Top 10 U.S. Cities For Green Job Seekers

According to a Mother Nature Network listing, the top 10 cities for green jobs. California led the pack with three of its cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento in the top 10. Green jobs increased in California by 36% between 1995 and 2008, compared with an overall job growth of only 13%. The top five from their list follows:

1. San Francisco is the number one city with more than 42,000 green jobs. As the San Francisco Chronicle's blog points out, for a city with a population of 809,000, that's a pretty impressive number. A sixth of the city's green-collar jobs are in the energy generation sector, with most of these in the solar industry. The city recently passed $100 million worth of bonds to create sustainable jobs and businesses. In addition to solar jobs, San Francisco is also filled with environmental consulting, green tech, and greenhouse gas emission monitoring jobs. MNN invited green architects in search of work to move to the city by the Bay, noting that 20 big construction projects have recently applied for LEED certification here.

2. Denver came in at number two, which wasn't surprising given that it is home to Vestas Wind Systems and other solar firms and clean tech companies. Government institutions, such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which is based in Denver, have produced green opportunities. During the Obama administration, NREL funding has almost doubled.

3. NYC was ranked third among the top U.S. metro areas for job creation, according to Clean Edge, a clean energy research firm. Also, many of PlaNYC's 127 initiatives are expected to create green jobs, especially because of the $1 billion for building retrofits to increase energy efficiency and because of the plans' target to reduce greenhouse gases by 30%. NYC also hosted a Green Collar Jobs Planning Commission and benefits from active organizations such as Sustainable South Bronx that provide green collar job training.

4. Portland created close to 20,000 clean-energy jobs in 2007. More than 1% of Oregon's 1.9 million jobs are related to the clean energy economy, the highest percentage in the U.S. Oregon ranked 3rd for producing sustainable manufacturing jobs.

5. In Los Angeles, energy generation jobs recently increased by 35% and energy efficiency jobs by 77%. Much of the green-collar job growth in L.A. is due to the 2009 Green Building Retrofit Ordinance, which required that all city-owned buildings greater than 7,500 square feet or built before 1978 be retrofitted to LEED silver certification standards. The ordinance also created a green jobs training program to help combat unemployment.

San Francisco, NYC, and Portland were also on The Daily Green's List of 5 Best Cities to Land a Green Job. The Daily Green also included Boston, which isn't surprising given that the Boston area was recently ranked fourth in a Clean Edge survey of the top U.S. metro areas for clean-tech job creation. Boston also benefits from its many renowned colleges including MIT, Harvard, and Boston University.

The more surprising choice that made both the Daily Green's and MNNs list was the City of Detroit since it currently has an unemployment rate of about 14%. However, Detroit has been the recipient of of U.S. Department of Energy grants that are creating jobs by funding hybrid and electric vehicle manufacturing.

Other cities which have been recommended but didn't make either list are: Washington D.C., Seattle, Chicago, San Diego and Austin. What is exciting about all of these cities is that the green job potential is growing not solely in the domain of cities along the coasts but also in the Midwest and Southwest.

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Best Ways to Find a Green Career

More and more graduates are leaving school with an interest in finding a job that focuses on the many aspects of sustainability. Job seekers will find a nonprofit and for-profit employer pool that is increasingly open to exploring sustainable approaches such as paying employees a living wage, reducing overall waste and becoming more energy efficient.

The public has been instrumental in the rise of support for green jobs. In fact, Feb. 4, 2009 marked the the first official Green Jobs Advocacy Day. Thousands of proponents from around the country gathered on Capitol Hill to lobby for good-paying, green jobs.

Colleges and universities are also responding to this shift toward environmentally and socially responsible practices, and many now offer programs geared toward sustainability.

Several schools including Stanford, Yale and the Bainbridge Graduate Institute offer Sustainable MBA’s, and the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees in sustainability. 

A Values-Based Education

The ASU School of Sustainability offers a Master of Arts, Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Sustainability. The undergraduate program, which was founded in 2008, offers either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Sustainability.

These programs take an interdisciplinary and whole-systems approach to sustainability as students examine social, environmental and economic facets of sustainability.

“This is a values-based degree. The students that come here to study sustainability don’t just study it, they live it; so they look for jobs that match their values,” says Amy Lively, internship coordinator at the ASU School of Sustainability. 

The ASU School of Sustainability also offers a minor in sustainability, so students in other disciplines can also explore how sustainability applies to their primary area of study. 

What Jobs Are Out There?

Almost any job can have a focus on sustainability, although Lively says some of the typical jobs in the green field – especially for those with a graduate degree and experience – include energy analysts, recycling program managers, sustainability coordinators, engineers, urban planners, architects and builders. 

Network, Network, Network

For those preparing to enter the job market, Lively advises seeking out both internship and networking opportunities. For those already in the job market, Lively recommends staying educated about the new breakthroughs in sustainability either through a graduate degree and/or through networking opportunities.

“Get involved, go to Green Drinks gatherings, go to chamber of commerce meetings and seek out like-minded people,” she says. Networking events also give job seekers an opportunity to discuss sustainable initiatives and ideas for implementation with potential employers.

The sustainability field is constantly evolving, and even those with a degree need to stay abreast of these changes. In addition to keeping up with the latest developments, networking, and interning, Lively also sees value in earning certifications in a specific field such as the LEED Credential for those pursuing a career in green architecture and building. 

Any Job Can Be a Green Job

Lively, who also teaches the internship class at the ASU School of Sustainability, emphasizes the importance of looking for a job that matches a candidate’s areas of interest. “We teach a sustainable approach to doing the job that you want to do. Consider the job first and the sustainability angle second. What is it you want to do, and how will you implement sustainability into that and then get the training you need?”

ASU School of Sustainability students intern in a variety of fields including government, health care, wildlife, retail, education, nonprofit and even entertainment.

Lively also encourages sustainable job seekers to look at any job as a green job. “The economy and job market are tough, but just because a job isn’t advertised as a green job, I still encourage graduates to use the sustainable approaches they learned in any job they take on.” 

Embrace Internships and Volunteer Positions

Potential employers want to see candidates with prior experience. Plus, given the broad job base for careers focused on sustainability, it is a good idea to try different types of internships in order to gain experience and hone in on a specific field of interest. Katie Peige, a 2010 graduate of the ASU School of Sustainability, credits her five internships during college with preparing her for the tough job market.

Peige worked for a variety of organizations including the Network for New Energy Choices, Greenpeace and the Maryland Department of the Environment.  She just secured a paid internship with Herban Lifestyles, helping the company work towards USDA organic certification and helping to expand the company’s online platform by utilizing social media.

“When I go to green networking events, I can relate to a variety of different fields from composting to energy efficiency to transportation to architecture,” says Peige. 

Create Your Own Green Career

The new “green” economy offers many opportunities for savvy entrepreneurs, too. Tom Szaky, founder of Terracycle, and Stephanie Bernstein, founder of To-Go Ware, prove it is possible to start a sustainable company and make a profit.

“Whether you are a student, graduate student or career changer, there is a lot of room for entrepreneurs,” Lively says. “This is a wonderful time to start something new if you can find a sustainable way to solve a problem or invent a product.”

Article by Libuse Binder, Earth911

Women In Green

Last year, multiple reports were released suggesting that women lead their households in green. They are “recycling enforcers” and “out green” men in practices such as reusable shopping bag use and the desire to reduce energy consumption in their homes.

They are “recycling enforcers” and “out green” men in practices such as reusable shopping bag use and the desire to reduce energy consumption in their homes.

Studies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have found that women are more likely than men to buy eco-oriented, recyclable or energy-efficient products.

However, this leadership in the home does not often translate to the workplace, and jobs in the green economy are being created in fields predominantly populated by men (think: engineering or construction).

Indeed, the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor notes that “Green jobs are diverse, rewarding, and overwhelmingly nontraditional to women.”

These trends, on the other hand, present both a challenge and opportunity that many inspiring women have gladly taken on. Highlighting this enthusiasm was the recent Women In Green Forum, which gathered “an international audience focused on environmental issues, including academic researchers, business experts, energy analysts, and technology developers.”

To get the scoop on Women In Green (and women in green, for that manner), Earth911.com reached out to the forum’s emcee, Sarah Backhouse. A mainstream TV writer, producer and host gone eco, Backhouse has worked for Planet Green, Mother Nature Network, PBS and Discovery Channel, among a number of significant accolades.

A gal who knows a thing or two about transitioning into the green sphere, she explained not only how women can get involved in green right now, but also why the time’s never been more ripe.

The Forum

A model walks the expo floor during the Eco Fashion Walk-a-Bout.

According to Backhouse, Women In Green was essentially created when Jamie Nack, president of Three Squares Inc. was attending an environmentally oriented conference and asked her friend, noted green architect and leader John Picard, why there were not more women at the conference.

“John replied, ‘Well, if you’re complaining about it, just set up your own event,’” Backhouse recalls with a laugh. And essentially, that’s what Nack did. “She’s a doer.”

The forum brought together experts from fashion, finance, journalism and more to discuss a variety of topics affecting sustainable industries.

For example, a panel (moderated by Backhouse) that included Meaghan O’Neill, editor-in-chief of Treehugger.com, and Jen Boynton, managing editor of Triple Pundit, brought together movers and shakers in eco-media. The panel discussed why green is finding a “natural home online” versus traditional print media and how social media is intrinsic in the development of green media itself. “We also discussed how we work under this ‘green’ umbrella, and really, in the future [...] green will diversify in all these verticals and every single area will become more green in and of itself,” said Backhouse.

The forum even included an “Eco Fashion Walk-a-Bout.” The original concept, developed by the Women In Green Advisory Board, featured models sporting environmentally conscious designs strolling the expo area for an up-close look at the garments.

Overall, the event proved a success. “We see the first annual Women In Green Forum as a starting point that will lead to future collaboration among female leaders in sustainability and the formation of a community which will open doors for women to pursue careers in the expanding green workforce,” said Jenna Peterson, project coordinator of Three Squares Inc.

Why Ladies, Why Now

A dress made of recycled materials by the Sustainable Sirens.

For Backhouse, the transition of her career from mainstream to green has provided her a unique perspective on how industries are evolving and how women “have a strategic advantage” moving forward.

“I think women are more adept, they have the skill set that’s required to face the particular challenges we’re in,” says Backhouse.

Recent research echoes these opinions. According to a survey by Tiller, LLC, “The environmental sensitivities of women seem to be more finely tuned than those of men.”

“Since the Industrial Revolution, the focus has been on a short-term, profit-driven model, and men have really ruled that space,” says Backhouse. “We’re going to have take a longer view.”

Comparing the historical roles of men as hunters and women as gatherers and managers of the household, Backhouse says that women are “much more pragmatic” and utilize “long-term, strategic thinking.”

Beyond their inherent skills, education rates for women are steadily climbing. “For the first time now, women have overtaken men to make up the majority of the workforce,” she says. “We’re not as equally represented as men, but women are being educated at higher rates than men for the first time.”

In fact, according to Atlantic Magazine, “for every two men who get a college degree this year, three women will do the same.”

In reality, it will require a combination of a number of factors for women to achieve success in sustainability. “It takes collaboration, communication and compassion [...] In those ways, women are really in a good position to capitalize and move forward,” Backhouse adds. 

You Don’t Need a ‘Green’ Career

Moving forward, Backhouse hopes to continue to inspire women to make strides in sustainability. “It’s been a funny few months while this whole talk of women in green has been on my radar, so I’m planning on writing a book about it, how it’s essential and inevitable that women have to take charge and lead sustainability,” says Backhouse. She also hopes that her news show with Discovery, Planet 100, continues to grow. “I want to make eco-news a really big deal.”

But, if being a television host or installing solar panels or designing the next fuel-efficient car isn’t exactly your cup of tea or align with your current field, that’s no problem according to Backhouse. There is no need drop a job you may love, just because there aren’t any environmental perks (yet!).

“I don’t think there’s necessarily something as a ‘green career path,’” she says. “Stay in the industry you’re in, and green that.”

Backhouse suggests looking around at where you already work and making strides from within. For example, lawyers can start by working to reduce the overall paper usage and energy consumption at their office by turning off lights and computers and recycling. Waitresses can make efforts to green a restaurant’s operations by advocating to reduce the use of disposable to-go ware and plastic bags and forks.

“Whatever industry you’re in, you have a special skill set and know it best. If everyone was working in non-profits it would be all out of balance,” says Backhouse.

“I did the same from mainstream media to green media. Don’t throw out your skill set and training (unless you hate your job, obviously!) but just find ways to make it greener.”

Article by Jennifer Berry, Earth911

Green Jobs Come To The Urban Poor

Programs employ local residents and help make low-income housing more efficient.

Members of the L.A. Conservation Corps install solar paneling near Obregan Park in East L.A. (Photo:LA Conservation Corps)

 

Many of Los Angeles' urban poor have bigger concerns than climate change. Nonetheless, the past few years have seen formerly homeless and jobless folks planting gardens, installing solar green jobs as they make upgrades to increase the efficiency of their homes. According to an article in the L.A. Times, green job programming, particularly green construction, is helping scores of citizens get back on their feet while helping to build a more sustainable community. 

 

The story follows some 200 residents from low-income neighborhoods who were previously left out of the green movement. The story says that many "clean-tech businesses are avoiding urban neighborhoods while they pitch green advances elsewhere." Part of the problem is that efficient appliances, hybrid cars, and organic foods are well outside the budget of the people who live in low-income areas. Another is that these products aren't marketed to them or readily available. The Times mentions that it's far easier to find a bag of Cheetos in a poor, urban neighborhood than it is to find a can of tomatoes.

 

There is tremendous lack of education made available to the people who live in these poor areas, unaware of simple changes they could make to save money while decreasing their carbon footprint. But now contractors are discovering that a high-efficiency furnace in a low-income housing unit is a win-win situation for everyone. Inefficient and unsustainable building choices were not only costing the government money in utility bills (the article mentions an extra $1 billion nationally each year), these choices were creating huge zones of wasted energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

 

The article goes on to describe several studies conducted at UCLA that found these inner-city areas to be ripe for many green building upgrades. For instance, a huge section of low-income housing in South L.A. offers prime rooftop space for solar panels. Enter the L.A. Conservation Corps, one of a few organizations working to spread the green word. The corps does everything from encouraging recycling to training young adults to install solar panels and de-pollute properties. The organization also helps its members earn a high school diploma.

 

According to the story, graduates of the L.A. Conservation Corps have certification for such jobs as hazardous waste removal or power plant work. Another group, the California Clean Energy Workforce Training Program, will dedicate some of its $75 million in state grants toward programs targeting low-income urban residents.
The article quotes L.A. City Councilwoman Jan Perry as saying "Environmentalists and the clean tech industry 'don't realize that they could bring in a whole new demographic that they had never contemplated.'" The story emphasizes the tough struggle in moving from homelessness or poverty into the green job market, which is a competitive field these days, but references successful green job training efforts nationwide and in Canada that target the low-income, urban demographic. 

One example cited by the Times is United We Can in Vancouver, which is a recycling, bike repair, and computer refurbishment program that employs "about 150 low-income residents, including some former fishermen and loggers suffering from addiction or mental illness." 

In Los Angeles, there is also a focus on retrofitting industrial areas. According to the story, a company called Imani hopes to hire local workers to produce "crystalline photovoltaic energy cells." While many of these programs to employ local low-income residents still lack funding, the article mentions that organizations remain hopeful and see the potential of the endeavor.

Article by Katie Rank Lev, MotherNatureNetwork

How to Find Green Jobs Training?

Green jobs are one of the most rapidly expanding areas in which you could start looking for a new career. The catch is that many of these careers are brand new and as a result, you will need training to understand how they can be performed. Therefore, you are going to need to find green jobs training as you are expanding into an exciting new field.

Most green jobs training programs will actually be found through the positions open themselves, so you will not have to worry too much about how to learn to perform a new job. You will find, however, that the more skills which you have from the beginning, the more attractive you will be to those hiring for a new position open.

As you start to find new positions opening up, you will want to consider where you are going to get green jobs training from. One immediate solution could be to turn to additional schooling. By taking some classes about environmental sciences, practices, and laws, you can become more of an asset toward anyone who is hiring for a new position. The better that you are able to understand all of the current practices going on, the less green jobs training you will need.

You will also want to think about how you can apply skill sets that you already have toward your green jobs training. Understanding how to adapt yourself and your skills to a new position will help you to stand out more as well. You'll begin to see that adapting what we already have is going to be an important quality of moving into the future. Demonstrating the fact that you are going to be a valuable asset can be an important part of training, especially considering that many green jobs are only now being formulated and are still a growing process.

Seminars put out by eco-friendly companies and organizations can be another way to get the green jobs training which will ultimately help you to land a new career. Once you start to fully understand exactly how every single action that you take is going to have a major impact on the environment, you will begin to see why it is so important for you to move into the future with looking for environmentally friendly jobs. Green jobs training will be one small part of preparing yourself for a great future career, but it will be something that you will be happy that you took the time to invest in.

Article courtesy of greencareersguide.com http://www.greencareersguide.com/How-to-Find-Green-Jobs-Training.html