Green Jobs
Land a green job by understanding the top companies and cities committed to going green.
Land a green job by understanding the top companies and cities committed to going green.
As more environmental issues come to light with each passing year, more workers want to move their careers into green jobs that provide them not only with a living but also help preserve and protect the environment.
But not all areas of the country are created equally when it comes to green jobs. That’s why it helps to know which cities want workers for sustainability jobs and which companies are hiring those types of workers.
It comes as no surprise that many of the jobs are concentrated in the highest population centers in the country. But the companies themselves cut across all industries, showing that an increasing number of corporations and businesses are understanding the importance of environmentally-friendly products and services.
In a recent study, Simply Hired rated the cities with the largest number of green jobs. The results indicated that not only are there more companies being formed in the area of sustainability, but more traditional companies are adding green jobs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has expanded the definition of green jobs to include those companies that produce products that benefit the environment or conserve resources, but also those jobs where the role is to make an existing product more environmentally friendly.
The Top 10 cities for green jobs, according to the report, are:
The good news in this area is that it’s not just companies in the environmental industry creating green jobs, but also those large corporations that are understanding the importance of sustainability.
Those companies include DuPont, Lockheed Martin, Walt Disney, E. & J. Gallo Winery, Addison Group and Monsanto.
There are 100 companies ranked by Flexjobs.com as the best at offering green jobs that allow for telecommuting, flexible schedules and part-time or freelance opportunities.
Some of the information gleaned from that list is:
For a complete list of all the companies, click here.
There are a number of different jobs that are expected to be in demand in the coming years within the sustainable industry. They range from everything from farmer and forestry to biologist.
According to Fast Company, here are some of the green jobs that will be in demand in the next few years. Additionally, check our green job profiles section to learn more about all the green jobs in the market.
Farmer. Because smaller agriculture operations are important to sustainability, there are expected to be a growing number of farmers, including some in urban areas. There will also be a need for artisanal food producers, such as cheese makers.
Forester. More than a billion people worldwide depend on the forest for their living. In the modern world, managing forests requires a mix of conservation and business skills.
Solar panel installer. There are an estimated 25,000-plus workers in the United States already engaged in installing solar water heaters and rooftop photovoltaic cells, and that numbers is expected to grow over the coming years.
Sustainable builders. The construction industry is more and more turning to experts in various areas of the sustainability industry for building designs and construction. Making building in the United States more energy efficient will require the work of a large number of people across a wide variety of professions. Those include architects, engineers and workers who can retrofit buildings to make them more energy efficient with items such as improved storm windows or foam insulation.
Biologist. A growing area in this field is conservation biology, which involves preserving the world’s ecosystems. This can involve many different jobs, from teaching and research to working with government agencies in the field at specific sites.
Green MBA. Another fascinating area is that of the “green entrepreneur,” those who are focused not only on starting a business and making it profitable but also making it Earth- and people-friendly (the so-called triple bottom line). This could also involve rising to the director or higher level in a large, existing company’s sustainability department. This is another area that cuts across many different industries.
With all of these different factors, the time to get involved in a green job has never been better. Both the number of green jobs and the cities where such positions are valued are growing, leading to a wealth of opportunities for those interested in working to make the Earth healthier for generations to come
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