GREEN energy

Green Jobs, Better Future

Investing in clean energy can help boost the U.S. economy and create millions of new jobs

Americans have been hearing a lot these days about green jobs. They're one of the best solutions we have to heal the U.S. economy, repower America and fight global warming.

What's a green job? One that helps develop and support clean technologies that harness renewable energy and move America beyond oil.

Who can have a green job? Almost anyone. The steelworker who builds wind turbines. The electrician who installs solar panels. The construction worker who retrofits buildings and houses to make them more energy efficient.

Truck drivers, landscapers, transit planners, building inspectors, waste oil refiners and more can all find a place in the new green-collar economy.

The United States has the ability to create two million new jobs in just two years by investing in clean energy technologies, according to a landmark report. That's far more than the same investment in fossil fuels would produce. Consider:

* In 2006, renewable energy and energy efficient technologies generated 8.5 million new jobs, nearly $970 billion in revenue, and more than $100 billion in industry profits.
* An investment of $100 billion dollars in clean energy would create two million green jobs nationwide over two years.
* The $100 billion investment would create four times the number of jobs -- and triple the number of jobs paying at least $16 per hour -- as the same investment in the oil industry.

By investing in energy efficiency and sustainability, we can solve America's energy crisis, the climate crisis and the economic crisis at the same time.