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Oakland activist Van Jones is on a mission to bring green-collar jobs to the urban poor. His mightiest weapon: His mouth. … More than any other single figure, he has ushered the phrase “green-collar jobs” into the political lexicon — and economic reality. Last year, Jones led a coalition of business, labor, and environmental groups that persuaded the Oakland City Council to provide $250,000 in seed money for the country’s first green-collar-jobs corps, which will train low-income youth in the renewable-energy, organic-food, and green-construction industries.