Community Jobs in the Green Economy
This 2007 report was a collaborative effort between the Apollo Alliance and Urban Habitat. It presents an overview of key industries in the clean-energy economy and the types and number of jobs associated with each industry. The report also provides recommendations about the necessary workforce development infrastructure needed to train workers to take advantage of these opportunities. The document focuses on building an equitable green economy that will benefit un- and underemployed citizens.
The report describes a range of employment opportunities in the following clean-energy industry areas:
- Energy efficient buildings
- Renewable energy
- Renewable fuels
The report next identifies a range of activities in which cities and their partners can engage to help create green-collar jobs for their community, including:
- Growing a local clean energy economy: Use public policies and investment to maximize energy efficiency and increase demand for renewable power.
- Capture high-quality green-collar jobs for community residents: Attach local hiring, job quality and job training standards to public incentives designed to encourage private companies to produce, buy, sell or distribute clean-energy products.
- Develop regional workforce training partnerships/workforce intermediaries: Develop place-specific, broad-based partnerships that work to develop and implement pathways for career advancement and family-supporting employment for low-skill workers.
- Identify high-growth, high-potential green industries: Assess green industry opportunities and design an economic development strategy that focuses on these identified targets as well as a community’s competitive advantages.
This report will be helpful for staff just beginning to think about developing a green-collar jobs strategy. It provides a good general framework, identifies some innovative case studies and presents an excellent set of resources (both general literature and specific program examples) for further exploration.
Energy efficiency is the process of using less energy to produce the same or increased functions. Often used mistakenly as a synonym for ENERGY CONSERVATION. The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
