage Corporation 

Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland


11:35 a.m. Closing Keynote

Lisa P. Jackson, U.S. EPA Administrator


12:00 p.m.  Adjourn

Leo W. Gerard, International President, United Steelworkers 

Allison Chin, President, Sierra Club 

David Foster, Executive Director, Blue Green Alliance

Check out the 2009 Conference Journal.