The Economy and Green Jobs

With unemployment in Oregon more than double what it was last year at this time, green jobs are providing hope for a greener economic future. According to a report by The Pew Charitable Trusts, an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental organization, jobs in Oregon’s clean energy economy grew 6.5 times faster than overall jobs over the course of a decade.

The report provides the first ever count of the jobs, companies and venture capital investments in all 50 states that supply the growing demand for environmentally friendly products and services.

An analysis of Pew’s research found that between 1998 and 2007, jobs in Oregon’s clean energy economy grew at a rate of 50.7 percent while the state’s jobs overall grew by 7.5 percent. Oregon was part of a national trend that experienced job growth in the clean energy economy outperforming overall job growth in 38 states and the District of Columbia over the same period. Nationally, jobs in the clean energy economy grew at a rate of 9.1 percent while total jobs grew by only 3.7 percent, between 1998 and 2007.

“Oregon has a large and fast-growing piece of America’s clean energy economy,” Dan Lombardi, Oregon representative for the Pew Environment Group, said. “It has more jobs in its clean energy sector, as a share of its overall economy, than any other state.”

In 2007, there were more than 19,300 jobs in Oregon’s clean energy economy, including jobs for people of all skill levels and educational backgrounds with annual incomes ranging from $21,000 to $111,000.

State and federal officials see green sector jobs as a tool for stimulating America’s economic recovery while also protecting the environment. As part of the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Oregon’s clean energy economy will receive a boost from the nearly $85 billion nationwide in direct spending and tax incentives for energy and transportation-related programs.

For more information or to read the full report, visit www.pewtrusts.org/cleanenergyeconomy

Dispose or Recharge?

Buying batteries for dead or dying gadgets can be a pain.

Many people are attracted to the lower cost of disposables and end up buying them regularly and either throwing them in the trash(and thus in the landfill) or putting them in the recycling bin only to buy more. While the purchase price for rechargeable batteries can be mulitple times as much as that for disposables, recharging a battery costs much less than replacing a disposable.

A single rechargable battery can replace 500 disposables over the course of its lifetime. Rechargable batteries typically don't end up in landfills contributing to toxic runoff.

John Gear, the founder of STIR (Salem Transition Initiative for Relocalization), is conducting a survey about the demand for a battery-recharging service.

“Batteries are recycled at high cost,” Gear explained, “It’s offensive that we throw these things away.” Gear also finds it surprising that Oregon has a deposit on plastic bottles and not on batteries. “It knocks me out,” he said.

To complete the survey, visit http://is.gd/XNA4

New Initiative Focuses on Green Entrepreneurism

In June, the Washington D.C.-based Center for Small Business and the Environment (CSBE), a non-profit organization, promotes the concept of green entrepreneurship, launched the Small Wonders initiative to inform policy makers and the Obama administration that the best way to revive the ailing U.S. economy is via green entrepreneurism.

“In the last five recessions, small businesses have led recoveries by creating a flurry of new jobs and innovations. Small Wonders demonstrates how small businesses will once again lead the nation’s recovery by creating green jobs and clean energy innovations, leading to a green entrepreneurial boom,” Byron Kennard, Executive Director of CSBE said.

The initiative includes a comprehensive report that appeals to the Obama Administration to activate the growing power of green entrepreneurship by supporting the emerging clean energy economy to help to jumpstart economic recovery.

"While not all businesses that foster energy efficiency are profitable, the most successful ones are developing smart strategies for combining green practices with profitability. Their creative approaches can be useful to people in every field, from innovators within big corporations and government to one-person, home-based consultancies," says Elaine Pofeldt, co-author of the Small Wonders report and an independent journalist who writes for national publications about small business.

Visit www.smallwondersreport.org for more information or to read the Small Wonders report. For more information about CSBE, visit www.aboutcsbe.org