Meet the Newest Social Class: Green-Collar America

It's an understatement to say that the American politics is beginning to address the implications of global warming and energy security--in fact, they are the cornerstones of many a debate these days, coming from all sides of the ideological spectrum. However, Republicans and Democrats alike balk at the prohibitive costs of curbing climate change--almost all scenarios of drastically reduced emissions are accompanied by a fall in economic productivity and gross domestic product (GDP). However, many new studies, as well as some congressional representatives, are saying that a shift to a reduced-emission, renewable-energy-intensive world would actually create jobs.

The Apollo Alliance, a pro-renewable energy yet pro-growth think tank and action group, released a study that offers details about the skill sets needed to obtain a "green-collar job," which are jobs that are associated with green industries. The Alliance speculates that a green economy will produce almost 3.5 million new jobs in the United States, many of which will be clean and relatively safe jobs for low-skilled workers in rural areas--a demographic and region where job growth is often most difficult to stimulate. Additionally, a report released by the Worldwatch Institute states that increasing the share of our nation's electricity from renewable sources to 20 percent of the total would create more than 355,000 new U.S. jobs, and that the consumer savings on cheaper electricity would ripple through the U.S. economy, spawning even more jobs.

Most importantly, green jobs aren't only a product of policy wonks. On June 27, 2007, a bipartisan vote of 26-18 sent the Green Jobs Act out of committee to the floor of the U.S. House. The Act will help create some 35,000 jobs in green industries like solar panel installation, building weatherization, and wind farm construction by authorizing up to $125 million in funding for national and state job training programs. Presidential candidate Fmr. Sen. John Edwards has released a renewable energy plan which will create 150,000 green-collar jobs, while presidential hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton introduced an amendment similar to Congresswoman Solis's which allots $100 million to train workers in green collar jobs.

The political dichotomy used to be to grow the economy or protect the environment. However, with these new ideas and legislation, it looks like the economy can grow by protecting the environment. This realization will shift the energy security and global warming debate--both presently in Congress and among presidential candidates--from one grounded in economic infeasibility to one of economic possibilities.

Google Goes Environmental

Remember when Google was just a simple search engine back when it debuted in 1998? Well, now that it's grown into a giant corporation, expanding into applications, mail services, video platforms (including the purchase of video giant YouTube), it's also beginning to throw around a bit of political weight, especially when it comes to environmental conservation.

Earlier this week, Google announced that it was voluntarily reducing or offsetting all of its carbon emissions by the end of 2007. To make the cuts, Google has invested (this interactive link is really cool!) in the largest corporate solar panel installation to date on its Californian campus, with 9,212 panels generating enough energy to fully power 1,000 residential homes. Google is also launching programs to make its computers and servers more energy efficient, in addition to purchasing carbon offsets abroad, which supposedly reduce overall global carbon emissions in an attempt to slow global warming.

In addition, Google has unveiled plans to increase the amount of plug-in hybrid vehicles across the country, both by creating parking infrastructure at its California headquarters where employees can plug into the electrical grid as well as by funding similar initiatives across the country. "This is just a start," Google Chairman and Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said in a release issued by The Climate Group, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing business and government leadership on climate change which is assisting Google in its transition. "We are actively looking for more opportunities to help tackle climate change."

Today, Google announced it's newest approach: heading to Capitol Hill, where it will try to persuade politicians and energy companies, as well as the average American computer user to work together to reduce carbon emissions.

Climate change has become a forefront issue both in the current U.S. Congress, within individual states, in the current presidential campaigns, and among young voters especially. Do you think the government should take more of a role in tackling the issue of global warming, or are private companies like Google doing a good enough job by themselves? Let's hear what you think!

Environmental Action: Happening In Locations Near You

A new report by the New Politics Institute on the politics of the Millennial Generation speculated that the generation "is poised to dramatically alter the 21st century cultural and political landscape." The report also suggests that the Millennial Generation is in favor of environmental action. Environmental protection is widely considered to be a "youth issue," a conception supported by the report's polls which show that 51% of 18-22 year olds are "strongly concerned" with environmental issues--a higher proportion than any other generational grouping. What are American youth doing about this issue this summer?

-This concern of the country's young people about global warming has been "fueled" into the Campus Climate Challenge, which provides support for high school and college students striving to curb global warming, reduce pollution from their campuses, and lobby for a clean energy future. The Challenge already has 37 partner organizations and over 500 local chapters across the United States and Canada. And despite the fact that it's summer, many of the groups are remaining active.
-Two marches for climate action, led by youth activists, will be occurring in Iowa and New Hampshire this summer from August 1-5. Find out more information and check out the team's progress here.
-What's Your Plan?, a new project of the student PIRGS, is sending a team of students to question all of the 2008 presidential candidates on their plan for various youth issues, including global warming, demanding substantial answers rather than just empty rhetoric. What's Your Plan? events will be happening at campaign events across the country.