GREEN FOR ALL APPLAUDS SIGNING OF SERVE AMERICA ACT;

Today, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law, marking an historic expansion of public service opportunities.  The Act, with its signature Clean Energy Service Corps program, ushers in a new era of green community service.  The statement, from Green For All CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, follows:

“We applaud Senators Kennedy and Hatch for their visionary leadership on public service and for mobilizing Americans to undertake important work to help strengthen their communities.  Today’s signing of the Serve America Act ushers in a new era of volunteerism and will inspire future generations to give back to their country.

“The potential for public service to build a cleaner, healthier, and more economically-just future is realized through the Act’s Clean Energy Service Corps.  The Corps holds special promise as a pathway out of poverty for low-income youth and moves us closer to building an inclusive green economy.

“The Clean Energy Service Corps serves as a strong entry point to sustainable career paths in green industry for thousands of people with barriers to employment.  By providing job training and ample service-learning programs, the Corps arms the people who most need work with the skills to do the work that most needs to be done.

“Under the stewardship of Senator Kennedy, Senator Hatch, Representative Inslee and Representative Sarbanes, along with the efforts of a coalition of national service organizations including our colleagues at The Corps Network, the Clean Energy Service Corps became a reality. While today is a reason to celebrate, we must quickly appropriate the full funding authorized for the Clean Energy Service Corps. We can and must seize this extraordinary opportunity to advance a program that fights both poverty and pollution at the same time.”