Green Jobs – Will the "goes green" Movement create jobs?

In February 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), also known as the Stimulus Act. Money has been allocated for a variety of “out-of-the-box” projects: anything that can get people into quick, paid employment. State and local governments, nonprofits, and even for-profit businesses are trying to find ways to get a piece of the money-filled government pie.

The Obama administration has been moving quickly to get the country back on track. But it is not just about curing financial garlic. President Obama seems to favor a more holistic approach. America needs to be a good global citizen. We need to protect our planet and the environment by “going green”. President Obama traveled to Copenhagen for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP15 in 2009 to present the case of our country. At the beginning of the year, the cap and trade bill HR 2454 was born. Not only was it born, but it has passed in the House of Representatives. Now, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, improved by Pelosi and more politically palatable, is before the Senate for approval. Many believe and hope that it will pass. So the United States will join much of the rest of the world in “Going Green.”

Will turning green help?

The passage of a cap-and-trade bill would mean that we would have to become familiar with terms such as carbon footprints, retrofit and remediation, carbon offsets, and carbon trading. Both homes and businesses will be affected. Green certifications, energy audits, and weatherization are already required for homes and federal projects. For one, enacting this legislation is estimated to cost $821 billion between 2010 and 2019, according to the Congressional Budget Office. On the other hand, this bill is estimated to increase federal revenue (also known as taxes) by $846 billion from 2010 to 2019. The revenue increases are not all good news. Individuals and families are ultimately the ones who pay for the increased taxes that businesses would pass on to consumers. But if you think in terms of more people working, and therefore more people paying taxes, the impact to any individual taxpayer may be neutral.

Despite all the stimulus money, the unemployment rate continued to rise in 2009. But, one of the immediate positives of the Cap-and-Trade bill’s regulations is a new set of job opportunities. It may not be enough to offset the job losses that may result from the additional tax burden on businesses. But any new work will help. Some people will have to rearrange and upgrade their skills. There is a shortage of people trained to do air conditioning. There is a need for more people to not only learn how to perform energy audits, but also to re-certify to current standards. In this American recession, any good news on the jobs front is encouraging.

Below I have identified some of the groups that will benefit.

Construction Trades, Engineers

• Home / business energy audits
• Air conditioning
• LEED certification (energy rating for green buildings)

Accounting, Finance, Auditing, Technology, Lean/Six Sigma/BPR/Environmental Consultants

• Monitoring of carbon production
• Waste management
• carbon trading
• Sustainability metrics
• green ROI

Business/management/supply chain consultants, technical writers, business analysts

• Corporate Sustainability Reports (CSR)
• GreenTraining
• Evaluations
• sustainability manager
• green business case

Innovators, Researchers, Technologists, Engineers, Scientists, Lean/Six Sigma/BPR Consultants

• paper reduction
• waste reduction
• higher efficiencies
• energy savings
• Carbon reduction projects
• Biodegradable products

Lawyers, Economists

• Legal interpretations
• Patents and trademarks
• Economic impact

Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations, Change Management Consultants, Event Planners, Printers, Sign Makers

• mass education
• Acceptance and adjustment.
• green exhibits