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green jobs

A Strong Climate Treaty Could Mean More Jobs

The world stands to gain 6.9 million jobs by 2030 in the clean energy sector if a strong deal is reached in Copenhagen, according to a report released recently by Greenpeace International and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC).

A switch from coal to renewable electricity generation will not just avoid 10 billion tons of CO2 emissions, but will create 2.7 million more jobs by 2030 than if we continue business as usual. Conversely, the global coal industry — which currently supports about 4.7 million employees worldwide — is likely to contract by more than 1.4 million jobs by 2030, due to rationalization measures in existing coal mines.

10/07/2009 1 comment

Clean Transportation

Stimulus Transportation Spending Lags Predictions

written by Elsa Wenzel

Article by Michael Grabell appearing courtesy of ProPublica.

Stimulus money for transportation projects is being spent far more slowly than expected.

When the economic stimulus act passed in February, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the U.S. Department of Transportation would spend about $5 billion by the end of the fiscal year, which was Wednesday.

But Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday that only $3.4 billion has been spent so far – about a third less than forecast. Rep. John Mica, the top Republican on the House transportation committee, said the spending rate was disappointing, noting that unemployment figures released today were expected to hit 9.8 percent.

10/05/2009 0 comment

Renewable Energy

5 Tips: How to Write an Entry-Level Resume

written by Ceylan Thomson

For entry-level job seekers, resume writing seems like a catch-22: You need a resume to get a job, but you need experience to put on a resume. How are you supposed to show that despite your lack of professional experience you’re ready to jump in and make an impact? Entry-level resumes do look different from resumes for professionals with extensive experience, but many of the same resume-writing principles apply. Here are a few tips for how to package yourself effectively as you start your job search.

1. Emphasize your education.

On resumes for established professionals, educational details are generally presented as the final section, after the details on career history. The reason for this is that once you’ve been out of school for a while, your professional track record matters more in defining what you’ve done and what you’re capable of doing in the future. If you’ve just graduated, however, it makes more sense to highlight your education up front, including the date of graduation. This positions you as a promising new candidate ready to go out and make a difference.

09/10/2009 1 comment

Renewable Energy

Van Jones Resigns: Three Green Takeaways

written by Joe Walsh

With the resignation of White House CEQ member and “Green Jobs Czar” Van Jones over Labor Day weekend, the movement toward a green tech economy took more than just a symbolic hit. Take these three lessons from Jones’ resignation as signals that the Senate’s lift on energy/climate change legislation in the coming weeks may be even tougher than predicted:

Green as Granola…or Worse? We have seen time and again this year that in spite of further entrenchment with skeptics, the green movement is still not resonant in red state America. In fact, they see climate change and energy reform as hippie holdover hokum. The Jones resignation proves that in at least one way, the movement is still way too far out on the fringe. The idea that a White House-level official with Jones stature and profile could possibly have been affiliated with a 9/11-truth group — even in a peripheral way — demonstrates that a lot of the movement’s leadership comes from well outside the political mainstream.

09/08/2009 20 comments

Renewable Energy

Building a Green Economy: Green Jobs, Transmission Lines & Microgrids

written by Peter Asmus

Imperial County, tucked away in the southeastern corner of California, has long suffered from perennial unemployment rates exceeding 20 percent.

Yet Imperial County is also home to the “crown jewel” of all geothermal steam resources in the U.S., making it a prime spot to showcase how renewable energy can help spur the new green economy so enthusiastically touted by the Obama Administration.

Late December, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the construction of the $1.9 billion Sunrise PowerLink transmission line, which could send clean electricity from Imperial County to San Diego. However, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) petitioned the California Supreme Court last January to review this decision, citing San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E) refusal to guarantee that the transmission project would be reserved exclusively for renewable energy resources.

08/31/2009 11 comments

Energy Efficiency

Green Job Training: U.S. government holding five grant competitions

written by Jeff Kart

If the headline doesn’t get you, the price tag might: $500 million.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis was in Memphis last week to announce five grant competitions, totaling $500 million, to fund projects that will prepare workers for green jobs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.

Sharpen your pencils. Four of the contests are aimed at training workers through various national, state and community outlets, according to Solis:

Energy Training Partnership Grants;
Pathways Out of Poverty Grants;
State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grants;
Green Capacity Building Grants.

06/29/2009 5 comments

Energy Efficiency

Van Jones Answers Questions on Green Jobs & Energy Efficiency

written by Ceylan Thomson

Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), yesterday answered questions from Facebook and the White House website about President Obama’s vision for a clean energy economy.

If you missed the live chat, here’s the video of the event.

06/25/2009 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Green Tech Job Hunt: Follow the Money

written by Frank Marquardt

Following the money isn’t just a great way to track corruption to its source. It’s also a solid job search strategy.

And it can be a particularly effective way to find a job in industries, like clean tech, where most companies are somewhere in the start-up phase.

Who’s Getting the Dough

Green media sites like Greentech Media, CleanEdge, and CleanTechies regularly publish articles about who’s investing in whom. When a venture capital firm puts money into a start-up, some of that dough will pay people’s salaries. So by tracking venture capital investments, you can get a pretty good idea about companies in your focus area that are likely to be opening job requisitions soon. Then you can target your networking to try to get to know some people at that company.

06/15/2009 1 comment

Renewable Energy

Green Technology Job Hunt: Succeed With Clear Goals

written by Frank Marquardt

It doesn’t matter where you are on the green technology job hunt. Maybe you’re contemplating a career change, or you’re just starting the job hunt, or you’re deep into networking. Your ability to use your job-hunting time effectively, get the most from your networking, and prioritize your daily tasks depends on knowing what you want.

But if you’re like many job seekers, you don’t know what you want. Okay, maybe you know you want to work in the solar industry, or on sustainable transportation issues, or on a more energy efficient grid. Or maybe you know you’d love to work in any of those areas, because they’d all align with your desire to promote sustainable change in your day-to-day work. That’s all well and good. But if a hiring manager popped out of your computer and asked you, “what do you want to do?” would you be able to tell her the role, the clean tech sector, and why in 30 seconds or less?

05/22/2009 3 comments

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