Creating Greener Future for Urban Youth

The Green for All Campaign, along with its strategic partners Sustainable South Bronx, 1 Sky, Color of Change, Apollo Alliance, Center for American Progress, Workforce Alliance, Applied Research Center, Solar Richmond, COWS/Center of Wisconsin Strategy, Center for State Innovation and Energy Action Coalition, works to educate everyday Americans about the "work, health, and wealth benefits" of a "green economy."

(ABCNEWS.com)

"The next step in the green movement is about social uplift in environmentalism … that is less about the Birkenstocks and tofu," he said. "It's more about our hard hat and our lunch bucket, roll up our sleeves, get a little dirt under our fingernails and let's fix America kind of environmentalism."

The campaign continued to spread its message and gained an influential ally, former President Bill Clinton.

On Sept. 26, 2007, the Green for All Campaign was officially launched at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York.

"He highlighted our initiative," Jones said. "I am very happy and proud I've got Bill Clinton's signature on a piece of paper. He put his arms around us … I would have never thought that would happen, but it did and it just shows that miracles are possible."

Poverty, Pollution and Politics

But Green for All did not stop there: It took its message to Congress.

In 2007, President George W. Bush signed the "Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007"l into law. It gives $125 million to workforce training programs that target veterans, displaced workers, at-risk youth and individual families who fall 200 percent under the poverty line. Jones' Green for All campaign will receive part of that funding.

"We can save the polar bears and we can save these low income kids with green-collared jobs," Jones said. "We can put a whole generation to work … and save this country for the future."

Carrie McGourty contributed to this report.