Green Collar Jobs: Saving the Planet While You Work

1. Green Collar Jobs: Saving the Planet While You Work August 21, 2008 SU Career Services Author: Vicki Decker, Director Career Services Along with Cal Winbush, WSU Sustainability Consultant and Panel of Experts

2. What are ‘Green’ Jobs? •Ideas? •Where are they found? •What would you do?

3. Green Jobs Defined •Green Jobs are defined as: –A job that is contributing to fighting global warming and building a green economy, resulting in healthier communities –Some define them as manual labor jobs within new clean technology industries –Clean energy has become a $55 billion a year industry worldwide

4. Market Conditions •The Green job market is one of the fastest growing •180,000 new jobs were created in 2007 in environmentally related fields •In addition, companies are turning existing jobs into green jobs •This market is expected to grow 5.5% annually through the end of the decade Source: Career Insider, Nov. 2007 Green Careers Journal, Part Two

5. Green is Everywhere •CNN had a documentary in 2007 •Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize •NBC had a ‘green week’ •Rick Steves–Travel •HyVee •Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal

6. The Future of Green •Michael Holloway, National Director, Green Leaders, says students pursuing green careers should: –Learn all they can about business And says: –Exciting things are happening in product design, research and development, manufacturing, and building & grounds

7. Future continued •5.3 million jobs have been created by environmental management and protection •By 2010, green jobs are expected to grow to 5.8 million •By 2020, the industry is expected to reach 6.9 million jobs Management Information Services Inc 2006 study

8. Where the Jobs Are •Clean energy •Renewable energy •Environmental fields •Sales •Training and Development •Research •Manufacturing •Public Service –All levels of Government

9. Where the jobs are continued •Marketing •Wildlife management •Construction –new and retrofitting •Travel and Mass Transit •Entrepreneurs •Social accountability positions within all types of industry •Law •Publishing

10. Where the jobs are continued •Health Care •The Arts •Accounting •Communications •Consulting •Government •Non-Profit Sector •Education

11. Sample Job Titles •Engineers •Marketing Writer/Strategist •Compensation Analyst •Marketing Support Specialist •Project Designer •Legal Assistant •Geologist •Park Naturalist Source: www.greenjobs.com

12. Green Economy Jobs Sample $ •Computer Software Engineer: $43.54 average/hour •Electrical Engineer: $37.99 avg/hour •Environmental Engineers: $35.41 avg/hour •Chemists: $30.57 avg/hour Source: Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: A State-by-State Picture of Occupations that Gain from TgreenInvestments, Robert Polllin& Jeanette Wicks-Lim, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, June 2008

13. Skills Needed for ‘Green’ Professionals •Communication Skills including respect for diversity and intercultural communication •Ability to lead and motivate others •Ability to resolve conflicts •Ability to cope with and manage employee responses to change •Awareness of city, county, state, and federal regulations

14. Skills needed continued •Decision Making •Financial Management •Presentation Skills •Website Design •Fundraising, Grant writing •Organizational Politics •Strategic Thinking •Leadership

15. Resources •Links: *http://www.salisbury.edu/careerservices/Students/MajorsEmployers/GreenEmployers/Default.html-SU Website –www.epa.gov –www.clu-in.org –www.treehugger.com –www.sustainablebusiness.com –http://learningforsustainability.net/susdev/earth_clock.php •Job Listing Websites: –www.ecojobs.com –www.ecoISP.com –www.ecoemploy.com/jobs –www.greenbiz.com –www.greenjobs.com

16. Kurt Hohensteinis an associate professor of history at WSU. He is the Director of the Paralegal Program, Co-Director of the Law and Society Program and the pre-law advisor for WSU. He earned his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and jurisdoctor from the University of Nebraska, and his doctorate in history from the University of Virginia. He is a member of the WSU Faculty Senate. His interest in green careers involves advising students about options for legal and paralegal careers in environmental and regulatory law and business development careers involving emerging sustainability issues. Contact: KHohenstein@winona.edu

17. Anne Morse has worked for Winona County since 1988, first as a recycling coordinator and today as its coordinator of sustainability initiatives. In addition to her local work for the county, she has also been a strong voice at the state and national level for the development of a systems approach to the management of our natural resources. As the Board Chair of the GrassRootsRecycling Network, a national recycling advocacy organization, she played a significant role in the development of producer responsibility legislation, including the recent e-waste legislation in Minnesota -the first of its kind in the nation. In 1998, during her term as Chair of the Southeast Minnesota Recycler’s Exchange, the organization of counties received a national award as the country’s Outstanding Rural Community Program. Morse has served on a number of state and national foundation boards, including the Recycling Association of Minnesota and Conservation Minnesota. Morse has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and lives in Dakota. Contact: AMorse@co.winona.mn.us

18. Information Pete Sandberg hasa Bachelor of Science in health education and physical education from Winona State University (’73). He worked in construction and manufacturing before beginning a career in higher education facilities management, which led to interests in managing commodity demand and consumption and the carbon impacts of consuming commodities. Sandberg is currently the assistant vice president of facilities at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. He chairs the college’s Sustainability Task Force, which sets goals and develops policy; is the principle author of the college’s Sustainable Design Guidelines; is a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional; designed and implemented a composting program at St. Olaf that handles 100 percent of campus food waste; and wrote a successful grant application that led to the installation of the first utility scale on campus, a self-generating 1.65 mega-watt wind turbine, in 2006. He also led the planning, design, and construction of Regents Hall, a comprehensive, 200,000-square-foot natural science and mathematics facility that anticipates achieving LEED Platinum status in fall 2008. It will be the largest college or university science facility in the world to achieve Platinum status. Contact: sandberg@stolaf.edu

19. Resource Caroline van Schaik, has worked in the field of sustainable agriculture for the Land Stewardship Project for the past 10 years. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and agronomy, a minor in Art, and a Master of Science in soil science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work experience involves the advocacy of and organizing around sustainable farming, food systems infrastructure, business training for farmers, and collaborative field research into the environmental benefits of good farming. After extensive travel and jobs in journalism, food and farming, she and her family raise 100 percent pastured sheep on a farm 20 miles from Winona. In addition, van Schaik served in the Peace Corps in West Africa, which inspired her to return to agriculture school. Contact:caroline@landstewardshipproject.org

20. Contacts Kate Worley works for Minnesota Waste Wise, where she helps businesses and organizations address solid waste reduction, recycling, energy usage, sustainability goals, and any other aspects related to their overall environmental program. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a master’s degree in environmental science from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Her work experience includes county solid waste/recycling and humane/environmental education, including for the Animal Humane Society in the Twin Cities and Metropolitan Mosquito Control District. Her areas of interest and research include community education, recycling/solid waste and inter-disciplinary learning. She is currently a member of the Forum of Women in the Environmental Field (FWEF) and has previously been involved with the National Association of Humane and Environmental Educators (NAHEE) and Minnesota Association for Environmental Education (MAEE). Contact: kworley@mnchamber.com

21. 100 Ways to Save the Environment •Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life •www.seql.org/100ways.cfm