--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We seem to forget that everything that is…" description: "\"We seem to forget that everything that is good for the environment is a job. Solar panels don't put themselves up. Wind turbines don't manufacture them..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/van-jones-984_biofuels_we-seem-to-forget-that-everything-that-i_1986700.png" --- # We seem to forget that everything that is good for the… ![“We seem to forget that everything that is good for the environment is a job. Solar panels don't put themselves up. Wind turbines don't manufacture themselves. Houses don't retrofit themselves and put in their own new boilers and furnaces and better-fitting windows and doors. Advanced biofuel crops…” quote by Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/van-jones-984_biofuels_we-seem-to-forget-that-everything-that-i_1986700.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/van-jones-984_biofuels_we-seem-to-forget-that-everything-that-i_1986700.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/van-jones-984_biofuels_we-seem-to-forget-that-everything-that-i_1986700.png) > “We seem to forget that everything that is good for the environment is a job. Solar panels don't put themselves up. Wind turbines don't manufacture themselves. Houses don't retrofit themselves and put in their own new boilers and furnaces and better-fitting windows and doors. Advanced biofuel crops don't plant themselves. Community gardens don't tend themselves. Farmers' markets don't run themselves. Every single thing that is good for the environment is actually a job, a contract, or an entrepreneurial opportunity.” [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Environmental improvements require human effort, planning, and investment; they aren't self‑executing. **In simple terms:** Good for the planet needs work and money. Key Takeaway Treat sustainability as a job or business. Themes environment economy entrepreneurship action policy Mood motivational urgent Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - home retrofits - renewable installations - community gardens - local food markets - biofuel projects Key Concepts systems thinking public goods market incentives Questions to Reflect On - What job can you create to help the environment? - How can policy lower barriers to sustainable actions? A Different Perspective People may lack resources or incentives to take on these jobs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biofuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biofuels/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Community garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-garden/) [Crops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crops/) [Entrepreneurial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurial/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Farmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farmers/) [Farmers markets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farmers-markets/) [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Solar panels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solar-panels/) [Turbines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turbines/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Wind turbines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind-turbines/) [Windows and doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/windows-and-doors/) ## Related quotes > [We know that urban farms require less fuel for tractors and transport, but community gardens don't plant themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/we-know-that-urban-farms-require-less-fuel-for-tractors-and-transport/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Former brownfields, depressed urban areas, and hard-hit rural towns blossom as eco-industrial parks, green enterprise zones, and eco-villages. Farmers' markets, community co-ops, and mobile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/former-brownfields-depressed-urban-areas-and-hard-hit-rural-towns/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I am a big lover of the environment. I actually come from Maine, which is pretty much all environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-gray-cabey/i-am-a-big-lover-of-the-environment-i-actually-come-from-maine-which/) [Noah Gray-Cabey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-gray-cabey/) > [The environment can actually affect gene expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-marmot/the-environment-can-actually-affect-gene-expression/) [Michael Marmot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-marmot/) > [Many of the environmental rules not only fail to protect the natural environment, they actually increase the damage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/many-of-the-environmental-rules-not-only-fail-to-protect-the-natural/) [Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/) > [“We think we are in sync with our environment, but actually it’s at war with us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-goldsmith/we-think-we-are-in-sync-with-our-environment-but-actually-it-s-at-war/) [Marshall Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-goldsmith/) > [Gardening has increased, community gardens have increased significantly. There are 50 percent more community gardens right here in Washington DC.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/gardening-has-increased-community-gardens-have-increased/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [We all grew up in communities with grandmothers who cooked two, three vegetables that you had to eat. There was no ifs, ands or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-all-grew-up-in-communities-with-grandmothers-who-cooked-two-three/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [I think most people do not imagine how things can change. In Detroit, there are community gardens that are only an indication that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-most-people-do-not-imagine-how-things-can-change-in-detroit/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [We can begin by doing small things at the local level, like planting community gardens or looking out for our neighbors. That is how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/we-can-begin-by-doing-small-things-at-the-local-level-like-planting/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [“WE LEAVE THE DORM, and Ethan shows us the gym, where he proudly informs us that in one month he’s already doubled the weight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-lazebnik/we-leave-the-dorm-and-ethan-shows-us-the-gym-where-he-proudly-informs/) [Claire LaZebnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-lazebnik/) > [I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-peterson/i-envision-a-day-when-every-city-and-town-has-front-and-back-yards/) [Greg Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-peterson/) > [All communities, and low-income communities especially because of food insecurity and lack of access to healthy foods, need more farmers markets, need more community…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-terry/all-communities-and-low-income-communities-especially-because-of-food/) [Bryant Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-terry/) > [The first western gardens were those in the Mediterranean basin. There in the desert areas stretching from North Africa to the valleys of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-hobhouse/the-first-western-gardens-were-those-in-the-mediterranean-basin-there/) [Penelope Hobhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-hobhouse/) > [We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a-commodity-belonging-to-us-3/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) ## More by Van Jones > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ If \[Donald\] Trump throws 20 million off of health care, that's going to be - if he handles this badly - and it's very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-donald-trump-throws-20-million-off-of-health-care-that-s-going-to/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-should-be-leading-the-world-in-green-and-clean-solutions-and/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ I learned more in those six months \[ in the White House\] than in the prior six years. I don't think that anybody who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-learned-more-in-those-six-months-in-the-white-house-than-in-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Most green-collar jobs are middle-skill jobs. That means they require more education that a high-school diploma, but less than a four-year degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/most-green-collar-jobs-are-middle-skill-jobs-that-means-they-require/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ \[Donald Trump\] is a horrible human being, but he ain't worse than Bull Connor. Fannie Lou loved Bull Connor and beat Bull Connor because… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/donald-trump-is-a-horrible-human-being-but-he-ain-t-worse-than-bull/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [The government built the grid to favor one industry over others. But I don't hear any conservatives screaming about that. Folks don't understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-government-built-the-grid-to-favor-one-industry-over-others-but-i/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Keith Ellison is an organizer's organizer.He's one of the only Muslims in Congress, so you have a big statement there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/keith-ellison-is-an-organizer-s-organizer-he-s-one-of-the-only/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Everybody should be mad but anger only takes you so far. At some point, you'll have outrage fatigue and burn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/everybody-should-be-mad-but-anger-only-takes-you-so-far-at-some-point/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [We have to accept that some very toxic stuff was marbled into the Trump phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/we-have-to-accept-that-some-very-toxic-stuff-was-marbled-into-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All the big ideas for getting us onto a lower carbon trajectory involve a lot of people doing a lot of work, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/all-the-big-ideas-for-getting-us-onto-a-lower-carbon-trajectory/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I'm the guy that's trying to break up that monopoly to introduce free enterprise and competition to the energy sector.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-m-the-guy-that-s-trying-to-break-up-that-monopoly-to-introduce-free/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I think that America could not become America until it dealt with the disenfranchisement of women and African Americans in the last century. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-think-that-america-could-not-become-america-until-it-dealt-with-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I'm learning and changing all the time, and I expect to continue doing so my entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-m-learning-and-changing-all-the-time-and-i-expect-to-continue-doing/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) [Explore all 314 Van Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) ## More Biofuels quotes > [The world is hung up on food-based biofuels. Not only are they the wrong thing, they're the uneconomic thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/the-world-is-hung-up-on-food-based-biofuels-not-only-are-they-the/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [If you're using first-class land for biofuels, then you're competing with the growing of food. And so you're actually spiking food prices by moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-using-first-class-land-for-biofuels-then-you-re-competing/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I strongly agree with Vice President Gore that we cannot drill our way to energy independence, but must fast-track investments in renewable sources of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-strongly-agree-with-vice-president-gore-that-we-cannot-drill-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I believe cellulosic fuels, biofuels made from nonfood crops are the only solution that will make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/i-believe-cellulosic-fuels-biofuels-made-from-nonfood-crops-are-the/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [We’re making new investments in the development of gasoline and diesel and jet fuel that’s actually made from a plant-like substance-algae... We could replace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-re-making-new-investments-in-the-development-of-gasoline-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [It's obviously tricky to convert cellulose to a useful biofuel. I think actually the most efficient way to use cellulose is to burn it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/it-s-obviously-tricky-to-convert-cellulose-to-a-useful-biofuel-i/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [Note even Jonathan Swift would dare to write a satire in which politicians argued that - in a world where species are vanishing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/note-even-jonathan-swift-would-dare-to-write-a-satire-in-which/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [Today much of anti-biofuel "science" - including the false claim that biofuels need more energy to make than they contain - has been shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tickell/today-much-of-anti-biofuel-science-including-the-false-claim-that/) [Josh Tickell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tickell/) > [As both a former governor and a Naval officer I can tell you energy security remains among biofuels' most important benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-blunt/as-both-a-former-governor-and-a-naval-officer-i-can-tell-you-energy/) [Matt Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-blunt/) > [The first victims of poseur environmentalism will always be developing countries. In order for you to put biofuel in your Prius and feel good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/the-first-victims-of-poseur-environmentalism-will-always-be/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [We're gonna be using American produced, American energy that will create jobs in the United States, will create a far more secure source of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mabus/we-re-gonna-be-using-american-produced-american-energy-that-will/) [Ray Mabus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mabus/) > [The co-opting of the environmental movement by the petroleum industry had a shattering effect. It crushed nascent biofuel businesses, killed research, cut off critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tickell/the-co-opting-of-the-environmental-movement-by-the-petroleum-industry/) [Josh Tickell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tickell/) > [We've got to control our own energy. Now, not only oil and natural gas, which we've been investing in; but also, we've got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-ve-got-to-control-our-own-energy-now-not-only-oil-and-natural-gas/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As President, I'll invest in renewable energies like wind power, solar power, and the next generation of homegrown biofuels. That's how America is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-president-i-ll-invest-in-renewable-energies-like-wind-power-solar/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Pond scum stinks. And so do the Obama administration's enormous, taxpayer-funded 'investments' in politically connected biofuel companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/pond-scum-stinks-and-so-do-the-obama-administration-s-enormous/) [Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/) [Browse all 29 Biofuels quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biofuels/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We seem to forget that everything that is good for the environment is a job. Solar panels don't put themselves up. Wind turbines don't manufacture themselves. Houses don't retrofit themselves and put in their own new boilers and furnaces and better-fitting windows and doors. Advanced biofuel crops don't plant themselves. Community gardens don't tend themselves. Farmers' markets don't run themselves. 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