Green jobs look rosey in Colorado

Whether the next president is Republican or Democrat, we know the fervor will continue to do business in the green; it’s all part of the greening of America.

Colorado’s alternative energy industries, with encouragement from state and local governments, are in prime position to create a new green workforce. Renewable energy in Colorado is expected to add 5,700 jobs by 2010 and 17,000 jobs by 2020, according to Coloradans for Renewable Energy.

Environmental jobs are expected to increase 7 percent by 2010, with half the occupations requiring short-term or on-the-job training, offering an average hourly wage of $15.10, depending on experience, the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment forecasts.

If working in any field of green appeals, Colorado puts you in the heart of what’s happening now and what’s on the horizon. And everyone here seems to be on the bandwagon. Denver was ranked the 10th-greenest city of the largest 50 cities in the United States in the newly released book, “How Green Is Your City?” Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. played a role in that designation when he charged state agencies with leading Colorado into a new energy economy.

Additionally, the Governor’s Energy Office has begun awarding $1 million in grants to invest in emerging technologies that will attract additional revenue to Colorado’s energy industries. And, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper set city greenprint goals for 2011, positioning the city as a regional center for balanced and renewable energy and green industries by creating 1,000 new training and job opportunities in the metro area.

The green push isn’t only from politicos – Colorado residents and students have helped the issue. Coloradans voted to have its public service company – Excel Energy – expand its alternative wind resources. While students (generally recognized as cash-poor) attending Denver’s downtown Auraria Campus, which is comprised of three colleges, voted to raise their student fees to take the campus to 100 percent renewable power in two years.

Jobs are growing in new businesses hoping to profit from going green. Firms are producing new eco revenue, nonprofits are educating and advocating green, and citizens are anxious to use green services and products. New businesses in the marketplace help companies align environmental responsibility with business success, such as GreenerWorldMedia.com.

Some well-known companies going green, while improving the bottom line, include the following:

Herman Miller — The furniture maker reuses aluminum beverage cans in the base of the Aeron chair, which also is recyclable.

Nike — Worn out athletic shoes are collected and ground up to create basketball and tennis courts, soccer and football fields.

Stonyfield Farms — Maker of organic yogurt cups, takes back used cups to turn them into toothbrushes.

Interface Fabrics Inc. — Turns plastic pop bottles into polyester fabric, which is used in the 2008 Ford Escape and Escape hybrid.

And, of course, the Democratic National Convention is a prime example of going green. Andrea Robinson, director of sustainability and greening, intends to recycle 85 percent of the trash from two DNC sites: Pepsi Center and Colorado Convention Center. She’s tackling this with one assistant and 900 Green Team college interns and volunteers. These participants are getting hands-on experience in the green arena.

Take any industry out there, and there’s bound to be a green side, or one that could be created. Educate yourself in colleges and universities; study websites and organizations; keep informed with new publications; and volunteer. Begin a new program in your company, or volunteer for a worthy cause going green. Tomorrow, you’ll look like you were ahead of the curve.
~ Marywyn Germaine