Friday, January 22, 2010

Serious Question

What is a "Green Job"?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gino,

Installation of windmills and solar panels would probably fall into the category.

squeaky

RW said...

Also the manufacturing of wind turbines, solar panels, and the equipment that connects it to power distribution. There are some start-up manufacturers in Ohio that are interesting.

But it's also site clean-up, removing toxic waste like old gas tanks underground. There's also coming to be a specialized kind of landscaping where they revert to plants that naturally grow in the area.

In our area replacing old windows and doors with more energy-saving material during the winter is starting to kick in a little because you get a tax credit for changing out and use less energy.

What we need to do is get the battery production back from China and build our own. A lot of the hybrid cars use enhanced batteries. And since there's been an increase in hybrid sales manufacturing the fuel cells and batteries is also part of the "green" thing.

We're noticing a change in the kinds of building materials we can get when I talk to my vendors. A lot of the more endangered hardwoods like Mahogany are not as easy to get so there are composite substitutes. They have a thing now called "burnt maple" that takes a more plentiful maple species and actually slow burn it to get it a richer color. Somebody's got to do that.

I'm seriously looking for these kinds of companies to buy some stock in because it truly is thye future. Thing is they're all in goddam China right now.

This will not end well.

kr said...

also any distribution/customer connection services that are linking local produce/products to local markets (not only saving fuel but also we are less likely to think nasty pesticides are acceptable in farming when they are right outside our cities and directly affecting our air, water, and biodiversity quality)

developing or manufacturing rainwater conservation methods, or like (yes RW) China, moving into building simple passive solar water heaters ...

... service industries teaching people how to garden, can their food, cook from scratch, raise urban farm animals, encourage reasonable wildlife coexistence with people/pets ...

... anything encouraging bike commuting ...

... catering/restaurants that focus on local, organic ingredients, especially if it also focuses on vegetarian foods--or health-building foods (crap food, even organic crap food, puts strain on the environment in added unnecessary production and all the unnecessary production/poisons surrounding treatment of health disorders caused by unhealthy eating) ...

... similarly, any health-services job that helps people lives healthier (and therefore lower-impact) lives ...

... bus driver, if the buses are reasonably fully used ...

... building rehabber, if you minimize new materials and hazardous materials, especially if you are very competent at isolating and removing already existing hazards to the environment (asbestos, lead pipes, oil tanks) ...

... *ethical* technology recycling (for rare earths and to isolate toxic compounds, as well as more general metal, glass, and plastic recycling) would be an industry I'd like to see take hold in America ...

... lobbying to shut down strip mines. I'm totally Ok with someone making money to focus attention on never approving another one of these, ever, anywhere on the planet.

And of course organic farming, including clothing fibers, and then preparation and distribution of the final organic-type products.

So, manufacturing, materials, services, and distribution ... there are possibilities everywhere.

"Green Job" of course is actually, though, just a way for current politicians to make a Gorian claim that they "invented the internet" ... Green Jobs was a category that was well underway during Bush's Administrations (and heaven knows we can't admit that, so we have to call it a new movement!), and while I don't mind some development money being thrown at it I think I would do just fine growing under unmitigated market stresses and without the Government being a sugar daddy ...

Bike Bubba said...

I was thinking farming, coal mining, drilling for oil, and other jobs that produce far less pollution than most "green" jobs.

No kidding. You look at the BOM for most "green" projects and tell me that their environmental impact is less than thtat of a typical strip mine.

Brian said...

Building new nuclear power plants in the US.

Mr. D said...

Brian wins this thread. That's precisely the right answer.

K-Rod said...

kr loses this thread. Reading the AlGorean Sect scripture? Does each communal have to sing Kumbaya?

kr, what percentage of the earth's land surface has been strip mined?

Try living for one week without any ferrous metals... from cast iron to stainless steel...

.... ....

Spot on, Brian!!!