The fourth panel of today's State of Green Business forum looked at the role of companies and local governments in promoting green jobs. What is a green job? How can we train and promote green jobs and who should we look to for leadership? What is the demand for green jobs? And most importantly is all this talk just hype, or does it reflect a real hope for a greener future? Leaders from the Environmental Defense Fund, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and PG&E discuss with moderator Matthew Wheeland, Managing Editor of GreenBiz.com.
There is no generally accepted definition of a "green job." Elizabeth Sturcken, Managing Director of Corporate Partnerships Program at the Environmental Defense Fund suggested green jobs is just a different way of looking at cases where doing good for the environment it also doing good for business. Ian Kim, Director of the Green-Collar Jobs Campaign at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights added that green collar jobs are like blue collar jobs but in industries that restore the environment. At the Ella Baker Center, Kim describes a focus on developing and promoting quality and access of green jobs: Quality meaning "not solar sweatshops and Wal-mart windfarms," but career track jobs that are good for workers as well as for environment, which provide workers with opportunities to advance. And access meaning there are training and educational pathways to get into those jobs. Bill Stock, Director of Regulatory Relations at PG&E noted that context is important, and we must include jobs that relate to sustainability efforts more broadly in our working definition of a green job.
How do we get started building a green collar economy? What is the first step? Kim reminded the audience that community colleges are the largest workforce institutions in the country and the government has an important role in providing funding for education and training. PG&E has created a "power pathway." "We recognized we didn't have enough candidates to fill the energy related jobs we'll need in a few years so we piloted a candidate training program," Stock explained. Kim quoted Van Jones, founder of the Ella Baker Center and outspoken advocate for green jobs, "When it comes to green job rhetoric there is a bubble, and when it comes to implementation, there is a hole." "Effective green workforce development must be demand driven -- we don't want to train for jobs that don't exist. Solutions must be provided at the regional level," Kim explained.
Sturcken noted that companies have been the leaders in sustainability to date. Companies "have shown us the way in a lot of cases and it's not going to get us to where we need to be," she said. So what is the proper role of non-profits in developing green jobs? Kim noted that non-profits must lead, bring everyone to the table, force and facilitate the discussion. To which Stock noted that community groups are often fractured. Is there a way to bring people together more effectively? Additionally, Sturcken pointed to EDF's Climate Corps, which helps companies with energy efficiency. A team of interns find opportunities for companies to save energy. "They found $35M of energy savings over 5 years," said Sturcken.
Regardless of who is leading the charge, all panelists were hopeful for the future of the green job economy.
"Provided there is good leadership, there is hope," Stock said.
"I have a lot of hope," Kim said. "Two years ago when we started green jobs [at the Ella Baker Center], our premise was a growth economy and creating opportunity in the green economy. But now with no more growth -- what is the story? Green economy is now the only way out. It's that simple. It's the way we save ourselves from ourselves. The old economy is failing on its own terms."
"There is a lot to look forward to," Sturcken said. "I've seen companies take great leaps and change whole corporate cultures. It's a new day for this whole country and the whole world and it's hard not to be opeful despite this huge challenge in front of us."