In the past few years we are hearing more and more about "green-collar jobs. The environmental crisis is generating a whole new job sector to fuel the need for energy efficient products and services that use renewable resources. It is estimated that 25% of all American jobs in 2025 will be related to the energy that will be produced from renewable sources. This amounts to a staggering 5 million new green-collar jobs.
Those numbers sound great, but what is a "green-collar? Our dependence on fossil fuels, especially in the U.S. is seriously damaging our environment and is having a negative impact on our economy. The need for new products and services that will help us develop a more energy efficient society is creating a host of new jobs and the redesigning of jobs that are already in existence. In order to bolster our economy, good jobs that are in green industries need to be created.
In 2007, the United States passed the Green Jobs Act, under then President George Bush. This provided funding to help train multiple skill levels in the areas of the renewable energy and energy-efficiency industries. Jobs that are included in this bill cover jobs such as:
1. Bio diesel related jobs ie, Car and truck mechanic jobs, production jobs, and gas-station jobs
2. The building of energy efficient homes and businesses will create all levels of construction jobs.
3. Construction jobs to retrofit existing homes to increase their energy efficiency
4. Large scale waste composting
5. Environmentally friendly landscaping
6. Construction debris recycling.
7. Manufacture and sales of environmentally friendly cleaning products
8. Industries that use recycled materials to produce new products.
9. Ecotourism
10.The development,installation and maintenance of wind and solar products
11.All phases of hybrid car manufacturing, distribution and maintenance
12.Hazardous material clean up services
13.Bicycle manufacture, sales and support
14.Composting
Where to Find Green Collar Jobs
Online resources like Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com have sections devoted to green-collar jobs. A Google search for green-collar jobs will give you a wealth of information on the latest sites that focus on green-collar jobs. But the best way to find jobs is the tried and true method of networking. Most jobs are never posted online or in the newspaper, so be sure to let your family, friends, and business contacts of your interest in a green job.
Another great way to network is to work as a volunteer doing something either related to your field of interest or at least in the environmental sector.
A Green Education
Getting the proper education to secure a green-collar job will be getting easier and easier since the "Green Job Act" will be providing funding for education. On the job training will be all that is needed for entry level positions, and vocational schools are starting to offer programs. More and more colleges and universities are providing baccalaureate, master's and doctorate degrees in a variety of high end "green careers".
OpenCourseWare is a program that offers free collegiate level programs through MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). While you don't get college credits, you can have a world class education for free if you are disciplined enough to study outside a classroom.
Conclusion
It is projected that within the next 20 years, 25% of all jobs in the United States will be green-collar jobs. Now is the time to get in on the ground floor of a new job sector. Re-evaluationg your current job to be sure that it can be adapted into the "green market" may offer you job security in the future. If your job isn't environmentally friendly you will need to think about "going green" today.
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Beverly Saltonstall deeply cares about the environment and writes articles that help people understand the serious pollution problems we all face. Visit http://pollutionwebsite.com for articles, podcasts, news and products on many topics related to pollution. Get your free report, "Simple Steps You Can Take to Reduce Pollution", today!
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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