Boosting Green Jobs through Stimulus and Smarts
by Michele Kadison
United States President Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus plan is designed to resuscitate the American economy by getting people back to work, with $40 billion of this money designated for creating green jobs. It has been estimated that there are currently between 750,000 to 4 million green jobs avail in the U.S., many of them traditional with the potential for a new green slant. Others are in the realm of new products and company creation, revolving around the need for a more sustainable approach to the environment.
Between retrofitting old paradigms that ultimately correspond to energy efficiency and moving forward with new evolutionary ideas, all are based on the concept of renewable energy, using natural resources, and reducing our footprint on the planet’s resources.
With so many states primed for renewable resources, investment in alternative energy plans is an obvious given. The nation’s sunbelt is ideal for solar energy products; the plains and coastal areas are ideal for wind energy, the South East and Mid West are ideal for biofuel energy, and geothermal solutions are ideal anywhere.
Many automotive plants are in the process of retooling their equipment in order to build solar panels, wind turbines, and other machinery geared towards energy efficiency. Other industries are redesigning their plants to conform with green industry standards, whereby many of them can begin to create parts for eco-friendly machines and products.
Chemical plants are now looking at processes and products that would eliminate the need to use hazardous substances, and agricultural entities are casting their eyes towards more sustainable farming practices.
Additionally, retail businesses are rethinking their strategies to correspond with consumers’ growing attention to environmentally friendly products and services.
President Obama’s concern with modernizing the grid in order to deliver electricity digitally throughout the country implies an enormous change in reducing energy costs. By delivering energy to every part of the country, rural areas that hitherto do not receive reliable electricity would also be able to move forward while saving money in the process.
United States Vice President Joe Biden has created a task force to help strengthen the middle class, an essential ingredient in ensuring a grounded economy. A strong advocate of creating more green jobs, Biden seeks to ensure consistent family wages, health and retirement benefits, ethical work conditions and labor standards, and a workforce that reflects the diversity of American society.
The Green movement is gaining momentum not only due to the efforts of lawmakers, however, but also through the demands of consumers, business owners, community leaders, labor unions, and environmentalists. By supporting a green consciousness, it becomes more obvious that we are solving a multitude of problems, from the need for jobs to the health of our planet.
