With so much buzz around green jobs, journalists have been reaching out to us at Bright Green Talent to learn more about green jobs. Here are a couple recent hits:

• Today, Nick was featured on a TriplePundit post about Emerging Careers in the Solar Space.
• Carolyn discussed the youth climate movement and green job opportunities with Truthout.org.

Nick’s speaking today at Tufts’ Fletcher School and MIT Sloan; tomorrow he’s headed to Yale to speak with School of Management and School of Forestry and Environmental Studies students. Hope you can join him!

Penned by Nick

Mark Penn’s recent article in the Wall Street Journal examines the “microtrend” of “green workers”, but misses the macrotrend that’s turning the fight against climate change into the 21st century’s brawl for corporate profits and credibility. At the end of Mr. Penn’s article, he suggests that: “…the executives of federally subsidized green companies…should not profit excessively from these government-sponsored programs in a time of crisis. So jobs that used to be done for greenbacks may soon be done just for the green of it.”

Tom and I often joke that I’m “all business” and he’s “all better planet.” To our colleagues, we quip that it’s going to take both of us–business and better planet–to solve climate change. That’s because, for the first time in human history, we face a challenge that requires 1 billion people to act: global warming. When you think about it, there are only a few places we could get a billion people to act. We could ask China or India to legislate on their billion-plus person populations to be more environmentally responsible.

Unfortunately, this request has been a tough pill for these countries to swallow, and rightly so (witness the post-Kyoto divide over the “double standard” of emissions targets for developing countries). The only other place where we can motivate 1 billion-plus people to act is through the market. Indeed, every day more than a billion people engage in some form of commerce.

The market, it turns out, is the most powerful tool for social and environmental change the world has ever seen. Social and environmental entrepreneurs the world over are daily discovering this fact. In doing so, they not only generate a profit in pursuit of a healthy planet, but they demonstrate that profit and planet are mutually reinforcing motivations that create a virtuous cycle. Ecopreneurs are driving profitable, sustainable businesses forward through their ingenuity and market-savvy. At a time when the world needs a new example of how to do good, responsible business, we should not punish these individuals by limiting their profit motive. Instead, we should encourage environmental organizations to be as profitable and successful as possible. In doing so, we can inspire a generation of business leaders to pursue a brighter, greener future.

Penned by Nick. Published last Friday on greenbiz.com.

In an article entitled “Will Green Jobs Become the New Greenwash?”, Joel Makower asks the reader:

“Could it be deemed a good thing that everyone is talking about green jobs, even though they don’t necessarily know what that means? Or do we need standards and definitions that help us gauge how well we’re really doing? ”

The semantic question is important to answer, though in no way essential for us to define a “green job.” A number of forces are coming together to put under the microscope the true meaning of green jobs, and what potential — economically, environmentally and socially — they might hold.

Redefining “Prosperity”

In the United States, Joel’s question exposes a unique challenge. In the U.S., we “live to work” as opposed to “work to live.” This way of life’s being questioned as greater environmental challenges mount and force us to reconsider our long-term priorities and what we’re actually working toward. There’s a cultural undercurrent that’s disrupting, defying and eschewing conventional definitions as we meet our generational challenge: global warming. Is economic success alone enough anymore, or does it lose relevance as the ability to enjoy a comfortable life is threatened by resource shortages, dramatic weather events and increasing insecurity in what the future will look like for people’s children and grandchildren?

The potential people see in green jobs — and perhaps the root of all the hype and potential for greenwashing — is to finally find balance and synergy between their personal, professional and public lives. “Doing well while doing good,” so to speak, is evolving into the next iteration of the American dream.

Read the rest of this article on greenbiz.com.

Penned by Nick

It’s been a brutal year to be a recruiter. We launched Bright Green Talent US on January 7, 2008–1 month into the recession. One year later, it’s only gotten worse: unemployment is nearing decade-long highs, and the green movement is struggling to get its feet underneath itself. Just Friday we learned the economy has shed nearly 600,000 jobs.

In the weeks ahead, our team will share their varied perspectives on where the green jobs are, how to get them, and what the future of the industry looks like.

But first, the cold splash of morning water: it’s really ugly out there, and it likely won’t get better for a while. To bridge the next 6 months, Bright Green has made adjustments. For business owners looking for fresh ideas on what’s worked, consider the following:

For job seekers, it’s important to bear the lessons above in mind. The Federal government is brawling over a stimulus plan that’s focused on job creation. Green jobs could benefit, or get lost in the shuffle. To keep the movement alive, rally your elected officials to keep funding towards green jobs in the stimulus. 

Once you’ve called the calvary, make sure your sword’s sharp for close range battle with other job seekers:

As ever, BGT’s here to help. Together we’ll make it through this tough time.