WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Van Jones defies environmentalist stereotypes . He 's not the earthy-crunchy , Birkenstock-wearing type . Nor is he a contemporary and corporate version -- a hedge fund-fueled entrepreneur looking to make millions by building wind farms and solar-powered corporate headquarters . `` We want to bring green jobs to people who do n't have hope , '' says Van Jones , the president 's `` green jobs '' chief . The new special adviser for `` green jobs '' -- those jobs that help reduce energy consumption and lessen environmental impact -- at the White House Council on Environmental Quality is in some ways like President Obama himself : an African-American community activist and organizer who has rocketed to the highest levels of government . Jones says it was death , of all things , that set him on his current career path as a green-jobs guru . In describing his turn from social activist to environmentalist , Jones recounted his experiences with young people in Oakland , California . `` I got involved in this work because I got tired of going to funerals . I got tired of seeing young people without any hope , '' Jones told CNN . `` I wanted them to have a better future . I said , 'Why do n't we get these young people trained in green jobs so they can be a part of all these companies that are getting started ? ' `` So Jones , a Yale Law School graduate and longtime community activist , started an organization called `` Green For All '' in Oakland . The mission was to figure out how to train underprivileged young people in green-jobs skills , such as installing solar panels and retrofitting houses to make them more energy efficient . Watch more on Van Jones ' career » . `` People talk about global warming . ... I want to cool the Earth down . I also want to calm the block down , '' said Jones . Jones ' efforts earned him national recognition and grabbed the attention of Obama 's advisers . Now , he is the president 's pitchman for green jobs , helping to coordinate government agencies focused on delivering millions of green jobs to the ailing U.S. economy . `` I see myself as the green-jobs handyman . My job is to make sure that the president 's desire that we have literally millions of green jobs in our country actually turns into reality , '' said Jones . Yet even in places like Michigan , where unemployment is a whopping 15 percent -- well above the national average of 9.5 percent -- Jones understands there 's skepticism about his message . CNN followed Jones on a recent visit to Lansing , Michigan , where he told attendees at a green-jobs conference that saving the planet and saving jobs can go hand in hand . `` You say , 'Oh no , oh no -- you 're gon na talk about the caulking gun . Oh no ! ' `` Jones joked with the crowd . Critics , though , have serious concerns about the `` green collar '' agenda . They argue that those green jobs -- retrofitting homes to make them more energy-efficient , for instance -- will be mostly low-level and low-paying . Jones dismisses that . `` You take somebody and maybe this summer they 're putting up solar panels , '' Jones said . `` Well guess what , this is a growing part of our economy -- the next summer they can be a manager , the next summer , maybe they can be an owner , an investor , an inventor . '' While Jones tries to spread his green message , he 's also trying to practice what he preaches . That means taking public transportation , including a bus and train ride , to get to his office just across the street from the White House . He says those rides give him valuable opportunities to hear unvarnished views . Describing his work as a member of the executive branch , Jones said , `` Everybody that comes talk to us , they 've already got an agenda , they 've got their game face on . [ On ] public transportation , people are themselves . '' As for who Jones is , he gave CNN a brief look at his new office at the White House Council on Environmental Quality . On the walls hang pictures of his heroes , each Jones described with a different strength . Basketball legend Michael Jordan : dedication and commitment . Boxing legend Muhammad Ali : fighting spirit . Finally , pointing to a picture above his desk , Jones ' tone grew softer . `` This is Bobby Kennedy the day before he was killed . In Watts , talking to some of the poorest people in California . And look at him . I mean , he 's just present , '' Jones said , his eyes focused on Kennedy 's image . `` We want to bring green jobs to these kind of folks . We want to bring green jobs to people who do n't have hope . ''
Van Jones says death set him on career path : `` I got tired of going to funerals '' He worked as a social activist before becoming `` green-jobs '' guru . He advises president on jobs that help cut energy use , do n't harm environment . Jones : `` I see myself as the green-jobs handyman ''