Top Ten Green Jobs.

[The Grand Nudger]

So, all the threads on climate change and global warming got me to thinking about old articles I'd read re:green jobs. I recalled having read articles over the last few years that fleshed out what the author felt to be the top10 (like we do) and why. So I went a'searchin to see if I could find one of these articles so that we might bicker about it.

http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2009...-jobs.html

-Farmer
-Forester
-Solar Power Installer
-Energy Efficient Builder
-Wind Turbine Fabricator
-Conservation Biologist
-Green MBA and Entreprenuer
-Recycler
-Sustainability Systems Developer
-Urban Planner

Of these, is anyone here particular interested in one over the other (and why?). If you were writing the list would you omit, replace, or add something? If you had to order any of these, even only a few, where would they fall in your estimation?

-Perhaps an interesting side discussion. I've been reading articles like this for a decade, if any of these were going to be the next big thing, why have I met so few people pursuing them, why isn't there a huge groundswell of interest, and just where the fuck are all these people if they do exist?-

(and of course, if you think the whole "green" bit is bullshit and none of these things are important or worthwhile, I'd love to hear all about that as well)

[jackman]

this is a big task, trying to decide which of those do indeed belong on that list and in what order. my opinion of one for sure that is omitted is green construction or building and demolition.

i build prefab homes, which have come a long way in the past 10 yrs or so. they're no longer looked at in the same light as modulars (not that i have a problem at all with those) and have shown to appreciate just as stick-built homes have lately. prefabs are in-fact stick-built homes that are just built in controlled environments, indoors, and shipped to the site ready to construct onto your ready base. this reduces the amount of on-site debris significantly, from say 4 or 5 40yd cans down to a single 20yd when done judiciously. they're more air tight and over-engineered compared to most municipalities code allowances. ie., r30 rigid insulated walls as opposed to r19 batt. there is more - white roofing, solar, etc...

also, i focus on green demolition, which is basically qualified by simply separating recyclables and minimizing landfill deposits. all metals are recycled, liquids (paints, oils, etc) picked up by hazmat qualified dumps. all plaster, rock, brick, concrete, soil all cleaned separately and taken back to quarry. truthfully, even wood beams must be cut down to 4' lengths for landfills to accept now. everything goes where it needs to.

this should make the list as the impact on landfill alone is incredible.

[The Grand Nudger]

I see alot of double pane insulated glass behind boxes as well. I did some labor here and there on site built homes and modulars myself once upon a time. The amount of debris really is staggering. Now that you mention it, I'm wondering why demolition didn't make the list myself.

[jackman]

actually, i suppose it did, now that i look at it again. recycler would provide the umbrella for demo, i suppose.

[The Grand Nudger]

Well, lets call recycler our header for demo then. Do you think it should be placed near the top, maybe at the top? What would place directly below (or above) it? Offhand, not writing policy or anything..lol.

[jackman]

it's hard for me (without research) to distinguish how much impact the visionary jobs (green mba) impact in comparison to the direct contributors (like farmers). maybe more, maybe less, i just don't know. also, this list doesn't distinguish direct impact from simply the best jobs in the field.

i would certainly not put demo/recycler before farmer. i would put it ahead of builder tho, simply because it strikes me that there is a ton more demo of existing buildings than new builds. wind turbine fabricator - i see how the turbine itself is green, but building it? i don't know the process. biologist, entrepreneur, developer and planner - good jobs but impact is hard to measure. so ... farmer, recycler, builder, solar installer and then forester. the last one, i'm having trouble seeing how that's green at all.

[The Grand Nudger]

So, would it be fair to say that for you, the measure of where a job would fall in any list would be by impact. The measure of "how green" something is being the impact it had, more-so than the principles behind it or anything like that? I think that's a fairly common criticism of "green" things btw (your comments RE turbine fab), whether or not their manufacture is actually green. I try to stay skeptical myself when any green product or project is offered up, there's just too much incentive to use the word for me to accept anyone's claims at face value in that regard. That and I've been disappointed before..lol.

(could have arranged them by things you thought would be fun or satisfying careers as well)

[jackman]

So, would it be fair to say that for you, the measure of where a job would fall in any list would be by impact. The measure of "how green" something is being the impact it had, more-so than the principles behind it or anything like that?

(could have arranged them by things you thought would be fun or satisfying careers as well)

as far as this list is concerned, i actually can't say that. it does say 'jobs', so a lot of factors go into that - pay, availability, pride, peace of mind, etc... so the "how green"ness of it all is what i can't get my head around. people think green is "thinking" green and some think it's actively trying to reduce your footprint. both have merit.

personally tho, what makes a job the best is the one i enjoy most (50%) and 25% each for pay and impact. i don't want to make a career out of a job that isn't helping others as well as myself.

[popeyespappy]

-Perhaps an interesting side discussion. I've been reading articles like this for a decade, if any of these were going to be the next big thing, why have I met so few people pursuing them, why isn't there a huge groundswell of interest, and just where the fuck are all these people if they do exist?-

I don’t know about a huge ground swell, but I have noticed a marked increase in interest in recent years. You can’t take a piss in Huntsville without hitting a green startup company. Just last year we rented a 3500 SF space to some retired general that was standing up his own green company. He wasn’t using his own money either. There were investors. Someone other than him must have been interested.

Part of the reason you aren’t seeing it may be due to your location. When I lived in Knoxville I regularly saw trucks hauling huge blades for wind turbines west on I-40. During a trip to Fort Sill not long ago I got to see the relatively new 325 Megawatt Blue Canyon wind farm outside of Lawton. I’m in Corpus Christi right now and there are wind turbines all over place on the North side of the bay. Most of them built in the last 10 years. Texas currently gets 8% of its power from wind with plans to expand.

There is a growing interest in alternative energy. That interest is generating jobs in the manufacture, installation and maintenance of alternative energy generation. It is getting bigger it is just taking time.

[Cinjin]

-Farmer
-Forester
-Solar Power Installer
-Energy Efficient Builder
-Wind Turbine Fabricator
-Conservation Biologist
-Green MBA and Entreprenuer
-Recycler
-Sustainability Systems Developer
-Urban Planner

If you were writing the list would you omit, replace, or add something?

Energy Efficient Builder is WAY too generic. If you build with even one recycled construction material you can make claim that you're an energy efficient builder. Trust me, I was in the construction industry for nearly 20 years ... only a handful are truly Green.

(also, Green MBA and Entrepreneur is also WAY too generic and all-inclusive - allowing for nearly any CEO to make that claim)