Green-collar Jobs

Jobs created by investments and sustainable practices. Many skilled and unskilled jobs traditionally referred to as “blue-collar” jobs may be created and supported through the expansion of incentives and demand for sustainable building and installation of sustainable systems (such as solar panels, “green” remodeling, and gray-water systems) in the residential, commercial, and government markets. These “green-collar” jobs may employ those who are often left-out of the tech boom cycles or do not have the skills, experience, or education to work in “white-collar” jobs. Championed by Van Jones, the founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, California, “green-collar” jobs fill a variety of community and individual needs with rewarding, well-paying work that is sustainable and local (and aren’t easily outsourced overseas).

Resources:

Perry, N. (2009). Many Shades of Green: Diversity and Distribution of California’s Green Jobs. Next 10. Retrieved March 12, 2011 from http://www.next10.org/next10/publications/green_jobs.html