By Jenny Lynn Zappala, contributor
Introduction
President Barack Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus plan is intended to revive the economy, largely by putting people back to work. A hefty chunk of that money, $40 billion, is aimed directly at creating what the administration calls “green jobs.”
Click on the arrows above to learn more about these growing industries.";
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Advanced biofuels
Think green fuel 2.0. Second-generation biofuels are derived from non-food crops such as cornstalks or wheat straw, switchgrass and municipal solid waste. They emit 60 percent less greenhouse gases but still perform like fuel. Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), advanced biofuel production will rise from 2 billion gallons per year in 2012 to 21 billion gallons in 2022, and companies are pivoting to meet those goals, according to the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Several thousand people are currently employed, primarily in research and construction. By 2012, the industry will generate about 29,000 direct jobs and 123,000 total new jobs, according to Bio Economic Research Associates. Advanced biofuel plants require few employees, but those good jobs can benefit rural communities. Of the direct jobs created, 46 percent are in feedstock production (primarily agriculture) and 35 percent are in construction, engineering and procurement.
Geography: There are more than 30 existing and planned biofuel refineries gearing up in the following states: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Jobs: Agriculture workers, architects, chemical equipment tenders, chemical engineers, chemical plant and system operators, chemists, engineers, farmers and sales representatives.
More information
Biofuels & Climate ChangeBiotechnology Industry Organization
";
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Building retrofitting
Nearly every residential, commercial and public building in America is leaking money right now in the form of wasted heat and energy. One of the fastest, cheapest ways to put the most people to work and save money is to retrofit buildings. The Obama administration wants to retrofit 10 million homes every year until 2020. At that rate, the industry could sustain about 1.25 million jobs directly and about 6 million jobs indirectly. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law on Feb. 17, included $5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program, which triggered a hiring spree. While weatherization is important, home performance retrofitting is an expanding, profitable enterprise, said Matt Golden, co-founder of Efficiency First, a trade association for home performance retrofitting contractors. Currently, about 250,000 homes are retrofitted annually, including weatherization, and about 1,000 companies are active nationwide. The business is booming because middle-class families pay about $6,000 to $9,000 for a complete assessment and retrofit (the works: allergies, insulation, major appliances, heating, cooling, renewable energy, water conservation, etc.) in exchange for comfort, health and lifestyle. A typical home retrofit pays for itself in cost savings in about five to eight years without incentives or tax breaks. Golden’s retrofitting business, Sustainable Spaces of California, has grown 100 percent every year for five years running and is on track to do it again in 2009 despite the economy. There are other companies dedicated to retrofitting commercial and public buildings nationwide. One big customer: The stimulus package provided $4.5 billion to the General Services Administration to convert federal buildings into high-performance green buildings and cut the government’s energy bill by 25 percent —worth noting considering the federal government is the world’s largest energy consumer.
Geography: Nationwide
Jobs: Home performance specialists, energy auditors, managers, marketers, mechanical engineers, retrofitting directors, construction managers, retrofitters trained in multi-disciplines and software engineers.
More information
Efficiency FirstEnergy StarSustainable Spaces ";
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Geothermal energy
Geothermal hot spots produce a natural source of steam and hot water from aquifers heated by hot rocks underground, which can be harnessed to create energy. Known as the heat of the Earth, geothermal energy is a clean, renewable energy that provided electricity for about 2.4 million American homes and employed about 9,000 people directly and about 16,000 indirectly in 2008. The United States happens to have numerous viable, untapped geothermal sites, and with a renewed interest in renewable energy, companies are acquiring rights to those sites. There are about 126 active projects under development that will create 100,000 construction and manufacturing jobs for up to five years, followed by 23,000 permanent geothermal plant jobs, and they will bring 5,600 megawatts of new geothermal power capacity online, according to the Geothermal Energy Association. That’s enough geothermal power for 5.5 million energy-efficient homes. The association is confident because the projects involve signed contracts with energy buyers. Several Native American tribes are considering geothermal projects for their own energy needs, including tribes in Alaska, California, Oregon, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma. In October, the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation announced a 100-megawatt geothermal project in northern Utah by releasing a YouTube video.
Geography: As of March 2008, geothermal electric power generation was occurring in eight states: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Nevada, with 58 confirmed projects, has the most under development. California is second with 27 projects, followed by Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Alaska, respectively.
Job titles: Chemists, drivers, equipment operators, electricians, engineers, engineering analysts, geologists, maintenance specialists, pipefitters, plumbers, project engineers, property managers, reservoir environmental coordinators and sales managers.
More information
Geothermal Energy AssociationNorthwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation YouTube video ";
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Green chemistry
Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry is doing chemistry the way nature does chemistry. There’s an urgent need for green chemists and green engineers to reformulate numerous products, substances and methods that people encounter every day, according to the American Chemical Society. Ninety-five percent of everyday materials are petroleum-based, and there’s a push to replace them with nature-derived stock, said Bob Peoples, director of the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute. If you counted up all the students, professors, researchers, lab technicians and chemical machine operators, the total number of green jobs is probably in the tens of thousands. “Chemistry is at the very heart of figuring out how to solve these problems,” said Peoples. “Green chemistry is the key to our sustainable future. That is why I believe there is no better time for green chemists and green engineers going forward.”
Geography: California is launching a Green Chemistry Initiative. Green chemists can be found nationwide, often in research departments of businesses, colleges, government agencies, nonprofits or universities.
Jobs: Chief sustainability officers, green chemists, green engineers, chemical engineers, senior scientists, seniors fellows, researchers, polymer chemists, biochemists, agriculture and food chemists, environmental chemists, material scientists, medicinal chemists, process technology specialists and analytical chemists.
More information
American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemistry Council ";
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Green manufacturing
Green manufacturing uses traditional manufacturing methods and factories to create new parts for green industries. Because of green economy retooling in other industries, some American factories have already been converted or reopened to make parts or assemble wind turbines, solar panels, energy efficient vehicles, energy-efficient windows or other green goods. By adding enough new wind, solar, geothermal and biomass energy to the power grid to generate 25 percent of our electricity from renewable energy sources, the manufacturing sector could create about 1 million jobs in the manufacturing sector alone and 2.5 million indirect jobs in related industries, with industry revenue of more than $400 billion, according to the Apollo Alliance. Labor advocates are pressuring business leaders and lawmakers to favor domestic manufacturing plants and build a robust green American supply chain. Advocates contend that every $1 million invested in renewable energy systems creates about five full-time component manufacturing jobs. Every $1 million invested in energy-efficiency programs creates three to four building-material manufacturing jobs and five energy-efficient appliance manufacturing jobs. The nonprofit Economic Policy Institute estimates that every direct manufacturing job supports an additional 2.9 indirect jobs in finance, transportation, supply chains, installers and other related businesses. In the automotive industry, the transformation is well under way, said Dan Sperling, director of the University of California-Davis Institute of Transportation Studies and co-author of “Two Billion Cars.” Traditional companies are shifting toward more energy-efficient and lightweight parts. While there are some start-up car companies, the barriers to enter the auto industry are substantially higher than in other industries. Most of the green job transformation will happen within existing auto companies.
Geography: Traditional manufacturing hot spots have a head start because existing or underused factories can be converted, notably in states including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and California.
Jobs: Factory workers, health and safety officers, managers, machine tool operators, machinists, pipefitters, quality control technicians, sales managers, team assemblers and welders.
More information
Apollo AllianceElectric Drive Transportation Association
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Smart grid
The \"smart grid\" is a coordinated national effort to modernize the electric transmission grid with upgraded, automated, interactive technology that will save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability. Also, as the renewable energy sector grows, there’s a need for additional transmission lines to connect communities with renewable energy facilities, such as solar, wind and geothermal. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law on Feb. 17, included more than $11 billion for investments in a new smart grid, investments that will create thousands of miles of new or modernized high-tech transmission lines, while training and employing highly skilled and well-paid line workers. The effort is getting a boost from investment and venture capital from the private sector, too. The GridWise Alliance estimates that 280,000 new positions will be created, of which about 150,000 will be created in 2009. The effort will also create a smart grid suppliers industry, which will create about 140,000 ongoing, high-value jobs.
Geography: Nationwide. Smart grid technologies can be deployed in any state because the electric grid is everywhere. Some projects are under way or about to start in California, Colorado, Texas, Vermont and Washington.
Jobs: Contractors, electrical engineers, electricians, line workers, programmers and suppliers.
More information
GridWise Alliance
";
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Solar energy
The solar industry involves about 35,000 direct jobs and about 85,000 indirect jobs. The industry is coming off its third record year of growth — 16 percent last year despite the recession — and this year is still going strong. In light of the stimulus package, the industry will employ about 60,000 new jobs in 2009 and 50,000 new jobs in 2010, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The stimulus package and federal, state and local policies setting renewable energy benchmarks or offering tax incentives, many referring specifically to solar, keep this industry running hot. The Sunbelt states in the Southwest and the Southeast are home to different types of solar power plants, including new demonstration plants and storage facilities. One such example is Concentrating Solar Power (CSP), a system of lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam and, from the heat generated, produce energy. Solar energy can be harnessed coast-to-coast. New Jersey and New York are in the top five states producing the most solar energy into the grid, according to the association. Homeowners have successfully installed solar water heating systems and solar panels in Seattle’s marine climate, too, and produced noticeable savings. Job training and apprenticeship programs like Oakland Green Jobs Corps and Solar Richmond are bringing solar jobs and technology into neighborhoods.
Geography: At least four solar power plants are currently operating: two in California, one in Arizona and one in Nevada. At least nine more solar plants are being planned or under construction in Arizona, California and Florida and are expected to be complete by 2010 or 2011. According to the association, the five states producing the most solar energy tied to the grid: California (530 megawatts), New Jersey (70 megawatts), Colorado (35 megawatts), Arizona (25 megawatts), New York (30 megawatts) and Hawaii (16 megawatts). Solar industry manufacturers are located nationwide, with hot spots in Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, California, Oregon, New Mexico and New Hampshire.
Jobs: Accountants, chemical engineers, electricians, engineers, factory workers, health and safety officers, installers, managers, plumbers, quality control technicians, roofers and sales managers.
More information
Solar Energy Industries AssociationOakland Green Jobs CorpsSolar Richmond
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Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is a way of farming that produces food indefinitely, without causing severe or irreversible damage. There has been consistent growth in the number of organic farms and of farmers' markets in the United States over the last five years, said Aimee Witteman, executive director of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Organic food sales more than quadrupled to $1.7 billion in 2007 from $393 million in 2002. Also, in 2007, 11,901 farms were being converted from conventional to organic farming, showing growth in the number of farmers who see growing organic as a viable livelihood. Shoppers are making the connection between what they eat and how they feel, and they’re increasingly choosing healthy, sustainably grown foods that safeguard public health and the environment and promote water conservation and nutrition. Several programs in the new farm bill provide loans and set-asides to help beginning farmers get into farming livelihoods, as well as to help farmers make the transition into growing food organically. The combination of strong consumer demand and public support means this sector will continue to grow, said Witteman.
Geography: In 2007, 20,437 farms reported farming organically. The following are the top five states in terms of organic farms: California, Wisconsin, Washington, New York and Oregon. The number of farmers' markets has grown by 3,000 since the Agriculture Department started collecting that information in 1994. The total reached 4,685 in August.
Jobs: Farmers and organic food certifiers
More information
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition";
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Sustainable green retailing
Sustainable green retailing is retrofitting an existing retail business to meet the demands of customers who want environmentally friendly products and services. The industry as a whole began growing about two to five years ago, and more green products and related jobs are being created. Robust green sales numbers shows shoppers’ interest is here to stay; the recession just made shoppers more value-conscious, said Daniel Butler, vice president of retail operations for the National Retail Federation. Also, improved efficiencies, cost savings, increased productivity and resource conservation also make green initiatives worthwhile for companies. Every company is doing what is right for them, but no company is doing the same thing, said Butler. The federation created a sustainable retail consortium about two year ago for retailers to exchange ideas. How many green retail jobs and “strictly green” companies exist is unclear, because many aspects are still being defined, but their numbers are growing. Butler said. As businesses go greener, their people will become more involved in the company’s green initiatives. Over time, more departments are included: store construction, management, product design, production, packaging, marketing, product use, re-use and disposal. For the first time, green retail capital investments reached the top 10 of capital investment priorities chosen by retailers surveyed in the 2008 Retail Horizons National Retail Federation forecast. It didn’t make the cut before. And the federation is developing a green scorecard to help customers make choices.
Geography: Sustainable retailers and producers are nationwide. Southern states also are known for organic cotton.
Jobs: Chief sustainability officers, directors of sustainability, operations executives, merchants, buyers, distribution center executives, distribution employees, marketers, marketing executives and inventors.
More information
IdealBiteNational Retail FederationGreening Retail
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Wind energy
America can run on air. Wind power harnesses the wind to create energy, typically using three-bladed wind turbines. There is enough U.S. land-based and offshore wind to meet the electrical energy needs of the entire country several times over, according to the Energy Department. The infrastructure is small but building. About 50 wind turbine and wind turbine component manufacturing facilities were opened, expanded or announced in 20 states in 2008 alone. In 2009, the American wind energy industry will sustain about 85,000 jobs directly and indirectly and generate 73 billion kilowatt-hours — enough to power nearly 7 million households, according to the American Wind Energy Association. The stimulus package will preserve or create 89,000 wind industry jobs in 2009 and continuing into 2010 and beyond, experts say. Wind power technology is widely available and cost-effective, and it tends to flourish in states with favorable public policies or tax incentives and transmission infrastructure, regardless of the states' wind potential. The industry seeks a consistent, long-term federal policy and a nationwide effort to build a transmission network to reach its full potential.
Geography: Texas produces the most wind energy, followed by Iowa, California, Minnesota, Washington, Colorado and Oregon. The states with the most wind potential include: Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas. Coastal towns, seashores, the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, Cape Cod and urban rooftops are also choice spots.
Jobs: Construction equipment operators, electrical equipment assemblers, environmental engineers, industrial production managers, industrial truck drivers, iron and steel workers, machinists, millwrights and sheet metal workers.
More information
American Wind Energy Association
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