by M. J. Duberstein
June 2011
In May the Kihei Community Association Planning Committee asked me to provide them with a report about viable alternative job opportunities for Maui Nui. This is an expanded version of that report, one which can be seen as a basis for Maui Tomorrow’s further efforts in this area.
What are green-collar jobs?
Right now, there’s a great opportunity not only to make America’s economy stronger by making it greener, but to make Americans living in poverty part of a revitalized middle class. The first thing we have to do is provide the training that will turn 20th century blue-collar jobs into secure 21st-century green-collar jobs.
For more background on green-collar jobs and a video on the topic, go to Green For All.
Green-Collar Jobs Rebuild a Strong Middle Class
Green-collar jobs are good jobs. Like blue-collar jobs, green-collar jobs pay family wages and provide opportunities for advancement along a career track of increasing skills and wages. A job that does something for the planet, and little to nothing for the people or the economy, is not a green-collar job. An enduring green economy cannot be built with solar sweat shops and Wal-Mart wind farms.
Green-Collar Jobs Provide Pathways Out of Poverty
Most green-collar jobs are middle-skill jobs requiring more education than high school, but less than a four-year degree — and are well within reach for lower-skilled and low-income workers as long as they have access to effective training programs and appropriate supports. We must ensure that all green-collar jobs strategies provide opportunities for low-income people to take the first step on a pathway from poverty to economic self-sufficiency.
Green-Collar Jobs Require Some New Skills (and some new thinking about old skills)
The green economy demands workers with new skill sets. Some green collar jobs — say renewable energy technicians — are brand new. But even more are existing jobs that are being transformed as industries transition to a clean energy economy: computer control operators who can cut steel for wind towers as well as for submarines; or mechanics who can fix an electric engine as well as an internal combustion engine. We need to identify the specific skills the green economy demands. Then we need to invest in creating new training programs and retooling existing training programs to meet the demand.
The building trades and others in organized labor will be responsible for training a new generation of skilled, hands-on workers. As many green jobs as possible should be good, union jobs – with all the benefits of collective bargaining to help ensure good wages and working conditions. We hope that the labor movement in the future will be “bigger, browner (more diverse) and greener.”
Green-Collar Jobs Tend to Be Local Jobs
Much of the work we have to do to green our economy involves transforming the places that we live and work and the way we get around. These jobs are difficult or impossible to offshore. For instance, you can’t pick up a house, send it to China to have solar panels installed, and have it shipped back. In addition, one of the major sources of manufacturing jobs — a sector that has been extensively off-shored — are components parts for wind towers and turbines. Because of their size and related high transportation costs, they are most cost-effectively produced as near as possible to wind-farm sites. Cities and communities should begin thinking now about ways their green strategies can also create local jobs.
A Green-Collar Job Strengthens Urban and Rural Communities
Urban and rural America have both been negatively impacted over the past decades by a failure to invest in their growth — green-collar jobs provide an opportunity to reclaim these areas for the benefit of local residents. From new transit spending and energy audits in inner cities to windmills and biomass in our nation’s heartland, green jobs mean a reinvestment in the communities hardest hit in recent decades.
And By the Way … Green-Collar Jobs Save Planet Earth
This may be obvious. The “green” in green-collar is about preserving and enhancing environmental quality. Green collar jobs are in the growing industries that are helping us kick the oil habit, curb greenhouse-gas emissions, eliminate toxins, and protect natural systems.
Green-collar workers are installing solar panels, retrofitting buildings to make them more efficient, constructing transit lines, refining waste oil into biodiesel, erecting wind farms, repairing hybrid cars, building green rooftops, planting trees, and so much more. And they are doing it today. There are already many green-collar jobs in America. But there could be so many more if we focus our economic strategies on growing a green economy.
You can find more information about green-collar jobs programs and policies www.greenforall.org/resources.
To be sure, a lot of green-collar jobs will be in the energy sector, most of them in “clean” energy jobs. This is a 2009 Mother Earth News article:
Clean Energy Jobs Outstrip Traditional Jobs
It’s one small step for America — and one giant leap for clean energy.
A recent study found that jobs in America’s emerging clean energy sector are growing more rapidly than jobs in the fossil fuel industry. The study, conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts, found that while employment in the traditional energy sector grew just 3.7 percent between 1998 and 2007, jobs in clean energy technologies grew by 9.1 percent.
Clean energy jobs are diverse — as are the salaries. They include engineers, plumbers, administrative assistants, construction workers, machine setters, marketing consultants and even teachers, with salaries ranging from $21,000 to $111,000. This sector has a ways to go in catching up with the number of workers employed by traditional energy, however. In 2007, the fossil fuel industry employed 1.27 million workers; clean energy provided 770,000 jobs.
Pew defines a clean energy economy as one that creates jobs, businesses and investments while expanding clean energy production, increasing efficiency, conserving natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution. Pew includes five categories in its definition of a clean energy economy: clean energy, energy efficiency, environmentally friendly production, conservation and pollution mitigation, and training and support.
Increasing consumer demand, venture capital investments, and federal and state policy reforms are expected to dramatically expand green jobs, Pew reports. Already, investors are spending more on alternative energy sources than on fossil fuels. Federal and state reforms are also under way. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $85 billion for direct spending and tax incentives for energy and transportation programs.
States are also jumping on the bandwagon. So far, 23 states have adopted initiatives that will help reduce pollution from power plants, 46 states have offered tax incentives for renewable energy use and energy-efficient systems, and 29 states and the District of Columbia now require electricity providers to derive at least part of their power from renewable energy sources. Pew’s website has an interactive state-by-state map where you can learn more about green jobs in your area.
Read more: www.motherearthnews.com
Even more information can be found in a three part article on finding Green Jobs (www.greencollarblog.org ).
Hawaii offers an excellent proving-grounds and model for Green Jobs. Last December, the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations Research & Statistics Office issued a 74 page report, Hawaii’s Green Workforce: A Baseline Assessment which found currently in Maui Nui 2,597 green jobs already exist, that they comprise 4.6% of all jobs—the highest percentage for any county—and they predicted an 437 additional green jobs by next year. (http://hawaii.gov/labor/news/2011/Green%20Jobs%20Report_FINAL_withcover.pdf )
Maui accounts for 12% of the State’s total employment, yet its green jobs comprise 23% of the State’s total. Administrative & Support & Waste Management & Remediation Services (ASWMRS); Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services; Wholesale Trade; and Retail Trade account for 75% of the total, and, in contrast to other counties, Maui has most of its green jobs in the (ASWMRS)sector. This sector includes 1,219 green jobs which makes 28% of the total sector in Maui; Maui worksites reported the greatest number of green jobs in this sector as: Janitors and Cleaners, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers, Recycling and Reclamation Workers, Pest Control Workers, Commercial Divers, Sales Representatatives, Ship and Boat Captains, Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Energy Engineers, and Retail Salespersons. Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Energy Engineers, and Retail Salespersons; in terms of ASWMRS, Maui holds a disproportionately larger share of its green work force in this industry.
The report’s key statewide findings were:
- Green jobs in the private sector of Hawai’i are estimated at 11,145, which accounts for 2.4% of total private employment. Green jobs are identified in 203 occupations across 19 major industry groups. Sixty-five percent of Hawaii’s green jobs are found in three major industries – Construction, Professional Services, and Administrative & Support, Waste Management & Remediation Services. Five occupations — Janitors & Cleaners, Forest & Conservation Technicians, Security Guards, Electricians, and Heating & Air Conditioning Mechanics & Installers — account for 28% of the green workforce.
- Current green job vacancies are estimated at 670, which represent 1.5% of Hawaii’s total unemployment. Nearly three-quarters of these vacancies occur in three industries – Construction, Agriculture and Professional Services.
- Businesses anticipate green employment to grow faster than the overall labor market in Hawaii. Between 2010 and 2012, employer worksites project the number of green jobs to increase by 26% to 14,048, accounting for 2.9% of total employment. Occupations expected to experience the most growth in green jobs during this period are solar and insulation technicians. All counties report an increase in the number of green jobs by 2012, with Oahu projecting the largest number (1,885 new green jobs) and Hawaii County the highest rate of growth (42%).
- Community colleges and trade schools fulfill 62% of the education and training requirements for reported green jobs. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is the most commonly cited qualification.
- Businesses report an average of 3.5 green practices per worksite, with the largest numbers found in Maui and Kauai counties. Recycling, use of recycled products, and energy-saving light bulbs are the most common practices. Over 90% of worksites report at least one green practice.
As a detailed overview of where we are and where the Department projects we’re going I highly recommend the report.
In May the Department launched a new website, Hawaii’s Source for Green Labor Market Information, containing a green jobs job board and other information: (http://dlir.state.hi.us/labor/lmi/ ).
As a start the following list was compiled from perusing a wide range of on-line green jobs listings; note that clean energy jobs make up only a small portion of the large range of possibilities. It’s a start; more can—and should—be added from your recommendations of specific green-collar job opportunities relevant for Maui Nui now and in the future. Note that the two PWF jobs were listed in a national register but not in the local paper:
- Air quality scientists/engineers/technicians
- Animal husbandry technicians/workers
- Artisan cookie bakers
- Bagel bakers
- Baristas
- Bicycle repairs
- Bloggers
- Brand managers
- Brewers
- Building code compliance technicians
- Campus cook coordinators/technicians (especially if R & T Park expansion results in their envisioned campus concept)
- Catering directors
- Cheesemongers
- Community health organizer
- Concrete engineers/technicians
- Culinary internships
- Design architects
- Designers/drafters
- Document controllers
- EarthCorps crew leaders (EarthCorps’ mission is to build global community through local environmental service. EarthCorps restores parks and open spaces while providing leadership and community service experiences for young people from the United States and around the world. EarthCorps runs more than 300 volunteer events year round to complete local community-based restoration and build stewardship capacity within the greater community.
- • Strong Communities: EarthCorps leads 10,000 volunteers annually and partners with 100+ organizations worldwide.
- • Healthy Habitats: EarthCorps’ environmental restoration work includes native plantings, invasive plant removal, stream restoration, wetland and shoreline restoration, and trail construction.
- • Young Leaders: In addition to the Corps Program, EarthCorps delivers programs for young people to learn about the environment, engage in community service and develop leadership skills through hands-on service.)
- Eco-moms or dads (As a second or third job possibility these teams work entirely from home and create residual income. Their mission is to educate others about the chemical dangers in homes and offer access to safer alternatives at wholesale pricing; they claim the business is not multi-level marketing, and they do not sell or distribute products to friends and families, instead offering free, ongoing training in a “team” environment and have a proven track record of teaching others how to start a successful home business with no large investment and no financial risk.)
- Electrical engineers
- Environmental engineers and instructors
- Environmental remediation
- Environmental site assessor
- Farm managers
- Farm supervisors for homeless garden projects
- Farmers market organizers
- Farmstand staff
- Fisheries biologists/technicians
- Florists
- Food bank donor coordinator
- Food demonstrators
- Food policy program coordinator
- Food truck cook
- Geotechnical engineers/consultants
- Grant writers
- Green property managers
- Green-collar jobs organizers
- Greenjobs workforce developers
- Horticulture assistants
- Hospitality event coordinators/workers
- Hydrogeologists
- Ice cream truck drivers
- Infrastructure engineers
- Landscape architects/technicians
- LEEDS programs civil engineers, project managers, architects, performance engineers, estimators, mechanical engineers,
- consultants and energy engineers—all with LEEDS certification
- Line cooks
- Marine and aquatic biologists
- Marketing managers
- Mechanical engineers
- Merchandise managers
- Naturalists for Pacific Whale Foundation (A Pacific Whale Foundation Naturalist is responsible to Vessel Staff Manager and works at the direction of the Captain and Boat Manager. PWF Naturalist is responsible for educating passengers from a scientific perspective about Hawaii’s geology, geography, natural history, ecology, culture and all aspects of marine life to promote the appreciation, understanding and protection of whales, dolphins, coral reefs and our planets oceans. PWF Naturalist provides high quality customer service and other supportive/ crew duties as needed to promote PWF’s mission and vessel operations.)
- Office administrators
- Photographers
- Photovoltaic engineers, consultants, installers (Johnson Controls, Maui)
- Preservation garden coordinators
- Private chefs
- Program/project outreach coordinators
- Project fundraisers
- Purchasers
- Purser for Pacific Whale Foundation (The Purser works at the primary direction of the Boat Manager and is responsible to the vessel Captain and the Vessel Programs Director. The Purser is responsible for the preparation, display and serving of all food and beverage, supply inventory management and replenishment, saleable item bank and reconciliation, high quality customer service and other supportive duties as needed to promote PWF’s mission and boat operations.)
- School garden coordinator
- Seed historians
- Soil scientists/technicians
- Sommeliers
- Story-tellers
- Survey technicians
- Sustainability project leaders
- Tasting room staff
- Terrestrial biologists/ecologists
- Urban land engineers/technicians
- Vegetation ecologists
- Water/wastewater sustainability
- Weatherization technicians
- Web designers
- Wholesale sales representatives
- Wildlife biologists/technicians
- Youth coordinators