Everything To Know About Green Jobs

What exactly are “green jobs” and how does one find a “green job?” The green craze is all the rage right now so make sure you get the scoop on how you can profit in this more environment-conscious society.

Renewable Energy

The term “green,” refers to anything that is eco-friendly. Green jobs, therefore, are eco-friendly careers. Most green careers lie in the field of Renewable Energy, or energy that is generated from a natural resource such as rain, wind, sunlight, geothermal heat and tides. A lot of energy consumption comes from these natural, renewable sources. Wood burning and hydroelectricity, as well as solar hot-water heating are other types of renewable energy sources that come from burning wood, water, and the sun. Some project managers working in green companies usually design, evaluate, and manage commercial, solar-thermal projects. Third parties, such as dealers, integrators and installers, will work with these managers who will be their technical resource link to the project at hand.

There are a couple of different jobs that can be considered “green,” as there are also various environmentally-friendly companies who hold themselves responsible to improve, rather than harm, the environment. One job site that is in this field is called Greenjobs.com and many jobs are available on that site. This company, with its headquarters in California, was launched in 2004 to provide worldwide employment in the field of renewable energy with the idea to be recognized as the leading renewable-energy employment service provider.

Climate Change

Recently, due to climate change and high prices for oil, there has been a lot of government support for renewable energy incentives and legislation. In Europe, it was decided that by the year 2020, 20% of the energy produced should come from renewable energy sources. This was also done due to global-warming issues and the drive to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. That is why it has been noted that investments have been directed into renewable energy, and specifically in 2006, $100 billion went into these types of projects. It was also reported that the IEA (International Energy Agency) had stated that renewable energy can help replace current technology by 50% by the year 2050.

How and Where to Look for a Green Job

Universities

Many universities have professors that are working both in the field of research, as well as teaching the fundamentals of going green and doing environmental work in various disciplines such as engineering, marketing and science. There are valuable opportunities for students who are seeking an eco-friendly career by assisting these professors while in school.

Job Fairs

Job fairs are an excellent place to learn more about green job possibilities. These fairs can also be a great learning experience, especially since the staff in the human-resources departments at these job fairs offer their individual and undivided attention to job seekers and students interested to learn more about eco-friendly jobs and their availability in the marketplace.

Environmental Defense Companies

There are also Environmental Defense companies which offer green jobs. These companies work hand-in-hand with such companies as Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, DuPont and FedEx to assist them in finding ways to transform themselves by means of green technology. Moreover, this can revolutionize the method in which these companies begin to do business.

Non-Profit Organizations

Non-profit organizations and environmental groups often offer summer jobs or internships in their companies for those interested in gaining experience in the green-jobs workforce. Ten years ago, those seeking an environmental job were faced with less analysis, less creativity, and less opportunity for people with various backgrounds, but nowadays all this has changed.

Solar Energy and Oil

The third-largest solar-energy plant is called, “Nevada Solar One.” It is so big, it can power up to 14,000 homes and 300 football fields! You may ask yourself, “How are solar energy and oil connected?” For one, coal is oil-energy intensive, since there is the process of extracting the coal, burning it, and then disposing of it. Natural gas is also extremely oil-energy intensive, since as the price of oil goes up, so do coal-producing electricity costs. Nuclear fuel is also oil-energy intensive, since first it must be mined, then processed, then transported, and finally secured. Furthermore, the cost of energy produced by nuclear means will go up as the price of oil increases. However, if you look at it in another way, the sun will rise every day and there is no oil-burning required for this process to take place, therefore even if the price of oil goes up, the cost of electricity produced by the sun will not increase. There is only a one-time fee for setting up a solar-energy system and your energy will no longer be tied to the price of oil.

Companies that Offer Green Jobs

Sustainablebusiness.com is a website which offers only eco-friendly job positions. They operate in the energy efficiency sector, transportation, and advanced material and waste water-treatment sectors. They create competitive pricing and performance while reducing the impact of humans on the environment. This company, which is also called “Cleantech” or “Greentech,” helps improve the financial performance of companies by making sure the products they use give-off less waste and toxins.

Greenbuilding.com is another company which will assist you in constructing and designing buildings that will, in-turn, promote the well-being and economic health of the community. Green Building wants to make sure that buildings use water and energy more efficiently.

What Are Some Well-Known Green Jobs?

You’ve heard of solar-panel installers, wind-turbine manufacturers, and energy-efficient building architects. But green jobs encompass a lot more than only these jobs mentioned here. There are jobs in the renewable-energy field that promise to assist in the well-being of the environment. These companies employ engineers and scientists who are specialized in the field of reusable energy. Urban planners, solar sales associates, advisors for corporate social responsibility, bike repairers, teachers, and public transit workers all work in eco-friendly fields.

Jobs in Wind and Solar Power

People can get into a green career field with very little training, since a lot of the training is done on the job. Many green jobs can be white- or blue-collar jobs and are similar to any other job in the following industries:

• Construction
• Agriculture
• Sales
• Manufacturing

Some construction jobs, such as retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient, are considered green jobs. Electricians who install solar panels or designers in the field of photovoltaic technology can also be recognized as people employed in a green job position.

Recycling

Many green jobs can be found in the recycling business. However, many people argue and are of the impression that to recycle is to use more energy, while others believe that it is a good way to safeguard our environment. Two of the nation’s most influential organizations regarding the environment—the Environmental Defense Organization and the Natural Resources Defense Council—issued reports on the details of recycling and how it was beneficial to the environment, since pollution is reduced and there is less space required for landfills. It was also recognized that the cost of garbage pick-up and disposal of the garbage is much more than the cost of recycling.

In 2002, the city of New York found that to recycle was to lose money, so it stopped recycling plastic and glass, since the benefits to recycle these outweighed the price. It was found that to recycle these items cost more than the purchase price, in fact almost twice as much. Also, low demand for materials meant most of it was going to the landfills. By the time New York closed its last landfill, the out-of-state private landfills raised their price, since they now had to dispose of New York’s trash. It was therefore better to reduce and reuse the garbage, so as to better serve the environment. The lessons learned in New York are now applicable everywhere. Because of this lesson learned, the recycling program was re-instated in New York with better and more-efficient service providers.

Green Job Opportunities

If you are looking to learn about green jobs, you can look at Greencareers.com, where you can receive many tips on what a “green career” is and also how to get prepared for the job you want. The good news is that now you don’t need to have a background in science to apply for and get a green job!

Within the next decade, there is going to be an increase in green job opportunities in the field of law, urban planning and conservation. New jobs have already come into existence for Environmental Engineers, such as air-quality and waste-water management, but jobs in the Environmental Science sector are still suffering and there is an actual deficit of qualified scientists since there are less people going into this field of study. There is also a need for Urban Planner, since the urban areas are growing very fast.

More and more green jobs, specifically Environmental Lawyers and Conservation Scientists, are also becoming available. It has been reported that in private practice, there are already nearly 80,000 Environmental Lawyers. Furthermore, as baby boomers go into retirement there will be more and more jobs in the field of Conservation Scientists.

Green jobs are everywhere and easy to find, you just have to look for them and apply!

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If you’re interested in starting a career in an eco-friendly field, visit http://www.greenjobsgreenbay.com/ for more information.