The market for Green Collar Jobs is growing despite the credit crunch and financial turmoil that is hitting markets around the world. Green Collar jobs are usually found in areas of sustainable engineering, renewable energy and social responsibility.  Guilford County is poised to be an excellent location for a green jobs corridor, much in the same way that Research Triangle has become a hub for public / private ventures in scientific development.   The skyrocketing prices of oil, concerns about global warming and just general uncertainty about our resources all have contributed to a boom in green collar jobs.

The money is there!
The North Carolina Legislature has received over $160 million from the stimulus package to fund more energy efficient projects. This will also increase the need for green collar jobs. We are very excited about introducing this new green job corridor to Guilford County.  Click here to go to the NC Recovery website to see the money that has been allocated for NC.  The money is there.   We just need a strong leader who will fight to bring that money to Guilford County.

Recently, the NC Governor announced that another $755,148 in federal Recovery Act funding for energy efficiency block grants has been awarded to help six local agencies create jobs and save on utility and fuel bills.  The six grants mark the second distribution of money from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program in North Carolina, for a total of nearly $1.5 million to a dozen local agencies.    But none of that money came to Guilford County!   If elected, Marcus will fight for funding green jobs projects in Guilford County.

What Are Green Jobs?
Green collar jobs are available in a number of different industries. Such as:

• Green Education - As the demand for more "green collar jobs" increases, so does the need for people skilled in the areas of sustainability, renewable energy and energy-efficiency to educate the new wave of job seekers looking to break into the green workforce.
• Urban Planning - With society becoming increasingly more and more urbanized, the need is great for planners to assist local governments with eco-friendly planning and design solutions.
• Farming and Agriculture - This is one of the best sectors because it involves creating not just more organically grown products but identifying better ways to bring products to market and finding additional uses for crops as well.

These are just a few of the areas that Green Collar jobs are needed.

Tell me what you think!

Guilford County is poised to be an excellent location for a green jobs corridor, much in the same way that Research Triangle has become a hub for public / private ventures in scientific development. The money is there. We just need someone to fight for it.

But I want to hear from you.

Click here to tell me your ideas on how you think we can create jobs in North Carolina.