There are many creative solutions to traditional building standards being implemented around the country. Some of these solutions go above and beyond by being engineered and designed to improve the environment as well as reducing the structures impact. With this approach, the construction industry could begin to reverse the effects of traditional construction methods. When a building is created that lacks energy efficiency, this building’s impact will accumulate over time. This creates a situation that is unacceptable in the modern world.

Companies like Natural Home Builders of Tucson, Arizona, are working to improve the quality of the environment while construction more efficient homes. Efforts like these will go a long way in the push to shift to a new green building standard, and one can see there are already some conventional companies that are starting to provide energy star floor plans, alongside their conventional house plans. The construction industry of the United States has been following building codes and safety considerations for many years. It seems inevitable that green standards will eventually become the norm. Requirements to build green will be no different than the current requirements to build safe.

The companies that can make this transition will have a great advantage in their market. Proactive thinking and planning will place builders ahead of the curve. Malli Homes of Yelm, Washington, is one such company that is already specializing in Zero-Energy homes. This is more than what is asked for by Energy Star and is a great example of what can be done when the effort is made to improve on a standard that is no longer acceptable. Summit Country Homes of Weatherford, Texas, is another company following this trend. They are a Green Certified Professional in the construction industry.

The shift to energy efficiency should be the primary concern for contractors and consumers alike. It is a great approach for companies to make the effort and establish themselves before they are required to do so. The consumer can also help by selecting environmental conscious contractors for their home building solutions.

About the Author:

Shannon M. Combs is a freelance scientific writer and collaborates for 2 blogs dedicated to solar panels and 12 volt solar chargers. They are nonprofit blogs she uses to share her knowledge about solar energy and help people get high quality information to save energy with small devices.

Photo Credits: Shannon Combs

Clean Cities University Workforce Development Program Internship Description Summer 2011

Good Luck!

2011 Hawaii Island Sustainability Forum Co-Sponsors

• HPM Hawaii
• Fleming & Associates - Architecture & Planning

Their support made this event possible.

Much mahalo to the following corporate sponsors of sustainability:

• ARA Wealth Management
• Island Naturals Market and Deli
• Martin A. Berger, Attorney at Law
• PATH, Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii
• University of Hawaii at Hilo Conference Center

Certainly building wind turbines or solar panels are considered green collar jobs, but any career path that makes a positive impact on the environment, sustainability and energy efficiency could be considered green collar. If it’s time to start job hunting, consider some of these resources to help you land your dream green job:

1. Straight to the Source

A good place to start is identifying a few companies you’re interested in working for. Instead of combing endless job postings, go straight to the company’s own job board.

In 2010, Newsweek examined the top 500 companies in the United States and ranked them based on which companies were the greenest. The top five green companies include Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and Intel.[1]

2. Tune Up Your Skills

When you’re searching for a job, it seems like all employers want is experience, experience, experience.

If you’ve got talents like construction or landscaping, but aren’t familiar with green practices, volunteering or seeking a green internship can hone your skills for free. This increases your networking and sometimes leads to long term employment if you prove yourself valuable.

3. Study Up

When you’re interviewing for a job, having some knowledge about the background of the company and what they value is critical. In green industries, people are especially passionate about their work. Reading up on some basic facts about global warming or greenhouse gasses should help increase your green IQ.

The more you learn about the green industry, the easier it will be to find your niche. The Green Collar Blog has info to help job seekers with all different kinds of backgrounds find green jobs.

4. Social Media

More and more these days our identities are becoming intertwined with our Facebook profiles and Twitter accounts. For an industry on the cutting edge, proficiency in social media can be critical to green jobs. Connecting through social media is a great way to start or get involved with environmentally friendly projects.

5. The Department of Labor

When he was running for office, President Barrack Obama pledged to spend $150 billion over 10 years to create 5 million green collar jobs.[2] While we have to wait and see how his pledge works out, The Department of Labor is doing their part to get citizens involved with green jobs. They have information about green jobs in all 50 states, links to green job postings and green job legislation.

6. The Job Corps

The Job Corps has been around since the 1930’s with the goal of giving young people age 16-24 free vocational training to start their careers. In recent years they’ve put an emphasis on specialized green training. Some of the careers you can train for with Job Corps include hybrid car manufacturing, green building, waste composting and energy retrofitting.

7. Idealist.org

Idealist is sort of like a one stop shop for everything green career related. Their job search site allows you to search for thousands of jobs across multiple industries. They also have information about volunteer opportunities, events, career fairs and much more.

8. Green Job Board

The Green Job Board gets right down to the business of finding a green job. Their simple search tool can find you a wealth of green jobs in your area. If you’re looking to get more specialized, they have links to green jobs by city, state and category.

9. Environmental Career Center

The Environmental Career Center lets you create a profile and upload your resume to their website. Their search tool helps you find job postings and career events going on in the green industry. They also have numerous featured green employers so you can learn more about leading companies.

10. Jobs for Change

Change.org started as a way for people to stand up for causes they believe in. They’ve now evolved with a website that helps job seekers find jobs that make a difference. In addition to their database of jobs they have career advisors, career blogs and job searching tips.

1. Newsweek. (n.d.). “Green Rankings 2010.” Retrieved April 16, 2011 from the Newsweek website: http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/green-rankings.html.

2. Walsh, Bryan. (May 26, 2008). “What Is a Green-Collar Job, Exactly?” Retrieved April 17, 2011 from the Time website: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1809506,00.html.

Author Info: Brandon Farestad-Rittel writes about green ways to keep more green in your pocket. Check out more of his work at sites like CouponSherpa.com to find out how to save money at eco-friendly stores like Gaiam and Eco Paper.

Syndication Info: This content has been syndicated by Nathan Brown, the targeted recruiter for Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage’s solar power internships and promoter of do it yourself solar.

Sources
[1] http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/green-rankings.html

[2] http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1809506,00.html

Oahu Insides (updated May 18)