Tag Archives: green collar jobs

US Voters Warm Up to Renewable Energy

It’s election season once again. One of the most important times of the year, where we get to decide the direction that our country is moving in. It looks like elections this year will hold good news for renewable energy. In a recent poll of voters conducted by Public Policy Polling for the NRDC Action Fund it was found that the majority of voters were in support of an energy bill with strong ties to renewable sources. The poll was conducted in 23 congressional districts and concluded that at least 52% of voters in these districts would be more inclined to support a candidate whose platform included energy policy that would cut pollution and reduce the effects of climate change.

This is good news for the booming renewable energy sector. Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has already gotten the ball rolling by supporting renewable energy projects in the United States. Continued legislation in favor of renewables will only further cement the progress that has been made in the past 3 years. Continue reading

Posted in Green, Green Government, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Sustainable Living, Wind Energy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

ON LINE – Nevada’s Southwest Intertie Project: How it Demonstrates Commitment to Renewable Green Energy

The town of Apex, Nevada is normally just the location of the Apex Regional Landfill (the largest landfill in the state of Nevada), a small relief power station that comes online when nearby Las Vegas is overloading the grid and not much else. However last week brought red-letter days for this dusty, nondescript stretch of Hwy 93 situated just northeast of the city of lights. The One Nevada Transmission Line or “ON Line” (so clever!) project commencement was hosted at NV Energy’s [NASDAQ: NVE] Harry Allen Generating Station campus on Tuesday. It was a fairly star-studded event with U.S. Energy Secretary Ken Salazar and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid both in attendance, alongside a veritable who’s who of Nevada’s energy-industry brass to witness the beginning of a project that is being billed as a significant breakthrough in the support of renewable power and a major source of green collar jobs, as well as being symbolic of the new direction the state of Nevada is taking towards energy policy through the strong support of renewables.

The One Nevada transmission line consists of a 500 kilovolt power conduit that will cover the entire length of the state of Nevada running north-south. It will eventually be extended as far north as Idaho. The portion of the line that will be completed in this first phase consists of a 235-mile line extending from the Harry Allen site to a new electrical substation that will be constructed northwest of the town of Ely, Nevada. The projected price tag for the project will top $510 million. Continue reading

Posted in Green, Green Collar, Green Government, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Energy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Controversial Waste-Burning Renewable Energy Powerplant Moves Forward in Baltimore’s Fairfield Neighborhood

At the site of a former agricultural chemical processing facility in south Baltimore Maryland, Energy Answers of Albany, N.Y. is working on a different kind of renewable energy electrical generation facility. The power source? Trash. That’s right, garbage – the company hopes to take refuse off the curb and bring it right back to you through the meter. The generator would produce a moderately sized 120MW of electricity directly to the grid plus steam heat available locally to industrial consumers by burning up to 4,000 tons of garbage a day.

The project is classified as a renewable energy venture because it won’t be using fossil fuels to generate power. Because of that it is eligible for lucrative federal funding. Instead of functioning in the capacity of a normal incinerator, the facility will use Processed Refuse Fuel (PRF) which is essentially sorted and shredded residential and commercial garbage. The PRF burns cleaner and hotter than refuse that is used as fuel in traditional incinerators. The boiler will also use moderate amounts of Tire Derived Fuel (TDF) because of the high energy density of the material. Continue reading

Posted in Green, Renewable Energy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Eco Consultants take on the Greening of the Oval Office

greening whitehouseThe drive to protect the environment is showing up everywhere – even at the White House. President Obama is not excusing himself from the discussion, either. Recently he oversaw a makeover of the White House’s Oval Office. This time the focus was on Eco-minded changes; looking for the green in that office and they have scrutinized every detail of the Oval.

According to official statements, the important thing was to be able to balance comfort and eco-friendliness. Obama’s Oval Office makeover both received raves and subtle criticisms. Many, if not all Presidents who have resided in the White House over the years have set their own signatures in the storied room. This time around, President Obama’s new office depicts comfort, coziness and calm, all of which are vital to Obama’s personality.

From the centerpiece down to the unpretentious recycled wheat colored rug, the president has chosen an all-American finish to the Oval office. The office is set up in very calm hues of mélange, tans and taupe. The colors according to interior designers exhibit a neutral and safe attitude. Workers completed the makeover during the time the First Family was out on vacation. A few hours before President Obama’s speech to Iraq, the new office design was made available to the public.
Continue reading

Posted in Green, Green Collar, Green Government, Sustainable Living | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Clinton Global Initiative Reveals High Hopes for Green Jobs

At the recent Clinton Global Initiative conference held in New York Last week, a variety of different topics were discussed. Among the hottest topics: Green Jobs and the growth of the green economy. The Clinton Global Initiative describes itself as:

“…a meeting of innovative, action-oriented, and socially responsible leaders in the world. The Clinton Global Initiative’s Annual Meeting brings together heads of state, government and business leaders, scholars, and NGO directors. Participants analyze pressing global challenges, discuss the most effective solutions, and build lasting partnerships that enable them to create positive social change.”

That being said, it should be encouraging that green development and the green economy were one topic that was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. According to leaders at the conference, the green sector is the shining light amidst an otherwise gloomy outlook.

Continue reading

Posted in Green, Green Collar, Green Government, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Sustainable Living, Wind Energy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Retirees and Unemployed are Perfect for Green Opportunities

There is nothing more debilitating than not having a job at an age far from retirement. This is exactly what some men and women in their 50s and 60s are experiencing after losing their jobs since the nation’s economic crisis that shook many business establishments to reduce their manpower. And the ongoing fear for many is that they might be discarded from the workforce forever, especially at the event of having to compete with the younger generation whose unemployment rate is likewise higher.

The Labor Department statistics have shown that of the 14.9 million unemployed, more than 2.2 million are 55 or older, and nearly half of them have been unemployed six months or longer—a big blow that could affect their retirement package in the future. Continue reading

Posted in Green, Green Collar, Green Government, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Living, green education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Emerging Green Economy Should be at the Forefront of Obama’s Job Creation

Recession seems to continue lurking around the corner and is greatly affecting the nation’s employment rate despite efforts from private employers who opened 67,000 jobs last month—according to the statistics from the Department of Labor. As of August 2010, the unemployment rate has risen to 9.6 percent, a first increase in the jobless rate in months.

It can be recalled that some of Obama’s 12-point plan to improve the US economy centered in the creation of jobs through fair trade, national infrastructure investment, technology, and best of all the spoken figure of 5 million so-called “green collar” jobs. But given the rising unemployment rate, there seems to be some disconnect between the number of jobless Americans and the promise for a greener job; and now Obama is somewhat being criticized by some sectors about his campaign promises that have been made to be broken.

Continue reading

Posted in Green | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Green Jobs Can be Great Jobs

Continue reading

Posted in Green, Green Collar, green education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Green and Eco Friendly Jobs to Play a Role in Job Creation

Following the release of a grim unemployment rate on August 2010, there are some positive things coming out as the call for a green economy rages on, and one of which is the creation of more green jobs for the American people. In a clean energy economy report released by the Pew Charitable Trusts, it provided hard evidences validating that the creation of green jobs is growing faster at a rate of 9.1% versus the traditional sectors’ 3.7%—from 1998-2007. Thanks to the rising demand for environmentally friendly services and the number of nation-wide programs designed to encourage firms become a leader in clean energy.

Even US Labor Department Secretary, Hilda Solis, is quick to admit that green jobs are rapidly growing with the help of many business people who are looking at the potential of creating new green-technology enterprises or updating outmoded companies to 21st-century innovation centers. Wind farms, solar projects, and battery factories are seen to be the main players to have fared better than the traditional industries. “This is a sector poised for explosive growth. Our report points to trends that show a very promising future for the green energy economy.” said Lori Grange, the interim deputy director of Pew. Continue reading

Posted in Green, Green Collar, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Living, Wind Energy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Green Training and Education at Forefront of Career Education

Green jobs are no doubt becoming the latest buzz in the employment industry, and any environmentally passionate person deserves the right training to prepare him/her with the latest trends, skills, and techniques in managing green tasks. And this is where community colleges and other training providers come in with the goal of producing environmentally bright minds through their specially-designed courses and programs.

As more and more people realize the revenue-generating potentials of clean energy, the federal government has poured in $500 million to cover the training needs for green jobs, which propelled the interest of the public and many educational institutions. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the energy efficiency sectors are estimated to grow rapidly in the next decade, providing more green opportunities to low-income middle class and with the possibility of sweeping off the saddening unemployment issue of the nation. Hence, right at this time where the Obama administration is rendering full support to the creation of millions of green jobs, colleges and universities are just as ready to train future managers who will oversee the technologies, manufacturing processes and materials that will be used to conserve energy and help safeguard natural resources.In Eugene Oregon, Lane Community College is already offering two-year programs in n energy management, renewable energy or water conservation. Boasting with an organic garden, the college has also overhauled its faucets and toilets to conserve water as part of its initial step advocating green education. Currently, other community colleges are looking at the college’s programs as an ideal model for their respective green training. Continue reading

Posted in Green Collar, Sustainable Living, green education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment