Oakland's Van Jones kicked off Friday's Netroots Nation program with the usual wit, insight and humor that have made him one of the go-to voices for the green movement and national social justice issues.

Jones's speech and following Q&A touched on everything from the need for progressive bloggers to mobilize and continue covering important issues to his brief white house career and why he chose to resign (he didn't want to be the “banana peel that the President slipped on”, and distract him from the healthcare fight) to his favorite TV shows-The West Wing and Sesame Street.

Below is the full speech and the following Q&A. The NetRoots keynotes and select panels will be screening throughout the weekend. You can watch them live here.