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The Bureau of Labor Statistics considers a job as ‘green’ if the career produces goods or services that “benefit the environment or conserve natural resources” or jobs where a worker would be involved in “making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources.” The following are a list of green jobs you may be interested in exploring.
Recycling and Reclamation Worker
Green Marketers
Green marketers promote the sales of products in industries such as solar energy, green cleaning supplies, or recycled material. They work for companies to increase awareness and sales of their green products or services. They conduct market research to include the buying trends of their target audience and create marketing campaigns that would appeal to their interests and educate them on their product or service. Read a full article and watch a green marketer career video.
Conservation
There are many careers that focus on conservation. For instance there is water, forestry, wildlife, and environmental conservation to name a few. Conservation career’s focus is to ensure we protect non-renewable resources for generations to come.
A career in water conservation keeps track of our water supplies and checks the quality for human and wildlife use. Water conservationists can also help businesses and communities with water saving efforts. Forestry conservation is another field. Forests must be protected against pollution, fire, pests, diseases, and over-harvesting by humans or urbanization. Read a full article and watch a career video about conservation scientists.
Biofuels
Biofuel is an alternative to oil-based fuels, such as the ones that fuel our vehicles. These biofuels can be more environmentally-friendly than their oil-based counterparts. Biofuels are created by living or recently living organisms, one example is plants. Because these fuels can be created from plants, biofuel is also a renewable resource. Read a full article and watch a biofuels manager career video.
Solar Panel Installer
Solar panel installers work outdoors assembling, installing, and maintaining solar panel equipment. These panels convert sunlight to energy and is a clean way to generate energy for homes or businesses. Read a full article and watch a solar panel installer career video.
Energy Auditors
If a home or business wants to reduce their energy use, they can get an energy audit to find ways they are wasting electricity in order to reduce that ways and be educated on ways to conserve. This could include replacing appliances or HVAC systems or evaluating whether the construction of a building is the reason for a lot of energy consumption. Energy auditors make recommendations for improvement to help people reduce their power bill and energy consumption. Read a full article and watch an energy auditor career video.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal power is actually generated by the Earth. In fact, geothermal energy is generated by the Earth’s natural underground heat to provide clean energy. With many different positions and various educational requirements that range from a college degree to learning on-the-job, there are many opportunities to work in this field. Read a full article and watch a video on what a geothermal production manager does.
Biomass Power Plant Manager
Biomass converts organic waste material into energy by burning the material and creating steam. This steam would power a turbine to create energy. Biomass power plant managers run the facilities and manage the employees at a power plant. Organic material that can be converted into energy is considered renewable when it can be replanted or regrown. For instance, trees or plants are considered a renewable resource. Read a full article and watch a video on what a biomass power plant manager does.
Additional Industries and Careers in Green Energy
- Environmental Remediation
- Sustainability
- Energy Auditors
- Recycling
- Electric Vehicles
- Green Construction
- Wind Energy
- Organic Food Production
- Biomass
Video Transcript of a Recycling and Reclamation Worker
Reuse, reduce, recycle. recycling workers and coordinators work to reduce waste and keep pollution out of Earth’s air, water, and ground. Recycling and reclamation workers collect recyclable materials from the curbside for delivery to recycling facilities. They prepare and sort materials such as metals, glass, paper, and plastics for recycling, load them onto conveyors and load bundles onto trucks using forklifts.
Some workers sort construction materials, and separate valuable metals for recycling. They may also disassemble and cut up appliances and cars with a blowtorch, and safely dispose of hazardous substances. Recycling coordinators supervise curbside and drop-off recycling programs, either for cities or private companies. They make sure that recyclable goods are moved from homes and businesses to recycling centers so that they can be reused. They also keep detailed records to track the benefits of recycling programs.
Recycling coordinators also hire and train staff, and promote recycling efforts in their communities. They may negotiate to sell recyclable goods, such as paper or aluminum, to brokers and firms to reuse. Most workers in these roles need a high school diploma or equivalent. Most recycling coordinators have supervisory or management experience, and some also have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
Article Citations
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Green Jobs.
National Center for O*NET Development. 11-2011.01. Green Marketers.
National Center for O*NET Development. 11-3051.04. Biomass Power Plant Managers.
The video is Public Domain from the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.