Green Careers that are Certified to Stimulate the Economy and Planet

There are a lot of jobs being lost but with a $100 billion green initiative soon to roll out from the government clean-tech careers will be in high demand. Careers in home building and industrial plants will shift to jobs in wind and solar power, mass transit, and a modernized green infrastruc-ture. Here, you will find Fast Company’s list of green jobs and initiatives that are expected to rise in the coming years.

1) Energy Efficient Construction. Buildings account for up to 48 percent of US energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. LEED, is the major green building certification available today and a tactical way to get ready for the coming requirements. A study by the Apollo Alliance recom-mended an $89.9 billion investment in financing to create 827,260 jobs in green buildings -- an initiative supported by the Obama stimulus package.

2) Wind Turbine Fabricator. Wind is the leading and fastest-growing source of alternative energy with more than 300,000 jobs worldwide. Turbines are 90% metal by weight, creating an op-portunity for autoworkers and other manufacturers to repurpose their skills.

3) Conservation Biologist. The urgent quest to preserve the integrity of ecosystems around the world -- and to quantify the value of ecosystems services leads to opportunities in teaching, re-search and fieldwork for government, nonprofits, and private companies.

4) Sustainability Systems Developer. The green economy needs a wide array of specialized software developers and engineers who design, build, and maintain the networks of sensors and stochastic modeling that underpin wind farms, smart energy grids, congestion pricing and other systems substituting intelligence for natural resources.

5) Urban Planner. Strengthening mass transit systems, limiting sprawl, encouraging use of bi-cycles and de-emphasizing cars is only part of the job. Equally important is contingency plan-ning, as floods, heat waves and garbage creep become increasingly common problems for me-tropolises. Employment in this sector is projected to grow 15 percent by 2016.

For Fast Company’s complete list visit http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2009/01/best-green-jobs.html

Earth Day 2009

It is Earth Day and while most of us have been focused on the fragile economic climate this is the one day that symbolizes the right of all to have a healthy and sustainable environment. Earth Day is a day dedicated to protecting our planet. Today is a day you can find a way you can be a part of the solution by one of the methods we recommend below or by partaking in events close to you. Today let’s get greener together and help preserve our precious planet. Let us make every day an Earth day….

1. Working?
Organize an Earth Day carpool with co-workers who live in your neighborhood, or coordinate an office-wide walk to a nearby restaurant for lunch instead of ordering delivery. Then use the experience to make both activities a part of your regular routine.

2. At Home
Start turning your backyard into an official wildlife habitat. Even the smallest urban garden can sustain the basics for local fauna—food, water, shelter, and space—and you can im-plement sustainable gardening methods for an even greener green space.

3. Rooted in the Community
It's an Earth Day tradition, but planting trees is one way to build forests back up; also, try working with a group that rescues otherwise- trashed wood from buildings and construction sites for reuse.

4. Water Solutions
Preserving our water is a great green step—no more leaving the faucet on while brushing your teeth it's a simple step in preserving this precious resource. Litter, chemical waste, industrial run-off, and other garbage not disposed of properly can damage water sources. Join a group that organizes a clean-up of water beds and beaches in your local region.

5. Can’t Get Out?
If you can’t get out on Earth Day, you can still make a difference! Contribute to an organization that is dedicated to preserving our planet. There are many worthy and in need of your donation, choose one that is close to you.