What Exactly are "Green Collar" Jobs?

If we want home insulation programmes and green energy schemes to create lots of new jobs for plumbers, roofers and electricians then let's say that, rather than making vague pronouncements about "green collar jobs" and expecting people to know or care what we mean. Jobs that don't sound real, don't look real and don't seem like they will ever pay real money to real people are unlikely to ever capture the public's imagination.
- Darren Johnson, Green Party (UK)

In the past, environmentalists were often considered to be on the opposite side of economists on various issues. This conflict came over the protection of natural areas versus the capacity to build on those parcels to spur business development. As the world has evolved and changed, the connection between these two fields has been altered. At CNT Energy we support stronger energy efficiency standards because of their influence on lowering energy bills for households, businesses, and governments. Such improvements can help create and save jobs while lowering the operating costs for all sectors both public and private.

It costs a certain amount of money to run a home, and with lower monthly energy bills costs can be diverted to more necessary household expenditures like education and health care. As the need for these improvements has been more understood by the public, it is important to now find the proper message to be an advocate for these investments. America is facing a dwindling work force, but it is still filled with the expertise and skill to accomplish the tasks at hand and the men and women who have lost their jobs are eager to get back to work.

Wind farms and solar panels are on the horizon as examples of technology that we will one day be able to harness with a large scale capacity, but today there is a lot of work that can be done on a much smaller scope. Installing higher grade insulation to our homes and schools to lower heating and cooling costs, replacing inefficient windows with ones that are better suited to keep wanted air in and undesired air out, and revamping a building’s water system to lower the amount needed for daily tasks which require a great deal of energy to heat the water are all improvements that can be made today.

So when you have the ear of your local representative, make sure you’re pushing for energy efficiency improvements! Wind farms are popping up across Illinois, and they get a lot of attention (for good reason), but don’t forget about all the small jobs that need to be done. They can lower energy bills for your home, your school district, or local municipality and most importantly get America back to work!