Keeping a Close Eye on Green Collar Jobs – Part Two
Posted by johnsoncontrols on March 17, 2008 05:51 PM
Joy Clarke-Holmes Johnson Controls Last week, I wrote about an event held in Pittsburgh March 13-14: Good Jobs, Green Jobs: A National Green Jobs Conference. And what an event it was! Organizers say more than 900 people attended from a broad range of interests: Businesses, state/local government, NGOs, and trade unions – all looking for ways to benefit from more jobs in the environmental sector. As I mentioned, one of the reasons I went to the conference was a desire for a better definition of what a green collar job is. Although there still will be a good deal of discussion about specifics, I was pleased with the definition given in the Apollo Alliance’s outstanding publication, Green-Collar Jobs In America’s Cities: Building Pathways Out Of Poverty and Careers In The Clean Energy Economy.
“Green-collar jobs…are well-paid, career track jobs that contribute directly to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. Like traditional blue-collar jobs, green-collar jobs range from low-skill, entry-level positions to high-skill, higher-paid jobs, and include opportunities for advancement in both skills and wages.” What I like about this definition is that it provides a better connection to the triple-bottom-line of sustainability: measuring success through financial, social and environmental advances. Reuters quotes Piper Jaffray’s Lois Quam as saying there are currently about 8 million "green" jobs in the United States in industries that attracted $148 million in investment in 2007, up 60 percent from the year before. I spoke at a session on Friday, and from the reaction of our audience, it’s the cities and states – along with private-sector partnerships – that will make Green Collar Jobs a reality as a tool for economic development. (Note: Earlier in the week, a similar study and plan of action for state policy makers, Greener Pathways, was released in Milwaukee.)
I counted myself among the growing group of industry experts at the conference who strongly advocate energy efficiency and renewable projects as the best creator for green jobs.
An analysis by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) indicates that if investments and policies are implemented to meet Governor Martin O’Malley’s energy efficiency reduction goals of 15% of forecasted electricity consumption by 2015, more than 12,000 new jobs in the state will be created by 2025.
“These include well-paying trade and professional jobs needed to design and install energy efficiency measures. These new jobs, including both direct and indirect employment effects, would be the equivalent of some 100 new manufacturing plants relocating to Maryland, but without the public costs for infrastructure or the environmental impacts of new facilities,” according to the report.
As a bonus, these energy efficiency projects also are the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions. For example, Johnson Controls is helping the city of Baltimore reduce its $40 million annually energy budget by building a renewable methane gas energy generation facility and providing energy efficiency facility upgrades. Some of the project results:
- Guaranteed reduction in energy consumption of $1.8 million annually
- Captured former waste stream (methane gas) and converted it to a useful application
- New facility cost funded by savings
- Reduction in emissions of 13 million pounds of CO and 7.7 grams of nitrogen oxide
Most importantly, 25% of the project work done is being done by local certified minority and women-owned contractors. Johnson Controls is actively engaged in training these green collar workers, which is an investment in the city’s future. After they’ve worked on our job, they’ll be ready and able to be hired on the next green initiative. And there are sure to be others in the pipeline.
The Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference absolutely was a turning point for all involved. Now we’ve got to get the word out about the need for more public-private partnerships that advance these types of projects in every city and every state in the country.
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