The Green Czar, Van Jones, is finally talking about his controversial departure from the White House after his resignation as Obama’s  top environmental adviser. Below, Jones pens an open letter to his supporters about his departure from the administration.

Dear Friends:

My family and I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support that we have received over the past week or so. I resigned from the White House on Sept. 6, and I have remained silent since then–in keeping with my promise not to be a distraction during a key moment in the Obama Presidency.

Over the past several days, however, many people have been asking how they can help and what they can do.

The main thing is this: please do everything you can to support both President Obama and the green jobs movement. Winning real change is ultimately the best response to these kinds of smear campaigns.

I ask everyone to:

1. Support President Obama’s efforts to fix our nation’s health care, energy and education systems. His victory last fall did not represent the “finish line” in the fight to renew America; his election was just the “starting line.” This autumn, it is time to make history again–with victories on health care and clean energy.

2. Sign up to support groups that are working for green jobs. As others seek to vilify or marginalize the movement for a clean energy economy, the leading groups deserve increased support. This is the year to ensure that the clean energy transformation creates good job opportunities for everyone in America.

3. Spread the green jobs gospel. The ideas and ideals of the green jobs movement are grounded in fundamental American values–innovation, entrepreneurship, and equal opportunity. My true thoughts can be found in my book: The Green Collar Economy. Check it out from the library–or order a copy and share it with a friend. See for yourself why clean energy and green jobs are good for our country.

4. Stay connected and speak up for me via your favorite blogs (e.g., Huffington Post, Grist, Jack & Jill, etc.), on message boards and all of your favorite social networking platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Supporters have set up a couple of them, to help you stay engaged, including: I Stand With Van Jones and I Love Van Jones.

In due course, I will be offering my perspective on what has happened–including correcting the record about false charges. In the meantime, I must get my family affairs in order and sort through numerous offers and options.

I want to be clear that I have nothing but love and admiration for President Obama and the entire administration. White House staffers are there to serve and support the President, not the other way around. At this critical moment in history, I could not in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. The White House needs all its hands on deck, fighting for the future.

Of course, some supporters actually think I will be more effective on the “outside.” Maybe so. But those ideas always remind me of that old canard about Winston Churchill. After he lost a hard-fought election, a friend told him: “Winston, this really is just a blessing in disguise.” Churchill quipped: “Damned good disguise.” I can certainly relate to that sentiment right now.

Nonetheless, we must keep moving forward. Let’s continue our work to make an America as good as its promise. These are historic times. And we have a lot more history to make.

Sincerely,

Van Jones

The White House announced the resignation of  top environmental adviser, Van Jones, who had talked smack about Republicans and signed a petition supporting the 9/11 conspiracy theory.

Van Jones issued a statement decrying “lies and distortions” and a “smear campaign” that he claimed was waged against him by conservatives even though Jones was forced to apologize in recent days for some past statements, including a speech posted on YouTube in which he called Republicans “assholes.” (Editor’s note: *snicker.)

“On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me,” Jones wrote in his resignation letter. “But I came here to fight for others, not for myself,” Jones added. “I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past.”

Nicknamed the “Green Jobs’ Czar,” Van Jones is the founder of Green For All, an organization that promotes green-collar jobs for the disadvantaged. He also authored the 2008 New York Times best-seller, The Green Collar Economy.

We at Sustainability Ninja are pleased to hear that the Obama administration has added a Green Jobs Advisor position to their roster of government officials. Van Jones, founder of Green For All, an organization that promotes green-collar jobs for the disadvantaged, was offered the gig by President Obama yesterday.

Jones, who has authored the 2008 New York Times best-seller, The Green Collar Economy, is also the co-founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Color of Change.

Green For All writes that Jones’ duties will include, “helping to shape and implement job-generating climate policy; working to ensure equal protection and equal opportunity in the administration’s climate and energy proposals; and publicly advocating the administration’s environmental and energy agenda.”

Congrats, Mr. Jones! We look forward to watching your upcoming panel at the meeting of the Middle Class Task Force in Philadephia.