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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're starting the new year with some exciting events for you! Read below for more information.
In this new year, we're starting off with good news! Read this week's tip to learn about good news in the green economy.
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Highlighted Events
Are you wondering what industries are part of the new green economy? Do you worry that your limited knowledge is keeping you from finding your best green career? In this free teleclass, Carol gives you a simple yet in depth Green Economy Map that gives you an overview of the new economy. Whether you are ready to begin your quest for a green career, or you are exploring your options for a future career transition, this call is the perfect starting point.
Click here for more information!
Save These Dates in 2010!
- Saturday, February 6th at 2 pm we’ll be having a live book signing event at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, California. Please plan to join us if you are in the area. We’ll have more information soon.
Tip of the Week: Five Pieces of Good News about the Green Economy
I’m pretty sure it is safe to say that 2009 ended on a low note for many interested in the green economy.
- The financial fall out of the last year,
- The unemployment numbers,
- The seemingly never ending health reform debates that kept the Senate from tackling the Energy/Climate bill,
- And the less than definitive results out of Copenhagen.
It’s enough to make even the most ardent supporter of the sustainable new economy have some doubts.
To ease us into the New Year, I decided to write about some of the good news I’ve seen about the green economy in the last few days.
1) Clean Tech Continues to Capture VC Funds
The clean tech segment has been attracting funds from venture capitalists for years. But 2009 is the first year clean tech edged out all other industry sectors. Although the state of the economy limited the total investments to $4.85 billion (down from $7.6 billion in 2008), the number of deals funded in 2009 was 356 compared to 350 in 2008. (For comparisons, 2007 resulted in about $3.5 billion invested in 222 deals.)
Solar and biofuels were the big winners with smart grid, energy storage, automotive, wind, water and lighting following. If you want to read all the details, check out Michael Kanellos’ article entitled “Green VC Total: Second Best Year Ever”.
So… what does that mean to you? According to Shawn Lesser of Sustainable World Capital, there are clean tech companies in all 50 states. The industries develop in geographic areas that have the naturally occurring renewable resources and the human resources to do the job. Based on his in depth analysis of what’s happening in clean tech, he rated the following as the top ten states for clean tech… with three honorable mentions.
| Top Ten Clean Tech States: |
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Honorable Mentions: |
| California |
Tennessee |
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Michigan |
| Texas |
Pennsylania |
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Washington |
| Massachusetts |
New York |
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North Carolina |
| Colorado |
Ohio |
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| New Jersey |
Oregon |
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If you live in one of these states, or you want to move to a cleaner state, check out this article for a short description of what your state is known for: The Top 10 U.S. States for Cleantech in 2009.
2) Food Is Going Local… Again
The food world, whether you are talking about high end restaurants or school cafeterias, grocery stores or the household dining room table, is reawakening to the joys of locally and sustainably grown food that is nutritious. A number of wide ranging factors are coming together to reconnect us with the source of our food. For those who remember the days of dropping by the neighbor’s house for milk, this may not seem like a new trend at all. But if you’ve spent your entire life getting all your food from a big box store, the local, sustainable focus opens up a whole new world of farmers markets, homegrown veggies, and cooperatives.
If you are drawn to this world, check out these two articles for two different perspectives of these trends.
3) Projections of the Best Performing Industries of the New Decade
IBISWorld conducts market and industry research on a wide array of industries. In their Best And Worst Performing Sectors By Revenue Growth report dated December 22, 2009, they included two green industries on their Best Performing Industries In The Coming Decade (2010-2019).
- Ranked #5: Environmental consulting is estimated to grow by 120.3 percent.
- Ranked #9: Recycling is expected to grow by 80.9 percent.
4) A Growing Number of Green Giants
About mid 2009 we started noticing more and more companies with household names entering the green economy. Whether they are launching their own green initiatives, purchasing small green start ups, or partnering with other greener companies, they are bound to play a large role in the evolving green economy.
Take a look at this (short) list of examples for an idea of how this trend is developing. Next to each company name is a short description of their focus. All of these companies are working on more than one initiative, but this will give you a feel for the breadth of possibilities.
- Google – Invested in renewable energy companies and developing home energy meter
- Microsoft - Home energy meter
- Siemens – Wind energy and green building
- Phillips – LED lighting
- Cisco - Smart grid software
- Panasonic - Energy efficiency in consumer products
- Dow Chemical - Solar roof shingles and other green materials
- Wal Mart - Greening the supply chain
- Starbucks - Working on biodegradable cups
- Coca Cola - Working on greening its product packaging
- IBM - Systems to manage water
- Toyota – Prius hybrid
- Ford – Fusion hybrid
As you begin to research your target industry, play attention to the mega players. Who knows, you may find your green career in a very well established company with a growing presence in the green economy.
5) A Measurable Decrease in the Amount of Carbon Dioxide in Our Atmosphere
On December 30, 2009, I received an email newsletter from Carl Pope, the Executive Director of the Sierra Club. The subject line caught my attention: The Best News from 2009.
“The last year of the decade may best be remembered for one piece of particularly good news: carbon dioxide emissions from the United States have peaked, are coming down, and (if we keep working) will continue to decline.”
He continues to explain that part of the reason for the decline is the result of our economic situation. We are also making systemic changes in how we live and do business.
- In 2005 the United States emitted 5,971 million tons of carbon dioxide.
- In 2006 = held steady around 2005 levels.
- In 2007 = held steady around 2005 levels.
- In 2008 we decreased our emissions to 5,800 million tons.
- In 2009 we decreased our emissions to 5,450 million tons.
According to the Department of Energy, in 2005 we were expected to emit 7,500 million tons by 2020. Now the projections are 5,851, which is LESS THAN our 2007 emissions.
Pope is hopeful we’ve turned a corner for several other reasons as well.
- No new coal-fired power plants were started in 2009.
- Several utilities are planning to close down coal-fired power plants over the next decade.
- Driving habits are changing and oil companies are shifting their priorities in response to this change.
Clearly there’s much more work to do in all of the sectors mentioned here. Furthermore there’s no way to predict exactly how the green economy is going to unfold, or how it will look by the end of the decade, but I believe it’s helpful to see evidence that change is happening around us right now!
Copyright © 2010 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc.
Green Career Central Blog:
More Major Corporations Adding Sustainability Positions to Upper Management
Follow the Green Money: Check out how much money went to Clean Tech in 2009. While you are there, discover which wind related companies have gotten multi-million dollar investments and how bio fuels and batteries are getting funding.
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Research Green Companies
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Green Career CentralTM is a virtual career center for motivated professionals who are ready to find a green career that fully expresses their passions, skills, values, and talents.
Carol McClelland, PhD, founder and Executive Director of Green Career Central, 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 eighteen 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. Carol is currently awaiting the arrival of her latest book, Green Careers for Dummies, which will be available in bookstores in late January.
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