Looking for a new job or to start a new business? Think Green.

Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth has given the green movement a lot of momentum. Both presidential candidates say they support creating green collar jobs. As America moves toward being kinder to the environment, a new employment sector has sprung up. But what exactly is a green collar job?

In a Time magazine article by Bryan Walsh, a green collar job is defined as any job that puts America “on the path to a cleaner, more energy efficient future”. It also has to pay decent wages and benefits that can support a family and be part of a career path with upward mobility. Jobs in public transit, green building, energy efficiency, and even traditional manufacturing have the potential to be green. In other words, jobs that used to be blue collar would become green collar. A big supporter of green jobs is the United Steelworkers Alliance which sees this as a way of fighting outsourcing and keeping manufacturing jobs in America.

Today, Congress will vote whether to fully fund the Green Jobs Act and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. If funded the money from these two appropriation bills will help to fund green jobs creation and training. This will be an opportunity for us to see how the two presidential candidates vote. To say you are in favor of supporting the creation of green jobs is one thing but their actions will speak to each candidate’s true commitment.

Here are some web sites for green jobs and green news:
Ecobusinesslinks.com
TreeHugger.com
Planet Green
GreenForAll.org