Rising Green Jobs And Services Put Future Generations On Solid Ground

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics in a report released today stated that in 2010, 3.1 million jobs in the United States were associated with the production of green goods and services. That’s accounting for 2.4 percent of the country’s total employment.

According to the report, among the states, California had the largest number of GGS jobs (338,400), accounting for 2.3 percent of employment in the state. Vermont had the highest proportion of GGS employment at 4.4 percent; the District of Columbia had the second highest at 3.9 percent.

The report further states, that the private sector had 2,268,800 total GGS jobs, the public sector 860,300 GGS jobs, the State government had 227,100 whilst the federal government had 156,700 GGS jobs in 2010.

The Bureau says, “Green Goods and Services (GGS) jobs are found in businesses that produce goods and provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources. A process-based approach is one in which worker’s duties involve “making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources.” The process approach data will be released later this year.

President-elect Barack Obama has always been a strong advocate of the green goods and services program and wants to spend $150 billion over the next decade to promote energy from the sun, wind and other renewable sources as well as energy conservation. Providing financial incentives to clean-energy companies is high on his promises. He has a goal of creating five million green jobs over the next decade, put US leadership on global climate change and decrease its dependence on imported petroleum.

However, Republicans have expressed their concern, saying that even though the government has spent a lot of money, the results are not there to validate such spending. They point to the government’s decision to pump $528 million into California solar company Solyndra. The decision, they say, was a disaster for it collapsed, laying off 1,100 workers.

Darrell Issa, a California Republican had said, “It is now clear that the Department of Energy has spent the last three years supporting projects that have yet to deliver on innovation, accountability or job creation.”

Cai Steger, energy policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council said, “These green jobs are very real and important to our rebuilding economy, it isn’t just about keeping kids safe or the environment clean, it’s about jobs … it’s about rebuilding our economy.”

The Green initiative is one of the brighter spots in our struggling economy. It is a lifeline for nearly 3 million American families. These are the jobs of tomorrow. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics report is a welcome and positive indicator of good times ahead.