The Proliferation of Green Jobs

The sustainability revolution is coming! Where do I stand? Where do you stand? Where do we stand?

A gajillion, million, bazillion dollars are now being circulated throughout the United States of America to help stimulate the economy and create jobs. I'm pulling for the "green" job increases and to be honest, I'm already starting to see a bit of a pick up in the talk and excitement in Massachusetts surrounding sustainable industries. Check out this article in the Boston Globe to see what I'm talking about.

Stimulus expectations run high

So, what kind of green jobs are we talking here? Green construction? Solar panel installers? Wind turbine technicians (or as I call them, trapeze artists)? Green non-profits? Green government contracts? Green street sweepers?

A year ago I was just another environmental enthusiast who wanted nothing more than to see a social and economic transformation to a cleaner, healthier economy and way of living. I wanted quite badly to work in the field of "green" business. I never got an engineering degree, never got an environmental science degree and I never got a business degree. I simply am a good writer who's good with technology and has a very small learning curve. I put myself out there repeatedly and almost, I mean almost got a few really cool jobs for solar and wind power companies. I'm not working in a sustainable industry at the moment, but I find myself in the midst of a revolutionary period, one that I've been waiting for.

Do I still want my professional future to lie in "green" or sustainable business? You bet your pants I do. But I ask, where do I belong? Where can I put my skills to use? Who needs me?

You should ask yourself these questions as well. This will be the biggest economic boom that my generation (Gen Y) will likely ever see in our lifetime. I don't want to call it a bubble. How could infrastructure and renewable energy development cause an economic bubble? It won't. This is our new direction. This will be an economic freight train. Get on or get out of the way!

Sustainable Spaces

I may not have mentioned Jetson Green before due to my tendency to keep things that I really love private. This website consistently hosts the most inspiring, beautiful and innovative green, sustainably built projects in the world. reading a blog like this is encouraging because it really helps you realize that many places throughout the United States are adapting some form of sustainable building principals in application to their own spaces.

A little over a week ago I visited Alex Cheimets in Arlington where he and his neighbor are living amidst the Massachusetts Superinsulation Project. This project is a great example of what can be done with supplies available to virtually anyone and some applied scientific reasoning to make a relatively old residential home become energy efficient. I will cover this project and compare it to other projects in further detail in the near future.

When not working with existing residential or commercial structures, there is a seemingly blank canvas left for developers, architects and construction workers to build something new and innovative that serves a purpose of livability, functionality and general aesthetic appeal.

A new design that I'm excited over today that I learned about from the folks over at Jetson Green is Dr. Jim's "Really Nice" space. This walkable, sustainable, rentable commercial space just screams downtown renewal, something that my hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts is in sore need of. If developers and city officials were ever able to pair reasonably priced, sustainably built housing and commercial space down where the Worcester Common Fashion Outlets used to be, that could bring an entirely new dynamic to the city's brand.

Match the concept of new development with retro-fitted existing structures and I can foresee an exciting vision for Worcester, Massachusetts and many many other cities and towns like it. This sort of vision will create jobs and be conducive to community involvement. I like the sound of that. Plus it just looks nice!

I Need A Small Plot of Land for Green Building

There are a lot of inspiring stories in circulation about innovative green building and land developments all over the country. Pick up a Dwell magazine and you'll see mind blowing contemporary designs in arid desert, lush Pacific forests and secluded Northeast cabin country. But, the whole idea of green building and sustainable design is to have it accessible to the most people possible so that the concepts actually reduce carbon use.

In Lawrence, MA, Powerhouse Enterprises erected an extremely green and energy efficient home. The health and beauty of the house is astonishing. It is being sold for $300,000, which considering the innovation involved, isn't a bad price.

But, I live in Worcester. Why can't these ideas and practices be proliferated to all regions? Shipping a green home long distances (my Lawrence example isn't far, but I'm talking more about somewhere like Arizona) defeats the purpose of building an energy efficient dwelling. All regions can get into something like this, I'm convinced.

What I want to do is get funding from who-knows-where and buy and develop a piece of land in Worcester with a green and cleanly built home. I don't care if I live in it, sell it, or whatever, but this is something I want to do for Worcester. Sustainable living in Worcester with green buildings being marketed and built could bring a new sense of vitality to the region. I love all the three deckers, but retro-fits and condo-conversions get old after a while.

The real estate bubble left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. This idea sounds simply delicious. This is sort of just a stream of conciousness business proposition. But, what do you think of this idea? I've seen something like this happen in Philly. Any suggestions, criticisms or comments?

Marketing to Business, People and the Planet

Interesting read on the death of the Internal Combustion engine. Can we push this along please?

http://www.theenergyroadmap.com/

Who takes precedence in the marketing of renewable energy and goods? Is B2B the only model that is feasible? It seems as if the real niche needing to be filled on a national scale is where utility companies cannot make enough energy at peak times with their current production methods. Clean, unlimited, energy in big gobs is something that can be easily achieved through diverting serious resources to the technology and manpower of getting this new economic engine running. Or, the infrastructure of transportation in all its facets could be changed by developing clean running vehicles of all sorts. Electric cars to electric railroads and tractor trailers!

Then there is the consumer side to this concept. Disposable income seems to be a thing of the past. Can people afford unsubsidized sustainable products in their lives? Does the average consumer have a decent working knowledge of how their spending affects atmosphere carbon and global warming? International relations that some smooth PR will coerce consumers into realizing that wind farms and solar panels and non-Internal Combustion cars are not hippie toys, but true symbols of patriotism and economic intelligence.

The high water mark of cheap oil and easy financing has come and gone. The tide has left a mess to be cleaned up and lived amongst. As Americans, we'll probably rebuild. Hopefully we do it under the right premises.

Winds of Change

No, I'm not speaking about Obama. I'm speaking about the call I got on Wednesday night. I'll be flown out to Chicago next Thursday to interview for a Sales and Marketing Coordinator position for a top international wind company. I'm simply thrilled.

Since 2006 I have been steadily reaching out to those in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable development for hints and advice on how to break into the field. Sometimes I'd get close and talk to someone or get an interview, other times I got some discouraged I was convinced I'd never work in the field that I'm most passionate about.

I signed up for a weekly news letter from the American Wind Energy Association that sends out jobs specifically related to the Wind Energy industry. I applied to most of the jobs sent to me every week for over two years. Two weeks ago I finally got a bite from this company who's United States office is based out of Chicago. The actual headquarters are in Denmark and India and there are over 14,000 employees world wide. The initial phone interview two weeks ago went over well, but I was so excited and nervous that I wasn't sure how I came off. Apparently I didn't come off too badly as I'm being treated to a flight to Chicago.

I feel like this is an opportunity of a life time. I am knowledgeable and skilled and I should be a great candidate. I had an interview at a solar company late last year and it went very well but they hired within. I think I am further along in the process than I was that time around and I also feel I am more well rounded now than I was back then.

If it comes to moving, the Worcester matter will be scrapped for a longer, more stressful move to Chicago. But, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Wish me luck :-)

Sunshine does wonders

I try to remove myself from the office every single day around lunchtime. No matter how busy it is, I try to get outside at least once a day. Today I went outside and it was pleasantly cool and very sunny. I got to have a brief conversation with one of the sales guys at the Starbucks about politics and elitism. Afterward I drove back to the office and read on a park bench for a half hour. I feel much better. Now all I need is a massage.

Sitting outside today I reflected on an idea I had about a year ago regarding the difference between working with one's mind and working with one's hand and where those two lifestyles overlap. Clearly at my job there is no need, nor acceptance of working with one's hands. Replacing the water jug is literally the most physically strenuous thing I could do on any given day. My housemate however is a project manager with an engineering company. He does a lot of work in an office with drafting and other paperwork, but he's also on the road, supervising and even lending a hand to the dudes who build stuff for him. That's kind of cool.

Maybe I'm a little bitter because I'm essentially in a Tech Support role. I'm straining myself to envision where I'd want to go if I stay in my present career path and it's not pretty. I have skills and love to learn as much as possible, but I don't want to become something alien to what I enjoy. The idea of becoming a solar panel installer or wind turbine maintenance tech seems more and more appealing the more I contemplate busting my ass just to move up to another job I wouldn't want. I love to be outside, I love to create and I love to be around people who are passionate about what they do. Apathy breeds stagnation. I want to love my work.

Solar and wind. Solar and wind. Solar and wind. Ohm!

I feel old, or mature for this market

I cannot talk too negatively of my housemate as I narcissistically believe he reads my blog every once in a while. But, my jealousy consumes me as he is in New York City right now on a business account soaking up the fun and Fall sun at the Digital Media Conference. My feelings towards him boarder on hatred over his ability to score sweet business trips like this (just kidding, I hate no one). I hope he shares his contacts and knowledge when he gets back.

New Media, Web 2.0, Social Media and all of the other new age advertising, marketing and PR techniques seem to harbor some of the most intelligent and talented business minds today. Plus it's a fairly young crowd. People my age and younger will be especially apt to this field due to our life long immersion in electronic and internet technology. I personally didn't get a computer until high school, but I learned the basics at a young age and learn almost anything thrown at me. I suppose the missing link between Nu Marketers and yr. average techie addict tweenie is the business psychology targeting the tweenie as a consumer and not a fellow social network member.

As stated previously, I was so against embracing the Internets breed of social communities as I wanted to maintain my individuality. As reach my mid-twenties (eek-err), I feel that I'm missing out on a lot of opportunities if I don't embrace this culture.

Then there's this voice inside of me. It's my literary resonance. This is where I innovate. I articulate the human experience through non-organic mediums.

Where do I focus my energy? Blogging? Freelancing? Both? I know I want solar, wind and sustainable goodness to be the focus of my career, so do I hyper-educate myself on that too? All of the above?

Identity Theft is Bad! Part Deux

So today I officially filed my claim to have my funds put back into my account. Whomever had my money is off gallivanting around town, probably buying stuff you can only find in the third world like rubber tires for burning people and chicken heads for voodoo (just kidding). In all seriousness, I am hesitant to use PayPal anymore as I have always been very careful with my account information. I can't quite understand how or why my information was acquired by these jerks. Is PayPal just not that secure anymore? Identity theft is really a stressful thing. I need to get paid for my freelance work, but maybe I should just stick to having paper checks sent to my mail when I want to cash in. Or better yet... cash only???

To top it all off, work is a god damned mad house, I'm moving back to Worcester at the end of the month and my mother is in the middle of surgery as I type this. I'm hoping things settle down soon. Or if they get really crazy, then the light at the end of the tunnel shall be brighter and more lucrative than where I'm at now.

I had a great conversation with someone who's been in the wind turbine industry for a long time. I want to work in renewable energy and sustainable building so badly. Having a cause and a direction that you believe in is so important to being successful at a job. I'm doing okay now because I show up every day, put my time in and learn what's to be learned. But this role in the company is so isolated from the real work I'd like to do that I feel more and more distant from the people and tasks every day. Although I have formed some friendships that I truly appreciate, it's so hard for me to feel a comradery with people who don't fully understand where I'm at in my life. I just want to keep seeking people out who are doing what I'd like to do down the road. The more good role models I have, the better. Either way, I've got to stay busy and learn as much as possible no matter where I am.

It's my town to shine, or gust, if you will.

The Grass Is Always Greener, They Say

In the coming fall months it seems as if people are finally getting back from their lethargic or minimalist work habits of the summer and putting on some truly exciting events.

I asked my boss if I could take the day off on Oct 1 or 2 and go to the Sustainable Communications Expo. There are going to be lots of Media people there networking. I may even be able to get into a lecture or two if I play my cards right. Who knows?

I think places like this can be really beneficial when someone like myself doesn’t always know where to turn for advice or guidance on the things I am truly passionate about.
No man or woman is an island and I’ll be amongst my people on these days! I’m really excited to hear about what innovation things people are thinking up and actually doing. I may even bring my resume and offer some freelance and contract services if the opporunity presents itself.

Check it out for yourself. If you want to go with me, let me know and we'll carpool or take the train in!


http://www.sustaincommworld.com/