Ben Jealous – A Green Economy Lifts All Boats
Bioneers | Published: May 6, 2025 Eco-NomicsEcological Design Video
The renowned civil rights and environmental leader Ben Jealous, former (youngest ever!) President of the NAACP and then of People for the American Way, and now, since 2022, Executive Director of the Sierra Club (founded in 1892, one of the very first large-scale environmental preservation organizations in the world) examines how the green economy is driving job creation and transforming industries, including renewable energy and electric vehicles. He debunks myths that the transition will lead to job losses or take too long, instead showcasing how innovation is fueling economic growth. Jealous also highlights the health benefits tied to cleaner air and reduced pollution, including lower rates of asthma and heart disease. He underscores how the green economy is reshaping industries, improving workforce opportunities, and enhancing public health outcomes.
This talk was delivered at the 2025 Bioneers Conference.
Ben Jealous, named the seventh Executive Director of the Sierra Club in 2022, has served in roles from organizer to investigative journalist to president of two of the nation’s most influential groups pursuing equity and justice and protecting democracy and the environment. From 2008 to 2013, he led the NAACP as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization and launched the NAACP’s Climate Justice Program. More recently Ben was President of People for the American Way (PFAW). Ben began his professional trajectory as a reporter and managing editor at the black-owned community newspaper, the Jackson Advocate, exposing “cancer clusters” in Mississippi’s rural communities caused by industrial pollution. He has also been a partner at one of the nation’s premier ESG venture capital firms, has won many awards, served on the boards of the Environmental Defense Fund, the Trust for Public Lands and the Wilderness Society, taught at Princeton (and currently at the University of Pennsylvania), and is a best-selling author, including most recently of: Never Forget Our People Were Always Free: A Parable of American Healing.
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