Sierra Club, United Steelworkers, Communications Workers of America, Service Employees International Union and Natural Resources Defense Council Join Forces to Advocate Investments in Clean Energy at United Nations Conference, December 1-12, in Poland

POZNAN, POLAND (December 3, 2008) – Amid growing global economic, energy and climate crises, the BlueGreen Alliance is spotlighting the value of a “green recovery” for the United States at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), December 1-12, in Poznan, Poland. The Alliance – a unique collaboration of U.S. labor and environmental organizations – is dedicated to expanding the job-creating potential of global warming solutions and advancing workers rights in the global economy.

While the UNFCCC is driving intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenges that accompany climate change, the BlueGreen Alliance is leading the national dialogue about mobilizing the United States to transform our economy through global warming solutions.

“The United States can simultaneously help to solve our economic, climate and energy security challenges by pursuing a ‘green recovery.’ But we need to embrace our role as the global leaders in improving trade agreements so that they promote growth and prosperity at home and around the world,” said David Foster, BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director. “This Conference provides an exceptional forum for spotlighting the value and viability of a ‘green recovery,'” he added.

A unique partnership between unlikely allies, the BlueGreen Alliance is hosting events during the Conference that spotlight green jobs strategies and address the need for environmental standards in global trade agreements to help solve the climate crisis, increase the number and quality of jobs, help lift countries out of poverty, improve public health and strengthen the global economy.

The BlueGreen Alliance-hosted events feature representatives from Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), United Steelworkers, Sierra Club and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

“Investing in a green economy – creating good-paying jobs and setting our country on a path to energy independence while reducing global warming – is integral to moving our country forward,” Foster noted. “By starting down the road of a ‘green recovery,’ the United States will build the political and economic foundation for global policies that put a price on carbon, stabilize energy prices, and fund long-term transitions to clean energy economies,” he continued.

The twelve-day Conference is significant as the half-way mark in the two-year negotiating process to reach a post-2012 climate change agreement in Copenhagen in 2009.

To schedule an interview with Foster or another BlueGreen Alliance partner, please contact Kelly Schwinghammer at 612-532-8103 or kellys@bluegreenalliance.org.

The Blue Green Alliance is a strategic partnership between U.S. labor unions and environmental organizations to expand the green economy. The Alliance is composed of the United Steelworkers, Sierra Club, NRDC, Communications Workers of America and SEIU. For more information, please visit www.bluegreenalliance.org.

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