Subject: GREEN JOBS IN MANUFACTURING
Re Agenda Items: ECONOMY, EDUCATION, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
From: Eric Mittelstadt, CEO, National Council for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM)
We strongly agree with President-elect Obama’s emphasis on green jobs and sustainability. In fact, we believe Sustainable Manufacturing is the key emerging paradigm for 21st century manufacturing, and is the major one in which U.S. manufacturing must excel to retain and grow our nation’s manufacturing competitiveness in the global economy. To make green jobs a reality demands an implementation strategy to train all manufacturing workers on the principles of energy and resource conservation so everyone in the manufacturing enterprise can help reduce waste and reduce environmental impacts. Similar to earlier Lean Manufacturing and Quality Improvement initiatives, Sustainable Manufacturing will only truly succeed when workers at all levels understand the goals and are engaged in the process.
NACFAM is committed to both sustainable manufacturing of green products (e.g., solar power, wind power, hybrid or electric or fuel cell vehicles, etc.) and sustainable manufacturing of all products (from toilet paper to defense systems). The enclosed “Green Jobs in Manufacturing” document is “a roadmap for progressively greener solutions through a sustainable and green workforce”. It is an implementation strategy based on NACFAM’s successful experience at co-leading with the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) multi-million dollar effort to develop the first comprehensive such system covering front line production workers.
Our 20-year history of non-partisan collaboration with other groups, organizations, and perspectives to successfully implement change will serve us well in the effort to successfully implement a green jobs in manufacturing strategy including skill standards, training development, and channels to those who need the training and jobs. The strategy roadmap is meant to be complimentary to the many policy proposals and to dive deeper to make green jobs in manufacturing a reality, find the right channels to make sure that people who need jobs get the training they need and to make sure they are quality jobs that manufacturers will embrace as well so that the hiring can happen.
To collaborate to get the initiative started we have already begun to contact a number of organizations, including labor unions, nonprofits, educational institutions and Federal Government entities. NACFAM believes this is too important to wait to see how help will manifest itself from the Federal Government. For more information, please contact Jeff Mittelstadt, Vice President, Sustainable Manufacturing, at 202-367-2302 or mittelstadt.jeff@nacfam.org.
We thank you for your leadership in this area so vital to our economy, our educational system, and our energy and environment goals. We look forward to working with you to make green jobs a reality in the manufacturing sector.
Sincerely,
Eric Mittelstadt
Chief Executive Officer
National Council for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM)
2025 M Street, N.W., Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
Voice: 202-367-1178, ext. 4
Cell: 248-703-0006
Fax: 202-367-2178
Email: mittelstadte@nacfam.org
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