Green Jobs in Texas: More Than Just Talk

When I started working on the Texas Green Jobs Guidebook last spring, talking to community college and workforce development folks around the state quickly made it clear that there was serious lack of information on what a green job is and what a person needs to find one.

There’s a lot of talk about green jobs and green economy, but for those who have lost their jobs, it could just sound like a lot of high-minded chatter. The reality is much different. Green jobs are real jobs that pay well and can offer long-term job satisfaction.

This country is headed toward a price on carbon. We can’t continue to use and abuse our planet with a fossil-fuel driven economy forever. The future resides in innovative ways to grow our economies while being kinder to our planet. The path to that future is the clean technology path and it will be filled with green jobs—energy efficient plumbers, solar installation electricians, wind turbine sheet metal workers, roofing and skylight installers, forestry conservation workers, and on and on.

The Texas Green Jobs Guidebook profiles more than 200 jobs, including the kinds of training needed and projected starting salaries.

We were lucky to have the Texas Workforce Commission review this document. It’s not a political statement—it’s a resource for students, job seekers and policy makers to understand the bare bones necessities for a green, clean future with a robust economy and happy citizens.

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43 Comments

  1. Posted January 30, 2010 at 3:52 pm | Permalink

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  2. Posted February 1, 2010 at 1:36 pm | Permalink

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