The Green Collar Job Revolution
Written by Corinne Garcia Thursday, September 23 2010
If you were to search through the job postings on the “Green Dream Jobs” section of SustainableBusiness.com, you would see jobs such as organic farm product specialist; energy & green building project manager; sustainable design technician; green light district coordinator; environmental financial analyst; solar expert; wind resource analyst; and energy auditing & weatherization instructors, among many more – 36 pages more, to be exact. They’re called “green collar” jobs, and they’re here to stay.
But if you had searched this site when it started up in 1996, you may have seen one or two job listings if you were lucky. “In terms of it being a serious field with subsectors, there were zero jobs listed back then,” says Rona Fried, CEO of SustainableBusiness.com. She describes her site as the first green job service and green industry news on the web.
Back when Fried started the website, there was only a small, marginal group of people interested in sustainability, she explains, and they were scattered across the globe. She saw the internet as a way to bring them together.
And today? “It’s gone from nothing to transforming most of the world’s industries,” Fried says. She dubs her website as the leading green job service in the country, and she sees new green jobs popping up in just about every field.
“The most obvious are the different kinds of renewable energy,” she says. “Nobody took that seriously back then, and now it’s the biggest and fastest- growing industry in the world.” She sees the same trends for the green building industry and sustainable agriculture.
And the industries that are not greening up are probably on their way out, she predicts, referring to them as “dinosaur industries.”
The evolution of sustainability in the business world is clearly evident today, but according to Fried, consumer demand didn’t necessarily drive this train. Instead, Fried credits the hard work of “extremely active” environmental nonprofits and the rise in concrete science related to global warming. She sites examples like the U.S. Green Building Council that developed the LEED rating system and Ceres, a sort of environmental watchdog for the investment industry.
“Every single industry has been greened or is in the process of being greened,” Fried says. “No one is questioning it anymore – why it’s profitable or why we should care.”
Here are examples of some green collar jobs that have developed in the various industries:
Green builders: In just about every community you can find building companies that focus on green building techniques to feed client demand for healthier structures and sustainable, environmentally friendly building products. And those companies that aren’t solely based on green practices will at least have a green building specialist on staff.
Renewable energy technicians: Water, wind, wave, solar, you name it – there’s sure to be a specialist out there. Along with those selling renewable energy sources to homeowners looking to cut down their energy bills, there are also those developing and honing in on a variety of innovative energy options for the future.
Energy auditors: From large corporate buildings to single-family households, energy auditor work is turning into big-time business. Auditors typically search out the biggest energy suckers and make recommendations for more sustainable, energy-saving options.
Small farmers: These days, it’s not uncommon to hear about someone quitting a desk job to pursue a dream of green thumbing. Small farms, most organic or close to it, are popping up all over the nation, and they’re actually making it thanks to the local eating craze.
Education jobs: New programs in sustainable fields are sprouting up at universities and trade schools. Some schools are even going as far as opening a separate branch, such as the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. New green majors include Sustainable Studies, Sustainable Tourism, Renewable Energy Degrees, Sustainable Food & Bioenergy, and on and on. And for every new course, schools need teachers, opening up a whole new job market in the field of education.
Green service industry jobs: Green lawyers, green accountants, green PR firms, green house cleaners, whatever service industry you can imagine, there’s probably someone out there who is focusing on sustainable clients. “It’s a way for people to transition from the traditional lines of work to the green side,” Fried says.
The options for green collar jobs are limitless. Think of any industry and type of work, and there’s a green job out there, or the opportunity to create one. For a list of green collar jobs, and more resources, check out these sites:
SustainableBusiness.com, for green job listings. Coming this fall is a comprehensive guide to green education programs in the United States.
GreenJobs.com, for jobs specifically in green energy.
hubpages.com/hub/Green_Collar_Jobs, for a list of the Top 25 Green Jobs & their salaries.
Hortjobs.com, for jobs specifically in horticulture.
Corinne Garcia is a freelance writer and editor living with her husband and two young boys in Bozeman, Mont. She has also written for Women’s Adventure, Christian Science Monitor, Northwest Travel, Pregnancy, Fit Pregnancy, and Fit Parent.
