The Green Job Evolution

Who Will Be Left Behind By the Green Job Boom?

* Posted by: Siobhan O'Connor
* on May 11, 2009 at 8:00 am

Living Cities—a collaboration of 21 of the world’s biggest foundations and financial institutions—is leading the charge to ensure low-income workers aren’t counted out of the green job boom. It’s hero’s work, but it’s not going to be easy.

If President Obama’s projections are accurate, the classifieds could soon be flooded with a glut of green-job listings. “Solar panel engineer needed!” “Crumbling-building retrofitter wanted!” It’s the great green hope, backed by the stimulus plan: a promise that our conversion to energy efficiency will spark 2.5 million new jobs and lift the country out of a recession. With millions recently out of work, and entire industries expected to collapse within the coming years, there’s no shortage of workers to fill the spots. But throw in high school graduates, and those who didn’t have skilled-labor jobs to begin with, and the job-to-jobless ratio doesn’t look terribly promising, especially for low-income workers.

One organization, however, hopes to flip those odds. Living Cities is a public-private-philanthropic collaboration that focuses on urban solutions that also bring low-income people out of the economic and social fringes, and they are now focusing their efforts on the green job boom. Read more.