Wal-Mart Foundation Donates $5.7 Million to Support the Creation of Green Jobs in the U.S.

The Wal-Mart Foundation announced today that it will award to the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Veterans Green Jobs grants totaling $5.7 million to support the creation of green jobs in the U.S. Today's announcement comes on the heels of a newly released Global Insight study revealing that 10 percent of job growth in the U.S. is likely to be green by 2038, the fastest growing sector in the country.

"We understand how important building a green workforce is to the future of America, and the Wal-Mart Foundation is committed to helping create job growth that also sustains our environment," said Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation. "Realizing that one of the greatest barriers to creating green jobs is the lack of a trained workforce, the Wal-Mart Foundation's grants will help break through this barrier and enable more American workers to be trained and ready to contribute in this growing sector."

The Wal-Mart Foundation's $5 million grant to the U.S. Conference of Mayors will work to create jobs in an array of emerging green industries. In the spring of 2009, through a competitive selection process led by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, six grants will be awarded to non-profit organizations that have a history of working with mayors to train people for green jobs. In early 2010, three additional grants will be given to cities with newer commitments to providing green workforce training.

Additionally, the Wal-Mart Foundation is awarding nearly $750,000 to Veterans Green Jobs to support the development of four training sites which will help veterans develop green job training skills. The training sites - which will be built in Washington, Colorado, New Mexico and Louisiana - will assist many of the nearly two million returned or returning military personnel facing the challenging task of reintegrating into civilian life.

"This generous grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation is enabling us to continue building a green workforce in cities nationwide," said Manny Diaz, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and mayor of Miami. "Given that 85 percent of all green jobs are expected to be located in cities and their metro areas in the coming years, this grant could not come at a better time."

"Veterans Green Jobs empowers vets to become leaders in the restoration of America's environment, economy and communities. We provide them with the finest education and training opportunities in fast-growing green jobs sectors," said Brett KenCairn, executive director of Veterans Green Jobs. "Veterans tell us repeatedly that being able to serve their country through meaningful, restorative work is the most healing thing they could experience post-combat. We appreciate the Wal-Mart Foundation for this generous donation, and are looking forward to seeing the positive impact that it will have on our nation's service members."

PRNEWSWIRE