PHILADELPHIA — Vice President Joe Biden chaired the first meeting of the White House's middle-class task force Friday, hearing testimony about how investing in green jobs will put idle workers into well-paying positions while also improving energy efficiency and reducing dependence on oil.

Tens of thousands of jobs would be created by weatherizing buildings, laying down thousand of miles of new energy lines, installing solar panels and other projects funded by the $787 billion stimulus, according to Biden, environmental advocates and other government leaders.

"This green movement, this green wave has a moral responsibility to be a green wave that lifts all boats," Van Jones, president of the environmental group Green for All, told task force members in a meeting at the University of Pennsylvania.

The stimulus package includes billions to help create such green jobs, which President Barack Obama's administration believes will help raise living standards for middle-class families. Biden promised the money for green jobs would be moved out as quickly as possible and more details will be released in the coming weeks.

Green jobs can pay 10 to 20 percent more than other jobs of a similar nature, Biden said. Advocates speaking at the meeting, meanwhile, cautioned that officials need to ensure the green jobs become middle-class jobs and don't turn into lower-paying jobs.

On a second panel, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told the task force how his city was organizing training for green jobs that includes retrofitting homes, waste management and home construction. There are 400,000 row homes in Philadelphia that can be weatherized and made more efficient, lowering utility costs 20 percent to 40 percent, according to Biden.