The greening of American industry is in full bloom. Consider the numbers: From 1998 through 2007, th
e number of green U.S. jobs shot up 9.1%, while the rest of the workforce saw an increase of 3.7%. President Obama’s stimulus bill dedicated $30 billion to exploring and expanding clean-energy technologies, and in January a $2.3 billion in tax credits went to companies developing new energy ideas and solutions and aggressive smart grid deployment that could create 270,000 U.S. jobs and a further 138,000 if our smart grid technologies are exported to a global market.
Five places that are making the most of this decidedly green moment in the economy:
- San Francisco, CA The Bay Area is the number one metro area for clean technology job activity, and San Francisco recently passed $100 million in revenue bonds to support renewable energy projects. More than 50 percent of the citys commuters travel on public transportation and 20 big construction projects have recently applied for LEED certification.
- Boston, MA Including Worcester, Lawrence, Lowell, and Brocktonranks fourth in the Clean Edge survey of 15 top U.S. metro areas for clean-tech job creation. And two big sources of green construction and engineering jobs in Boston are wind powerits the citys third-largest fuel sourceand the fact that new buildings have to be constructed to meet LEED certification standards. Mayor Tom Menino appointed an Energy Management Board in 2003, which studied energy use in 362 municipal buildings and identified potential savings. For the second consecutive year, Menino’s Boston Green Awards included a separate category for bike-friendly businesses.
- Detroit, MI Department of Energy green technology grants to fund factories and create green jobs will tap into the Motor Citys skilled automotive workforce to bring hybrid and electric technology to the forefront of the American auto industry. Michigan had already created more than 22,000 clean-tech jobs by 2007, and the new federal grants will make those numbers grow. Automotive companies not based in Detroit have recently opened hubs in the city, and a mechanical engineer working on plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles in Detroit can expect to make $63,600 median pay with a bachelors degree, reports Clean Edge (http://tinyurl.com/yffkljd ).
- Portland, OR with more than 20,000 clean-energy jobs created in 2007 alonethe most in the nationits clear that sustainable Portland is the place to be. The city gets half of its power from renewable energy sources, 35 percent of its buildings have been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, and a quarter of the workforce commutes to work by bike, carpool, or public transportation. The city’s $50 million Grey to Green initiative, which began in July 2008, aims to add 43 acres of eco-roofs, plant 33,000 yard trees and 50,000 street trees, and restore native vegetation while halting the spread of invasive plants to better manage storm water.
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Sources: http://www.fastcompany.com/1567486/green-jobs-top-five-cities, andhttp://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/02/ebg021710.html See also: Earth 911.com, http://earth911.com/news/2009/07/13/cities-of-change/ for more articles; and Its Easy Being Green series,http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/ebg/
