Where Are the Green-Collar Jobs?
What is a “green-collar” job? “A green-collar job is, in essence, a blue-collar job that has been upgraded to address the environmental challenges of our country,” according to Lucy Blake of the Apollo Alliance, which is helping to transition the economy from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Green-collar jobs that are generated by encouraging energy efficiency include home energy auditors, insulation installers, weatherization workers, retrofitters for buildings, and installers of solar electricity and solar hot water systems. Other green-collar workers are brewing biofuels, building hybrid cars, and erecting giant wind turbines. Labor unions view these new jobs as replacements for positions lost to overseas manufacturing and outsourcing. Urban groups view training in green jobs as a route out of poverty. And environmentalists say they are crucial to combating climate change. Obama considers them part of the economic stimulus plan. According to Van Jones — who is the founder of the El
