Anyone who has read or seen the news lately has seen or heard the term green collar jobs, but what are these jobs? Green collar jobs are jobs that are in industries which are friendly to the environment. Green collar jobs are jobs that balance benefits to the environment and to mankind, and to be classified as one of these jobs employment must benefit the workers as well as the earth. With all of the talk about switching to renewable energy sources and moving away from oil or other fossil fuels, green collar jobs will become more plentiful if this happens.

Green collar jobs are environmentally friendly, but they also are good jobs for the worker. These jobs pay a decent wage, and they offer chances for employees to advance. If the entire USA switched to using solar power, wind power, and biomass as sources of energy, there are not enough workers available to fill the demand that would be made. Green collar jobs usually do not require years of college, instead training programs can be used to teach new potential employees how to perform their jobs. More knowledge is needed than just a high school diploma, but this can be done in a year or two, instead of requiring a four year college degree. Green collar jobs provide a way for low skilled and low income workers to switch to jobs that offer better pay and benefits, without causing harm to the environment.

Green collar jobs benefit the local economy, and are very hard to outsource to other countries. Because renewable alternative energy sources will be located in the area usually, this leads to economic growth for an area. Outsourcing would not be feasible, because of high transportation costs and other factors. You can not ship your car to China to have solar panels installed on it, because the costs would be outrageous. The same is true of homes. Creating solar panels and wind turbines will be done domestically, because of the shipping costs involved. Green collar jobs include jobs that are local and benefit the local area and economy as well as the environment.

Green collar jobs will include technicians to repair solar panels and wind turbines, installers to install this equipment, crews to retrofit all of the buildings in America to make them much more energy efficient, and many more descriptions. Repairing or building hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles would be a green collar job, and so would building transit lines for mass transit systems, as long as these jobs paid decent wages and were done in an environmentally friendly method. There are hundreds of green collar job categories, and all these jobs benefit the environment, the local communities, and the workers.

Green collar jobs are more than just environmentally friendly jobs. To be considered a green collar job there must be opportunities to advance and create a better America, in addition to protecting the environment. These jobs are in industries that are working to eliminate our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels, and that work to protect the earth and minimize or eliminate global warming completely. Green collar jobs are going to be the jobs for the future as we make the switch from fossil fuels to alternative renewable energy sources. Green collar jobs will provide opportunities for low income and poverty stricken areas and residents, allowing all Americans to improve their income and living conditions while preventing any more harm to the environment. These jobs are vital to the future of America, and new skills and methods will be needed to create an energy system that is domestic and environmentally friendly.