Green Collar Jobs
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Green Collar jobs are those that have a positive influence on the environment and provide workers with a family sustaining income. They include local jobs in alternative energy, alternative transportation, energy and water conservation and efficiency, green building, material reuse, sustainable local food systems, and recycling, among others.
The Obama administration has tied green jobs to a strong middle class and in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed into law in February, the administration pledged $20 billion dollars for investment in a greener economy, $500 million of which is to go toward green job training. According to Vice President Joe Biden, the council of economic advisors has indicated that green jobs pay 10 to 20 percent more than other jobs. Building a new power grid, manufacturing solar panels, weathering buildings and renovating schools are a few of the ways to create high quality green jobs. That interest in green jobs is growing is apparent in the number of websites, job boards and employment blogs that focus on the green segment of the economy. A few of these include:
- www.greenjobsearch.org (a network for green workers, especially those seeking jobs in solar or wind power industries)
- www.greencollarjobs.com (a job board for jobseekers and employers seeking to fill environmentally friendly positions)
- www.greencollarblog.org (news and resources on green collar jobs)
Details about the impact of President Obama’s economic policies on Oklahoma can be found here www.whitehouse.gov/progressreports/Oklahoma.
Suggested Reading
The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems, by Van Jones.