Is green collar the new blue collar? It is for some, according to Fast Magazine's article, I'm Bad! I'm Slick!, by Linda Baker. In her article, Baker tells how "Oakland activist Van Jones is on a mission to bring green-collar jobs to the urban poor."
Since the dawn of the "green revolution," we've seen green collar jobs expand from scientists, engineers, and other R&D folks to contractors and home supply retailers. Van Jones is looking ahead to the labor force who will put the green technology and resources to use. He's organized training programs for low-income blue collar workers so they can be hired for specialized jobs in the sustainable construction industry. "Say a bunch of guys in the carpenter's union don't know how to work with bamboo. Well, here are some young people who have been trained to work with bamboo. Suddenly, rather than them being in the back of the blue collar line for the less-skilled blue-collar jobs, these kids have the advantage." (quote from Van Jones lifted from the article)
Here's my favorite quote from Van Jones (again, from the Fast Magazine article) about who's involved in our green economy: "Ph.Ds to Ph.Dudes." Are you a green Ph.D, Ph.Dude, or somewhere in between? If so, you might have a career opportunity waiting for you.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
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1 comment:
I think Van Jones is right on the money, but I think that there are many shades of Green Collar Jobs, and that thinking of them as Blue Collar replacements (while vital) is limiting.
With that said, helping businesses find the answer to becoming profitably sustainable will create a tremendous surge of new jobs. And of course, we have to do it fast. Our site, http://www.greencollareconomy.com is dedicated to helping businesses make that happen (and there is a green collar job board on it).
Kevin Gulley
Publisher
Green Collar Media
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