The green economy.

For several months I have been wrestling with this idea of Green Jobs and the Green Economy. Specifically, how can these jobs benefit me and my community? I also wanted to know what are green jobs. I hear politicians talk a lot about the green the economy, but nobody ever says what the green economy is.

If it's building solar cells and wind turbines, well, that sounds a lot like the old Blue collar economy except we are building "green" things. I've read hundreds of articles on the green economy, but nothing that has really addressed my questions. Then I cam across ARC. ARC is the Applied Research Center. Their focus is on "racial justice through media, research, and activism." while reading their website I came across a report/ call to action they did called "Green Equity Toolkit: Advancing race, Gender, and Equality in the Green Economy." This was exactly what I had been looking for.

Not only do they define what a green job is, but also how people on the lower end of the income scale, and in neighborhoods like mine, can get these jobs and how they will benefit the community as a whole. It is a good read and I suggest you at least glance over it.

If this is the green economy I can get behind. This is what we need.

PS. They define a green jobs as: Well paid, career track jobs, that contribute directly to preserving or enhancing the environment. If a job improves the environment, but does not offer a family-supporting wage or a career ladder to move low-income workers into higher skilled occupations, it's not a green job.