Green Career Central Blog

Green Jobs Growing: Fuel Efficient and Hybrid Vehicles Creating Green Jobs

According to a new study from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation and the United Auto Workers, there are 151,000 green jobs in the auto industry.  More than 300 manufacturers in 43 states and the District of Columbia employ these green workers who develop, manufacture and assemble plug-in electrical, hybrid and advanced internal combustion vehicles.  Michigan is the leader among the states with 38,067 green jobs at 97 facilities. 

Among the many elements to manufacturing a fuel efficient vehicle are engine direct injection, high strength steel, electric drive wiring systems, advanced transmissions, start/stop components and systems.  

As the Federal requirements for improved fuel efficiency among vehicles increase, the need for more auto workers to design, manufacture and assemble is expected to continue to climb.    

Green Jobs Growing: Which CA City Leads the State in Green Jobs? Hint: It's Not San Francisco

Which city leads the nation in number of green jobs and that number will more than double by 2030?  According to a new study released by the Californians for Clean Energy and Jobs Network, Los Angeles is the leader.

Over the last decade the rate of green job creation has been three times as much as the rest of the Los Angeles basin economy.  There are now about 178,500 green jobs out of an estimated 4.5 million jobs.  By 2040 the number of green jobs is expected to grow to 443,000.  The definition of a green job used by the study is the same definition used by the state Employment Development Department's Labor Market Information Divison.

Californians for Clean Energy and Jobs grew out of the No on Proposition 23 organization.  It is co-led by former Secretary of State George Shultz and businesses/philanthropist Tom Steyer.

Green Jobs Growing: Green/Clean Jobs Continue to Grow at National Science Labs

National and local labs conducting energy and climate science research are good places to look for green/clean jobs.  Here are a few.

In Tennessee, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory employs 4,800 people, making Knoxville first among all cities in the nation in growth in green jobs.  A portion of the Lab is dedicated to energy including renewable energy and energy efficiency and biological systems including bioenergy.

In Colorado, the National Renewable Energy Lab located in the western suburbs of Denver, has job openings for highly qualified scientists, engineers, research technicians, project leaders, and analysts.  NREL works on the development and commercialization of renewable energy including geothermal, hydrogen, biomass as well as solar and wind.

In California the Lawrence Livermore Lab is working on renewable energy, climate and carbon as well as other projects.  Also in Northern California is the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.  Research into the earth's carbon cycle is being conducted there.

Near Albuquerque, NM, the Sandia National Lab is researching energy, climate and infrastructure security.  

Green Jobs Growing: Study Says There Are 2.7 Million Green Jobs in U.S.

According to a study done by the Brookings Institute and Battele, there are about 2.7 million green jobs is the U.S.  The study was conducted between 2003 and 2010. Using this 2.7 million figure translates into more employment in green sectors than in fossil fuel.

Using the bureau of Labor statistics, a graph was created that compared Total Jobs with Clean Economy jobs.  The study also researched and created a list of cities that have the highest percentage of green jobs.

Any time you review green jobs number, pay close attention to how the organizations are defining "green jobs." In this case they are including a wide range of industries including waste management and treatment, conservation, energy saving materials, public transit, organic food, smart grid and renewable energy. If you compare their list with our Green Economy Map, you'll see they've covered a lot of the green sectors we track. 

To download the entire report from the Brookings Institute go here.

Green Jobs Growing: Field Biologists Doing Ground Work for Wind, Solar Farms in the Desert

In addition to the hundreds of jobs created in construction and design when a new solar or wind power plant is being built, there are also green jobs being created before ground is broken.  In California and the Southwest, field biologists are being hired to spend time at proposed sites to gather important information about the environmental impact of the farm.  These "bio-nomads" are doing surveys to determine the kinds of species in the area, including any endangered or at risk species, and the size of these populations.

It's likely that this data may play a key role in whether the solar or wind plant is built at that location.

Biologists also need to be on hand to work with the developers to make sure the environment isn't negatively impacted during the construction phase. Their work may include putting radio collars on animals, tracking their movements, and relocating them if they wander into the construction zone.

After a plant is established, biologists will have an opportunity to assess the actual impact on these key species. The big unknown is whether and by how much, these large solar and wind farms will impact the flora and fauna in the area. No one has ever tried to build such massive plants in the desert before.

According to the blog post on The California Report/ClimateWatch, biologists are happy with the increase in the amount of work, the opportunity to work outdoors and meeting other field biologists.

Green Jobs Growing: Solar Industry Now Employs More Than Steel Production

According to the 2010 Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 93,500 people are employed directly and indirectly in the US solar industry. 

By way of comparison to another industry, there are 9,200 more solar industry jobs than US steel production jobs. If all of the jobs in the steel industry are included in the count, the steel industry comes out ahead of solar by about 6,500 jobs.

Let's look at another comparison to add even more perspective. Although the population of Germany is about 25% of the US population, the photovoltaic sector of the German solar industry employs 100,000 people.

Given that solar is a multi-faceted industry, it has the potential the employ many more people than the 93,500 described here. Watch for more growth as various elements of the solar industry continue to grow.

Green Jobs Growing: Renewables and the Environment Leading All Industry Sectors

In an effort to visualize the job growth in industry sectors, Wired Magazine, in collaboration with LinkedIn, graphed the percentage of LinkedIn users who moved from one industry into another in the last five years. Leading all sectors by a nearly two to one advantage was renewables and the environment.  

This article also highlights the early glimmers of a new employment trend that they are calling Smart Jobs. These jobs don't fall into the typical categories used to describe jobs. Think of them as a mash up of blue collar industries and technical skills that require vocational training or college education. You can check out this map to see an array of industries they are tracking (some are green/sustainable, others not so much perhaps).

Green Jobs Growing: Arizona Public-Private Partnership Attracting Solar Companies

By making attractive offers to solar companies, including a renewable energy tax break, the state of Arizona has landed 11 solar companies in the past year.  With its history of defense contractor companies, silicon tech companies and their educated workforce, and plenty of sun to test solar devices, Phoenix and the surrounding suburbs was the perfect place for solar companies to locate.  It has been estimated that the 11 companies together will create 6,300 direct jobs and 20,000 indirect jobs. 

A public-private consortium entitled the Greater Phoenix Economic Council helped the companies locate to Phoenix and find existing empty buildings.  Some companies were able to set up factories and ship products in as little as seven months.  Being located near California, which has an aggressive renewable energy portfolio standard, has also helped these solar companies ramp up business. 

 

Green Jobs Growing: Venture Capital Companies Offer Clues to Green Companies

One of the best ways to find posted green career jobs is to follow the venture capitalists that are funding many enterprises. 

The Maryland Clean Energy Center has compiled a list of Green Venture Capital Firms. When you visit this site you'll find over 20 venture capitalist firms with a brief description of their specialties. When you see one that interests you, click through to the firms Web site to review their entire portfolio.

Use this list for four purposes,

1) If you want to work for a green venture capital firm, review the list for potential employers.

2) Even if you aren't interested in working in venture capital, review each venture capitalist profile to learn about their portfolio of companies. If you know the kind of position you are pursuing, you'll be able to pinpoint potential companies for your target list.

3) As you review each venture capitalist, take a look at the job openings they have listed for their portfolio of companies. For instance, San Francisco Bay Area based Kliner Perkins currently has 200 career openings culled from their portfolio of greentech companies and 1357 openings from all of their companies. 

4) By tracking developments through the eyes of a venture capitalist you will pick up trends within your target industry.

Green Jobs Growing: EPA Launches Energy Star National Commercial Building Competition to Reduce Energy Use

The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a one-year Energy Star competition among 245 commercial buildings within the United States to reduce their energy usage.  A group of finalists, chosen in July, will compete for the title of 2011 Energy Star National Building. The winner, to be announced in November, will be the building that reduces it's energy usage intensity. 

In late July, EPA will narrow down the field to a select group of finalists. Among this group of finalists, the competitor that reduces its energy use the most on a percentage basis will be recognized by EPA as the winner in November.

Actions You Can Take

• To follow the progress, do a twitter search on #ESNBC.
  
  
• Track developments on their forum that resides on Facebook.

• Participate in the EPA's Bring Green to Your Work program. For instance, this part of their site provides everything you need to host a brown bag lunch in your workplace - tips sheets, posters, fast facts, and guidelines on how to start a green team at work. If you'd like to work in green building or energy efficiency, participating in this program will give you experience you can use to strengthen your green resume.

• If you work in building operations or want to work in a green building, scan the 245 buildings pictured in this photo array to see if any of them are located in your area. You can click on the SORT tab to pull up 12 different building categories from hotels to financial institutions and schools to hospitals. If you want a more extensive list, enter your state or city into the search function of the ENERGY STAR list of Certified Buildings and Plants.