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Welcome to the Green Career Tip of the Week
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Online Version of this Issue Green Career Tips Archive
We have several event announcements for you this week! GCC is proud to present a live interview with Green Building Industry Expert Danny Beesley on August 12th and you're invited! Check out the What's New section for more info. Also, I will be interviewed by radio host Marty Nemko on August 3rd. Find out more...
Al Gore has challenged our nation to become dramatically greener. Read this week's tip to find what this means for the nation, and how it relates to you and your green career.
Did you get a f.r.e.e month on the Green Career Central site this week? Scroll down to see if the beginning of your email is next to the treasure chest. We do this every week!
Carol on the Air
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I’ve been invited to be a guest on the “Work with Marty Nemko” radio show on a San Francisco NPR affiliate station (KALW, 91.7 FM). Marty has hosted this show for the last nineteen years and is the author of Cool Careers For Dummies.
If you’d like to listen to the show, you can click through to listen LIVE on Sunday, August 3rd at 11 am, or you can listen to the archived version of the show when it is linked up to this page. |
Tip of the Week: Gore’s Green Challenge, Your Green Career
In my role as the co-chair of my city’s Green Ribbon Citizens’ Committee, I had the opportunity to sit in on Al Gore’s call for environmental activists on Friday, July 18, 2008.
On the call Al Gore reiterated his challenge for America that he expressed in a speech on July 17th:
“Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing
100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy
and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.”
Based on his study, thought, research, and Solution Summits with scientists, engineers, and CEOs, he believes that achieving this single achievable, affordable, and transformative goal will move us toward unraveling three critical problems we face today:
- Economic – If we produce a source of energy that is renewable and inexpensive, we no longer face the consequences of fuel priced over $4.00 a gallon.
- Environmental – If we cut emissions by using carbon-free energy sources, we reduce our impact on the environment.
- National Security – If we create our own electricity, we are no longer as dependent on foreign oil.
(If you haven’t heard this speech, scroll down to the next section to find links where you can listen to or read the entire speech.)
What Does This All Mean for Green Careers?
As I’ve said before, the future of green careers and the green economy depend to some degree on the policies that are put in place by the government at the Federal, state, and local levels. Al Gore’s challenge, if it gains traction, could provide a significant boost to many key industries.
In fact Al Gore mentioned a number of industries during his presentation:
- Renewable Energy Industry. Clearly this challenge could provide an amazing kick start for solar, wind and geothermal businesses. Engineers, technicians, manufacturers, and installers will benefit.
- Unified National Grid. With energy being generated in new areas of the country, we’ll need to create a way to distribute the energy from the Midwest wind corridor and sunny regions to areas with the most population. This is a critical part of the success of this challenge. Although it’s a daunting task, it needs to be done whether we move forward with renewable energy or not. The current grid is based on a regional model that is out dated, fragile, and prone to failures. The current state of this system is costing businesses over $120 billion a year. Because it needs to be updated anyway, why not update it in a cohesive way that strengthens the country’s infrastructure for future generations?
- Electric Transportation. Having a robust distribution system for electricity gives us new options when it comes to powering our vehicles. This could breathe new life into the auto industry that is teetering on the edge of disaster. In addition, minimizing the carbon emissions from transportation means we would be addressing one of the largest negative impacts on the planet.
- Efficiency and Conservation. One of the new directions within the green building industry has great potential. Although it takes a fair amount of capital up front, retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient can provide tremendous pay back in a very short period of time. The second benefit is that when we conserve energy we’ll have to produce far less of it, further reducing our dependence on other carbon-based fuels. As this field grows, several groups will benefit: green collar workers such as installers and retrofitters, consultants who determine what actions property owners should take, instrument makers who design, manufacture, and sell the smart electronics that will track our energy usage and show us where we can conserve.
- Carbon Trading/Taxing. One way to speed up the transition into renewables is to put a price on the pollution and damage caused by carbon emissions. Al Gore’s view is that payroll taxes should be cut dramatically and a CO2 tax should be instituted. His line is “We should tax what we burn, not what we earn.” He calls this the single most important policy change that needs to be made to speed up the move to renewables.
- International Treaty and Global Partnerships. Although it may not seem like a career at first, work in this area is critical. Scientists, diplomats, and experts in different fields will be playing a large role in collaborating with other countries and organizations to address the issues of poverty and disease relative to the climate crisis.
Other careers have come to my mind as I’ve thought about the initiatives he’s recommending. This isn’t meant to be a complete list, but a few ideas to show you how far reaching this initiative might be.
- Research – New innovation is going to drive our transition into the new economy.
- Marketing – Each new solution will have a team to position it in the market place.
- Sales – Selling new energy systems and equipment will provide great opportunity.
- Education – Training and educating people on the importance of these changes and how to make them will be critical to the success of the new economy. Workers will also need to be trained for the new industries and opportunities.
- Inspiration – Inspiration can come in a variety of forms – writing, music, movies, videos, video games, the internet, etc. Inspiration can help people make the effort to change their behavior for the better.
- Customer Service – With new technology, consumers are going to have a number of questions about how to troubleshoot and how to use their new systems.
Al Gore makes it clear that the 100% renewable electricity challenge is not going to be without its difficulties. And yet, he stresses that we cannot continue with the status quo and expect the results to be different. This is our generation’s opportunity to take a stand and transform how we live.
Copyright © 2008 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc.
Take Action!
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On July 17, 2008 Al Gore gave a groundbreaking speech to put forth a challenge to the country: Generate 100 percent renewable and truly clean electricity within 10 years. Similar to Kennedy’s call to put Americans on the Moon, this challenge has the potential to radically change our world…in a very good way!
If you haven’t heard Al Gore’s speech yet, give yourself the opportunity to be inspired! You can read it or watch it.
If you resonate with what Vice President Gore is saying, take it one more step. Gore is challenging each of us to take a stand and commit to this cause. Their goal is to pull together over 10 million activists to back this challenge. As of this writing there are 1,437,141 who have joined the We Can Solve It site. You may have heard this cause referred to as the WE Campaign. (Since I started drafting this newsletter late last week, over 9,000 people have signed up.)
If you feel strongly about this cause, tell everyone you know!
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"GCC's process was incredibly helpful in getting me started in a new career direction. The worksheets and brainstorming exercises in the What's Your Green Niche ebook helped me realize I already had the skills to launch a new green career. Today, less that four months later, I have a terrific salary doing business development for energy and environmental projects. Thanks to Green Career Central, my dream of merging my personal conviction with professional life came true."
-- Kelly Fergusson
Menlo Park Councilmember (Mayor, 2007) turned Business Development Manager of Energy & Environmental Solutions
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Are You Searching for Your Green Niche?
You know you want a green career, but do you know what you want to do in the green economy?
The key to discovering your green niche is pinpointing how to leverage your skills, passions, talents and experience to plug into the green economy.
When you know what part of the economy you want to target, you’ll have an entirely new level of clarity. With that new clarity, your current level of overwhelm and confusion will decrease.
The What’s Your Green Niche eBook eBook takes you through a step-by-step process to determine your green niche. Here's a list of some of the things you'll gain as you work through this eBook. You'll:
- Create your personal definition of success.
- Discover how you know what you are drawn to.
- Develop a list of your 40 favorite skills and interests with the help of checklists.
- Brainstorm over 40 career ideas based on your favorite skills and interests in an hour or so.
- Narrow your career ideas to your top two ideas.
- Develop a plan to achieve your green career goals whether you want to return to school, launch your job search, or start your business.
Members - Download (part of membership)
Non-Members - $55.00
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Green Career Central is a membership site with a comprehensive set of easy-to-use programs, resources, and events to help people achieve their green career dreams whether they want to find a green job, start a green business, or get a green education.
  
"Carol, thanks for your first Tip of the Week. Connecting with what I'm drawn to brought tears to my eyes and made me feel happy and excited. I now know what I'm looking for in my green career. I will continue to look to you and yours for support as I make my way forward. Thank you." -- Cheryl, Chicago, IL
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This Week's Drawing for a
30-Day Trial Membership: tprayer
If this is the beginning of your email address, contact us with a subject line of "Trial Membership" and we'll tell you how to get signed up for your 30-day trial membership to GreenCareerCentral.com. You must reply within 2 weeks of the date of this newsletter.
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What's New at GreenCareerCentral.com
Green Industry Expert Interviews Coming - Register Now!
Members and Green Career Tip Subscribers: Mark Your Calendar!! GCC has a series of new interviews coming to you and the first one is now booked! We are proud to present a live phone interview with:
Danny Beesley
Green Building Industry Expert
We'll be talking about trends in the green building industry
and tips for entering this industry.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
6 pm Pacific Time
If you are interested in getting into the green building industry, register for this f-r-e-e event - open to members and Green Career Tip subscribers.
Members, learn more about Danny and his coaching services.
New Job Listings Added This Week
Click here to see our latest job boards added just this week!
Cool Green Career Interviews
One of the best ways to learn what's possible in the Green Economy is to hear from people who have green careers.
Listen to interviews with our Green Career Experts
Articles
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Check out the articles to help you Go Green!
Did You Know...
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Green Career Tips Archive
About Us
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Green Career CentralTM is a membership site for people who want to transform their passion for the environment into a prosperous green career.
Carol McClelland, PhD, founder and managing editor of this site, has helped thousands of people discover their dream career through her book Your Dream Career For Dummies and her work with individuals, groups, and students. Together with her team of experts, researchers and writers, Carol has pulled together sixteen years of experience into a broad collection of how-to articles, resources, support, and teleclasses to help you find your way to make a difference and prosper.
Why not have the green career you've been dreaming of? You can struggle on your own or gain support throughout your journey. The decision is obvious ... Join Us Now! |
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