A “green” job, also called a green-collar job, is “work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute(s) substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality,” according to the bureaucrats at the United Nations Environment Program.
The term “green jobs” can refer to opportunities for workers and contractors in sustainable construction. There will be a seminar at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve on October 17 about green building jobs in Alabama. Photo of workers installing solar panels by Lou Hernandez.
As you can see, this definition of green work is rather broad. It can involve building solar panels, doing eco-friendly landscaping, repairing bicycles or scooters, working as a wildlife biologist or hundreds of other activities.
It can also involve jobs in eco-friendly construction.
If you’d like to learn more about getting trained to obtain such construction jobs in our state, then check out the free seminar, “Building Green Jobs for Alabama,” to be held Wednesday, October 17, from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., at the Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve (RMNP).
It’s the next installment in the “GRCA Brown Bag: Lunch and Learn series,” hosted by the Green Resource Center of Alabama.
The instructor will be Justinn E. Overton, Green Workforce Project Director for the Alabama chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Overton will discuss the eligibility requirements and goals of the USGBC Building Green Jobs for Alabama program.
Attendees will learn about green building and sustainability and about the opportunity for trades-people and builders to earn green-building credentials. The training to obtain these credentials is free for Alabama residents who meet qualifications set out by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. The credentials are approved by the non-profit green-building organization LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
Building Green Jobs for Alabama is based around a five-step program in the fundamentals of green building and sustainability, according to the web site for the USGBC Alabama chapter. Participants will tour green buildings, including both new construction and retrofits of commercial and residential buildings, and learn about the sustainable principles used in them. They will also receive assistance in finding jobs.
According to the USGBC web site, green building is a growing sector of the construction industry. The organization cites McGraw-Hill Construction, which estimates that green building will grow to more than one-half of all construction within the next five years, and Booz Allen Hamilton, which estimates that by 2013, green building will support nearly eight million workers in a range of occupations, including carpenters, electricians and truck drivers.
The RMNP is located at 1214 81st St. South in South East Lake. Following the green jobs program, participants are invited to take a tour of the RMNP Nature Center led by Robbie Fearn, Ruffner executive director.
For more more about the Building Green Jobs for Alabama program, go to www.usgbcofal.org. For more about the GRCA, go to www.greenalabama.org.
