What
is a “green job”? That depends. The term is ambiguous enough to be open
to interpretation. Ask people at random and you get answers like “jobs
in industries that are related to renewable energy” or “someone who
works in recycling.” Green jobs are these—and much more.
They’re everywhere
You
may not know exactly what green jobs are, but you do know that they’re
everywhere. You can’t open a magazine, turn on the TV, or surf the
Internet without finding some mention of green jobs.
Elected
officials from President Barack Obama on down use the term when talking
about the steps that will restore the economy, save the planet, and put
America back to work. It pops up amid the barrage of dour employment
news. February’s unemployment rate was
9.7 percent. Add stagnating wages, declines in manufacturing, pay cuts,
layoffs, underemployment…you get the picture.
When
you factor in the increasingly grim news about climate change, species
extinction, and environmental degradation, the image of a green-job
future offers a beacon of hope on the overpopulated, smoggy horizon.
Definitions
As
to defining green job, there are differences of opinion, but all seem
to agree that the work, while earning a living wage, also improves the
environment. The Environmental Defense Fund’s Green Jobs Guidebook
classifies green jobs in California on the basis of “whether they are
related to either preventing or adapting to climate change.”
Green
jobs aren’t just an American phenomenon, either. In 2008, a United
Nations report noted the emergence of green jobs around the world. Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World
embraces all types of jobs that protect the environment; reduce energy,
water, and materials consumption; “de-carbonize” the economy; and
minimize or eliminate waste and pollution.
While for some people
getting a green job will mean retraining, many of the jobs are in the
same areas where people already work. The same sheet-metal workers who
built automobiles are in demand to make wind turbines. Energy-efficient
buildings need the skills of roofers and electricians. What now
makes these jobs “green” is that the people working in them are helping
protect the environment and build a clean-energy economy. Lots of good
green jobs are going unfilled now because there aren’t enough skilled
workers to meet the demand.
Fast-growing categories
If
you’re looking for a job or a new career path, you can probably carve
out an eco-niche in any field, but there are some job categories that
will be growing more quickly than others, thanks to the funds, tax
credits, grants, bonds, and other incentives provided by the 2009 Recovery Act.
The
money will fuel jobs in industry, academia, nonprofits, governments,
and other sectors in every state. Each direct job creates even more
indirect jobs, too, multiplying the possibilities.
For a
couple examples, if you want a job that helps our planet’s flora and
fauna into the future, look for the following key words in job titles:
Environment, Conservation, Ecology Any
job with one of these words in the title is going to be in demand now,
whether it’s an engineer, biologist, lawyer, chemist, economist,
consultant, or educator. With the nearly $12 billion in stimulus money
going for environmental cleanup work in twelve states, as well as
climate change and science research, you can bet that these
professionals will be busy.
Farming, Organic, Locally Grown Surprised? In January 2009, Fast Company
published its list of top ten green jobs for the next decade. At first
glance, the most surprising job on the list was farmer. Upon
reflection, it isn’t such a stretch.
There are about two
million farmers in the country now. While an increasing number are
adopting organic farming systems in order to lower costs and conserve
resources, it will take millions more of them to grow all the food we
need in sustainable, small-scale, local ways. And according to a recent
eHow.com article on the top ten most respected jobs, farmer is right up there with doctor, firefighter, and engineer.
Sustainable future
We’re
already suffering a bit from “green fatigue.” Certainly the word is
used excessively—and in some cases, deceptively—so maybe we’ll have to
come up with a new one. With luck, the term will become obsolete
anyway. There won’t be “green” jobs and “non-green” jobs, because we’ll
all be working and living as sustainably as possible, no matter how we
earn our income.
A. Bronwyn Llewellyn is a veteran writer
and editor who has written, edited, or ghost-written a dozen books on
careers, horses, interior design, Shakespeare, and green jobs, among
others. She has written and edited text for scores of museum
exhibitions on topics ranging from honeybees to high technology,
skyscrapers to civil rights. Currently she is writing the text for a
new science museum in Reno, Nevada, and is the assistant editor of two
popular astrology websites based in San Francisco. Ms. Llewellyn holds
a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Museum Studies.
