Buoyed by the prospect of mixing passion with profit, growing numbers of workers are exploring “green-collar” jobs with an emphasis on respect for and protection of the environment.

Now seems like a good time. Of the $787 billion U.S. economic-stimulus package, $62 billion has been earmarked for clean energy, environmental projects and scientific research, and an additional $500 million is dedicated to green-jobs training. But what are these jobs -- and how can folks find them?

“Green jobs are not necessarily new jobs, but often traditional jobs in industries and companies that are adapting to new markets and opportunities available in a clean energy economy,” according to the 2008 Green Economy Jobs report from the Washington State Employment Security Department.

That’s certainly true for Lisa DiMartino, vice president of marketing for Ecohaus, a national pioneer in distributing environmentally responsible building supplies and household products. She says staffing at the Seattle-area company has grown from two workers in a tiny Bainbridge Island shop to nearly 65 at three new shops “with all the regular jobs you would imagine: bookkeeping, accounting, marketing, operations, warehouse and on the sales floor talking to customers.

“Everyone here has all the regular expertise that you find in a traditional retail store, but our products are different and our mission is different,” says DiMartino.

According to a Global Insight report prepared for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, some 750,000 green jobs existed nationally in 2006, and 4.2 million more are expected by 2038. “Washington has around 13,075 green jobs now, and that number could increase to over 100,000 by 2038,” the report says. “Nearly 50,000 of those jobs are forecast to occur in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue region.”

Another 2006 study, by the Union of Concerned Scientists, aims lower with its count. It predicts that the state’s Clean Energy Initiative “would generate 2,000 new jobs in manufacturing, construction, operations, maintenance and other industries in the state by 2025.”

To DiMartino, the figures aren’t as important as the goal. She says Ecohaus is committed to growing greener still “through lots of little steps. We’re all in the learning mode. As long as your intention is good and you’re making little steps, that’s what’s important.”

For those with good intentions but no green-collar work history on their resume, DiMartino has some advice for landing enviro-friendly employment: “Show off any activities or volunteering that highlight your passion” for eco-commitment.

Resources for leads to green-collar jobs include the Green Jobs Network, which lists private- and public-sector jobs statewide; and the Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability, which offers services including training and “Eco-Hour” networking for public and private sectors.

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Resumes and Job Hunt, featured, market trends

3 Comments

theantibush on July 22, 2009 9:33 AM | Reply

Green jobs are newer technologies developed in the USA by H1-B workers, programmed in India, built in China, and installed by illegal immigrants.

theantibush on July 22, 2009 9:35 AM | Reply

p.s. the headline is incorrect.
It should read-

"Going green: As state industries make changes, jobs are expected to follow them to China".

Anonymous on July 22, 2009 4:20 PM | Reply

The numbers Monson cites from UCS don't tell the whole story.

Our numbers were based on an analysis of a specific ballot initiative that voters approved in 2006. That initiative established a renewable energy standard requiring the state's largest electric utilities to supply 15 percent of their electricity sales from eligible renewable resources by 2020. We calculated that the initiative would create 2,000 jobs.

That figure isn't our assessment of Washington's total green collar job potential. It's a piece of it.

See the original analysis here:
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/solutions/renewable_energy_solutions/the-washington-clean-energy.html

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