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GREEN – COLLAR JOBS. Shrija Ghosh and Henry Roseman. What is a Green Collar Job?. “There is no uniform definition of a green job. In general, jobs that have a direct, positive impact on the environment have become known as green jobs” WSU
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GREEN – COLLAR JOBS ShrijaGhosh and Henry Roseman
What is a Green Collar Job? • “There is no uniform definition of a green job. In general, jobs that have a direct, positive impact on the environment have become known as green jobs” • WSU • "It has to pay decent wages and benefits that can support a family. It has to be part of a real career path, with upward mobility. And it needs to reduce waste and pollution and benefit the environment.“ • Phil Angelides, chair of Apollo Alliance • “Blue-collar work force opportunities created by firms and organizations whose mission is to improve environmental quality, could be very large” • Raquel Pinderhughes, director of Urban Studies Program at San Francisco State University • “It’s hard to define what a green job actually is.” • Michael Myers, analyst for Oregon Employment Department
Examples of Green Collar Jobs • Bike Repair • Green Building • Waste Composting • Park Maintenance • Manufacturing of “green technologies” • Solar panels, green waste bins, etc. • Recycling • Reuse of construction materials • Public Transit
Creation of Green Collar Jobs WHO? • Local, state or federal government depending on magnitude of job development – Obama recently allocated $210 billion for new jobs • Companies subsidized by the government WHY? • The need to preserve and allocate naturally occurring resources such as water as opposed to being economically efficient
Green Collar Jobs and Unemployment in NC • Washington State Example • 47000 jobs in total • 667 new jobs per year • Kenneth Greene and Green Jobs • Green jobs take away from existing job • Broken window analogy • REPS-Renewable Energy &Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard • 12.5% of consumer owned utilities required to be economically friendly • ~4000 jobs by 2021 • JobsNOW-Perdue
What Obama Plans to Do • Create jobs in areas of wind and solar power, biofuel and other renewable energies – create 5 million “green jobs” ANALYSIS – Kenneth Green • To create new jobs: old jobs and infrastructure would be re-organized – is it worth the input of capital and loss of capital – opportunity cost • Is it even scientifically probable? – 160 year old problem
Mecklenburg County • 11% Unemployed (52,000 people) • North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) • Green jobs on the rise • 2008: 500 businesses and 6,470 jobs • Current:10,000 jobs • Potential New Green Jobs • Sencera • Elm Engineering • Potentially 1025 new jobs by 2011
Lenoir County • Moratorium on hog farms • 5 – years, $17.1 million done in research : no feasible alternative yet – technology developed, not cost effective (2 – 5 times as much) • Researchers and hog farms owners have to define “economically feasible” in order to implement • New technology does nothing about the awful smell!