Category Archives: Book Excerpts

About the book

Posted on by

There are many shades of green. Go deep green.

The nation’s energy efficiency market is at a crossroads. In this critical moment, labor, policy, community and business leaders will choose whether energy efficiency becomes one of the economic recovery’s success stories, or slowly fades away.

California Construction Academy’s new book, Beyond Green Jobs describes how comprehensive, deep green energy efficiency can bring the best benefits to the environment and create good, long-term careers. It demystifies the construction industry, captures snapshots of innovative programs throughout the country, and provides a foundation to bring energy efficiency to scale.

Download the book | About case studies | View infographics.

Daniel Villao, Primary Author

Daniel Villao brings construction industry expertise to the field of energy efficiency.  Daniel completed his apprenticeship as an electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 11 and worked for many years in the electrical industry.

Prior to his work at the UCLA Labor Center, Daniel served as a council representative for the Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. As a council representative, Daniel played a key role in several major labor negotiations. These include the $3 billion heath plan negotiation with LAUSD in 2009 and the City Coalition negotiations for 22,000 employees across six labor organizations in 2007. He has been a strategic advocate for civil service apprenticeship, including the design and implementation of the Port Electrical Mechanical Apprenticeship program (PEMA) in Los Angeles. Daniel’s expertise in the construction industry has allowed him to build strong partnerships between multiple sectors—labor, policy, community, and business.

Daniel serves on the national Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship for Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. He sits on the Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board (WIB). He is also on the executive committees of the national board of directors of Association of Latino Professionals in Finance, Accounting and Related Businesses (ALFA) and CORO, an organization that prepares individuals for effective and ethical leadership in public affairs.

Read full bio.

Book Launch

Posted on by

The California Construction Academy, a project of the UCLA Labor Center, launched its new book, Beyond Green Jobs: Building Lasting Opportunities in Energy Efficiency. The launch party was held on March 14 in conjunction with the California Labor Federation’s Building Workforce Partnerships Conference and the Blue Green Alliance Foundation’s Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference. Thank you to those who celebrated with us!

Over three hundred attendees from labor, business, community and policy attended the launch. Man One, a Los Angeles-based graffiti artist, created a mixed media art piece live at the event, using recycled construction materials, hardhats, and construction tools. A live band performed at the event. James Rojas, MIT Alum and Urban Planner, set up an interactive display of moveable buildings for participants to imagine their ideal green city. Guests took turns taking pictures at a photo booth with a large version of the book cover.

See photos from the event. Continue reading →

Featured Case Study

Posted on by

Los Angeles Green Retrofit and Workforce Program

About the Program

Approved by the Los Angeles City Council in 2009, this first-in-the-nation program’s goals are to create jobs, improve public health, and revitalize the city by remodeling city-owned buildings to be more energy and water efficient and creating a pathway to good, green, and safe jobs for workers in low-income communities.  Libraries, recreation centers, police and fire stations will receive upgrades through the city-run program.

In the pilot phase, 40 Los Angeles workers underwent an intensive training program and are currently retrofitting more than 20 city-owned buildings.  This connects workers to new career pathways in green construction and maintenance, while making city buildings more efficient and saving taxpayer dollars.

The Los Angeles Apollo Alliance is a coalition of 25 labor, environmental, and community organizations working to develop an equitable green economy that creates good, green jobs and career pathways for all Angelenos.

Snapshot of Innovation 

Beyond Green Jobs highlights the Los Angeles Green Retrofit Program as a pioneering city-run program that connects both green buildings and good jobs. By bringing together diverse stakeholders, the Los Angeles Green Retrofit Program was able to successfully combine energy efficiency policy with an economic development strategy focused on creating quality jobs.

The program also has a creative proposal to help public dollars go farther. As of the writing of this book the program’s Green Retrofit Advisory Committee is recommending that the City adopt an innovative financing mechanism to capture utility bill savings to sustain and expand the program. If the City adopts this proposal, it would allow the City to reinvest energy bill savings. Energy savings from current retrofits would sustainably finance program administration and future retrofits.

In a tough economy, this provides one model of how public programs can continue to grow.

About the Book’s Snapshots of Innovation

We see each of these programs as one puzzle piece of a deep green program.  Each program alone may not provide a comprehensive solution, but it offers new thinking that can help energy efficiency grow.

See the full list of case studies.