The Green Career Ladder: A Step-By-Step Guide to Profitable Careers In Sustainable Energy

Bob J.D. Oedy

Description

Why choose between making a difference and making a living? In this ground-breaking guide to Green careers, sustainability expert Bob Oedy reveals the emerging career opportunities that make it possible for you to help save the planet and build a significant personal income at the same time, regardless of your political affiliation or level of training.

Whether you're a student preparing for a Green lifestyle, a recent graduate looking for your first job, or are contemplating a switch to a Greener second career, The Green Career Ladder will guide you through every stage of the process, including:

Where to find the best training
Landing your first job
Identifying responsible companies that pay well
Living a Green lifestyle
Starting your own business
How to control your own future, make good money, and live a fulfilling life
Leaving a legacy for future generations

This fast-reading, down-to-earth guide blends sustainable ideals with practical realities to give you realistic insights about today's growing Green marketplace. You'll learn why Green is finally here to stay and how to chart your own path to success, both today and tomorrow.

Sujets

• Efficacité professionnel
• Business
• Economics
• Employabilité, métiers et formations
• Careers
• Internships

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 21 février 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781456607470
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE
GREEN
CAREER
LADDER
a step-by-step guide to profitable careers in sustainable energy
 
 
written by:
BOB OEDY
 
First Trade Paperback Edition 2010
©Copyright 2012 by Bob Oedy. All rights reserved.
 


Disclaimer
Investing in renewable energy involves risk. This publication is designed to provide authoritative information on green careers, renewable energy and communication techniques. It is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publishers are providing legal or other professional services. If expert or legal advice is required, please seek the services of a licensed professional.
The information included herein is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication. However, there may be mistakes in content as well as typographical errors so we ask that you contact us so we can improve this text and consider corrections in future editions. This book is intended as a general guide and is created to complement other texts. We urge you to learn as much as you can about renewable energy and tailor the information to your individual, organization or company’s needs.
This book is designed to educate and entertain. Neither the author nor the publisher are responsible for any damages caused, or alleged to be caused, either directly or indirectly, by the information contained herein. If you decide you cannot agree with this please return the book to the publisher for a full refund.
Thank you

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part or in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval systems without prior written consent from the publisher.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
http://www.eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0747-0
Manufactured in the United States of America.
 


 
In memory of my childhood best friend, Eric Adler , who understood, better than anyone I know, the value of recycling
For my son, Dylan , with all my love
 


Acknowledgements
A book of this type takes a great deal of preparation and research to put together. There’s absolutely no way it would have ever been written were it not for several people who helped to prod, coax and encourage it to final conclusion. This was a team effort and every person’s contribution is greatly appreciated. Each individual in their own way helped to move the ball forward.
In particular, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Ilise Benun, Audra Keefe, Colleen Wainwright, Liz Stratton, Greg Boyd, Kirk Brungard, David Tilmont, Doug Saunders, Marc and Kim Greenfield, Mark Meyer, CJ Hamilton, Tom and Toni Tumbusch, Elsa Barbosa, Tony Barragan, Berni Kotlier, Allison Tenzer, Brenda Ruyle, Gary Parker, Patrick Owens, Richard Tesoriero, Fred Cherrick, Tommy Martinez, Jane Paul, Luis Arida, Jose Esparza, Peter Newbury, Cyndi and David Klane, Tony Romo, and my family Mom, Dad, Dylan, Tom, Carol, Mary Ann, and John. They and many others too numerous to name were instrumental in making this book a reality.
I found so much love and support along the way that it helped to motivate me along the way. You’ve all invested a great deal of energy in order that this might come to pass, and for this I will always be grateful.
 
Introduction: The Dream That Wouldn’t Die

“There’s no longer doubt that the jobs and industries of tomorrow will involve harnessing renewable sources of energy. The only question is whether America will lead that future.”
—President Barack Obama
Weekly Radio Address, March 21, 2009

In June of 1979, I watched with pride and hope as President Jimmy Carter announced a “new solar strategy” to “move our Nation toward true energy security and abundant, readily available energy supplies.”
Carter hoped that America would get 20% of its energy from the sun by the end of the 20th century. To encourage that goal, he had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House West Wing to power a water-heating system. 1
I remember thinking: “Yeah! Now we’ve got leadership from the top!” It seemed like a natural response to the Arab oil embargoes of 1967 and 1973, and the beginning of a promising future. I felt certain that we would never go back to buying oil from the Middle East.
My feelings were confirmed a few months later when Iranian militants seized the American embassy, beginning a 444-day hostage crisis. In the innocence and excitement of youth I figured it would be just a matter of weeks and months before businesses caught on and developed huge new solar- and wind-powered generators that would end our dependence on foreign oil forever.
It never happened.
The price of oil plunged in the 1980s, making solar power and other alternatives look expensive in the short run. About the same time the hostages came home, and an impatient America chose to continue as an oil-guzzling nation. Carter’s solar research budget was cut from $124 million in 1980 to $59 million in 1982. 2
For those who hoped we’d be further along by now, the three decades from 1979 to 2009 were a long and discouraging dry spell. But the Green revolution could only be delayed, not stopped.
Now the tide of public opinion has turned in favor of Green energy once again. There’s a lot of catching up to do, but there’s also a drive to get the job done now. For those of you who are considering a Green career, the opportunities to find work and make very good money have never been better.
Why Green now?
The election of Barack Obama did not begin today’s explosion of Green opportunity—it merely confirmed that more Americans are committed to a sustainable future than ever before. Whatever your political affiliation may be, there are many good reasons why Green is finally coming of age.
Worldwide demand and new unrest in the Middle East have combined to create some of the largest oil price spikes in history, and many analysts believe even higher prices are yet to come. Rising gasoline prices and growing concern about climate change have created a greater sense of urgency than in the past, encouraging public support for Green energy.

Large corporations are also scrambling to find more sustainable power sources. Among the leaders are Intel Corporation, which uses more than 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours of green power each year, and PepsiCo, which uses 1.1 billion. 3
Some of these companies have a legitimate desire to make the world a better place. Others are merely responding to a popular trend among their customers. Many more are hedging their bets as federal limits on carbon dioxide emissions become more likely. Whether their motives are noble or not (and in many cases they are), their desire to take action is stronger than ever before, and that’s going to mean a lot more Green jobs.
At the same time, significant advances have made clean energy sources more efficient, more diverse, and—most importantly—more profitable.
I can prove this point from my own experience. In 2005 an affiliate of my trade union, the Electrical Training Institute of Los Angeles, installed a solar power system on the roof of the training center. It provides nearly half a Megawatt of power for a 144,000 square foot facility (nearly 900,000 kW hours per year). At the time of construction it was one of the 10 largest privately-owned systems in the United States. It no longer holds that record.
The original budget plan estimated that the system would pay for itself in 7-9 years. In fact, the savings turned out to be significantly higher than anticipated. It’s now expected to see a full return on investment in just 4½ years.
Today’s solar cells generate 40 times as much power as the ones Jimmy Carter had installed on the roof of the White House in the late 70s. 4 And the sun isn’t just rising on solar energy:
• The oil barons of Texas have become wind barons, beating California as the top wind power state since 2006
• Two United States Air Force bases—Minot in North Dakota and Dyess in Texas—are powered exclusively by wind and biomass, and at least 52 others run partially on renewable sources
• Part-electric and all-electric cars are more available in nearly every price range: from the practical Toyota Prius to the sporty Tesla Roadster (0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds!)
• A new solar power system was installed on a grounds maintenance building at the White House in 2002 (by George W. Bush), along with two new water-heating systems
• Innovative companies are working to tap the power of ocean tides and river currents, a technology which could be ready for widespread use as early as 2020
It’s too soon to say whether the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, will be a historical turning point, but it signals the strongest government support we’ve seen in three decades. The Act allocates $20 billion in tax incentives for clean energy, including:
• The creation of an advanced research agency for energy, modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency which developed the Internet
• Support for Energy Frontier Research Centers, which could lead to breakthroughs in energy storage, super-efficient engines, and solar cells as cheap as paint
• Supporting U.S. manufacturing of advanced batteries needed for plug-in hybrids, renewable energy backup, and other applications
• $1.2 billon for research infrastructure for the Department of Energy’s national labs 5
At about the same time, the Obama administration estimated that every dollar of tax benefit in the stimulus package had the potential to generate an additional dollar of research and development spending in the short run, and $2 in the long run. This stimulus may prove to be the beginning of an exciting new phase of Green opportunity, but there will also be challenges along the way.
How “Green” is Green?
A lot of large, established