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Online Version of this Issue Green Career Tips Archive
Vote! It can be confusing with all the different candidates and issues. Read the Highlighted Event section for information on how to be a well-informed voter. What is a green job? This week’s tip helps clarify how it is defined and how it is evolving. 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!
Vote! Vote Green! As we’ve mentioned before, you can influence the green economy in this election. Identify the candidates on your ballot who are most likely to support the green economy and the environment. Don’t be a “keyword” voter. Just because a state or local ballot measure includes the words “renewable energy,” “wind energy,” “solar energy,” etc, doesn’t mean the proposition will help the green economy grow. Read the fine print. Understand what the “yes” vote and “no” vote really mean. (Does the “yes” vote doesn’t really mean “no!”) Be an informed green voter. Read the voter brochure; watch the ads; read the literature; read the newspaper editorials. After you have a sense of the ballot measures and candidates you’ll be voting on, take some time to read objective assessments of each vote. • Ballotpedia – has a state-by-state description of all the 2008 ballot measures. Click on your state. Then look for the phrase Your State 2008 Ballot Measures in the right column of the table. Here’s a list of the 21 environmental ballot measures for 2008. Scan this list to see if your state or city is represented. Each ballot measure includes a detailed description of what’s included in the measure and the fiscal impact. You’ll be able to see who supports the measure and the primary donors to the campaign. Then you’ll find a similar description of who opposes the measure. As you pull together your assessment of the measure, be sure to take into account the groups associated with each side of the campaign. If key environmental groups or green economy industry groups are for or against a particular ballot measure, pay attention! Trust their professional knowledge and experience as you decide how you’ll vote. • League of Conservation Voters – This organization provides a scorecard for voters giving an objective way to assess how their members of Congress voted on key energy and environmental issues. If you are undecided about your vote for President, you may also want to review the League of Conservation Voters’ Presidential comparison chart. • Endorsements - Read several endorsements before you make your decision. Evaluate the groups that are writing the endorsements, pay attention to their evaluation of the candidate or ballot measure. With what you know, do you agree with their logic? Do you need to learn more to feel comfortable following their argument for or against the measure? Compare and contrast endorsement lists to decide where you stand. The League of Conservation Voters provides endorsements for the Presidential, Senate and House races. Your regional newspapers, the League of Women Voters, local environmental organizations and others may also be good sources for endorsements for key issues on your ballot. If you have the opportunity to vote early, go for it!
Tip of the Week: The Evolving Definition of Green Collar Jobs
A blog post entitled “What color is your collar?” caught my eye this week. In the course of the last year, the term green collar job has taken hold. Presidential candidates have used it, the media uses it in headlines on a regular basis, and a number of non-profits have taken on the idea as a way to jump start a green economy. Unfortunately there is no agreed upon definition for the term. As a result it’s very difficult to estimate how many green collar jobs exist or are likely to be created with various green economy plans. According to the blog post for instance, the US Conference of Mayors states that 751,051 collar jobs currently exist while the American Solar Energy Society’s (ASES) claims that 8.5 million people work in the renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) industries. To understand the discrepancy between these numbers, you need to dig into how each group defines green collar jobs. The US Conference of Mayors used a broad definition of green industries with a limited list of job titles while the American Solar Energy Society’s numbers are based on two very specific green industries and an all inclusive set of job titles within these industries (from line jobs to infrastructure and administrative jobs). At the moment, there are no definitive lists of the industries, job functions, or goals that come together to define the green economy. Some groups are even referring to jobs that represent varying shades of green. In other words, some jobs have more of an impact on the environment than others. Over time as technologies improve, even the way we think about how much impact a particular job has will change! Definitions and Distinctions One of the distinctions that is coming to the surface is that green-collar jobs are different from green jobs.
According to the blog post, two of the most vocal green collar job groups provide these definitions:
My Thoughts I strongly support the work of Apollo Alliance and Van Jones’ Green For All. I absolutely applaud their tireless lobbying, educating, and collaborating to jump start the green economy as a way to address the problems with our economy, our dependence on foreign oil, and global warming. Both groups see this new economy as a way to employ underemployed workers in urban areas and the trade workers in the rust belt. I’ve heard presentations by both groups and have been inspired and moved by both. I agree with them that green collar jobs can play a critical role in the birth of the new green economy. That said, I also believe there’s a category of green positions that aren’t directly addressed by these groups. The jobs I’m referring to are the professional positions that must also be filled to launch the green economy. Can you imagine a green economy without:
Although it would be helpful to have a precise way to determine whether a particular job is a green job, a green collar job, or a green professional job, I don’t think the green economy is mature enough to nail it down yet. I fully defend people’s right to have the good, well paying jobs that are referred to by the green collar job term. At the same time, I don’t want to make the mistake of discounting the value or green-ness of a green professional position or a green infrastructure position that are also critical to creating a thriving green economy. I think the key is to allow these terms to continue to develop as the green economy evolves. Over time definitions will settle out. The industries, job titles, functions, and goals will become clearer as the green economy continues to grow. If a job – trade, professional, administrative, managerial – contributes to moving the green economy forward, I’m willing to refer to that job as a green job. Within that term we’ll most likely have terms to refer to subsets of those jobs, such as green collar jobs, green professional jobs, etc.
Note: I’ve just learned that an article I wrote about this topic will be published in a professional journal for career counselors in the coming month or so. I’ll keep you posted when I know the actual publication date.
Copyright © 2008 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc.
Career Development Professionals: Are You Ready to Help Green Career Seekers Find Their Place in the Green Economy?
Job seekers of all ages are beginning to recognize green career opportunities with a new sense of excitement and commitment. Although some job seekers know they want a green career, they may not know what a green career is or how to find a green career that matches their passions, skills, experience, and values. Their lack of clarity and direction results in a sense of confusion and overwhelm. Unfortunately, many career counselors don't know enough about the green economy to help. If this is you..... Now you can assist them with our free report,
 Green Career Trends: This week our green career trends post is inspired by companies we learned about at Bioneers. Click through to explore several industrial applications of Biomimicry for turbine blades, green plastics and water flow.
Green Career Central’s Global Photo Tour: After an intense week, I was ready to enjoy a bit of a virtual vacation! So, in honor of one of the readers who has been commenting on our tour, we are going to stop in Greece this week. Hope you enjoy this stop.
The discussion forum topic, audios, ebook, and articles listed below are available to members of GreenCareerCentral.com as a part of their membership. If you're not a member and would like to have immediate access, we'd love to have you join us now! 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 Read what other members are saying about Green Career Central here.... .
What's New at GreenCareerCentral.com
Green Industry Profiles We’ve just updated the events and conferences listed in our industry profiles. If you are interested in one of the following industries and haven’t visited the profiles in a while, take a look.
Green Companies One important part of searching for a green careers is finding out which companies fall in the green category. Click here for a list of Green Companies. 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. Check out these great interviews here. Did You Know... ...if you missed a Tip of the Week, you can read the archived publications?
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