What is a Green Job ?

Channon your question is a common one. Link Me did a survey last year which showed that almost 59% of employees said that "green issues" were never discussed at their workplace. That 35% of companies don't aim to be environmentally friendly and that only 15% make any effort to measure green house emissions. Employees seem to be demanding that employers go green. When employers understand there are business benefits in doing that we will be moving in the right direction, in the meantime we'll have to stay online spreading the message.

Ben, the indicators aren't good. New publications this week are describing the impact on Australian eco systems of less than one degree of warming. We're on track for at least plus two. We need to curb emissions growth rapidly eg to max at plus two we need to maximise emissions by about 2015. The Australian Government's target of 5% reduction by 2020 won't have much impact. When the corporate sector understands that we can't have growth without a stable climate we will start to make rapid advancement in this space.

Charlie, my first thought is that industry associations now have to be seen to be working in the "green jobs" space. The horticultural sector has always been into "green jobs". We all need to work now to show how progressive you have always been.

They are around energy effieciency Jo, so you are in a good space.

This is a crucial question Anita. I think we will see the green sector boom in the next few years and our capacity to scale up in the education sectors will be critical to our capicity to meet the new demand.

Certainly Terence the federal government says it wants to get in touch with the third sector to, so green NGO's should be very much in its focus. Environmental NGO's are great think tanks for environmental policy & programs and they will continue to build a strong platform for green jobs development. 

As we saw last year Helen, financial growth on it's own isn't sustainable.  I think that the onus is probably on employers to understand that environmental professionals will be able to support businesses better because they also understand the need for growth in environmental and social sustainability.

Like all things Jess some people are getting it right: some aren't! There are a number of companies in your sector that are now focusing on green building. Have a look at the Australian Green Building Council website - www.gbca.org.au and you will see who's getting it right. Of course the ones that are have identified the business advantage in going green and all their jobs therefore will be green ones.

Alan i think that in time employers will understand that green jobs are just as profitable to a business as any other jobs. The environmental benefit will be a bonus that the business will be able to use in its promotion.

Some governments are Amanda. South Korea has put 81% of its fiscal stimulus in to green industry. $1.7 billion US went in to forestry management - trees for carbon sinks and developing technologies for biomass energy. Sustainable timber based products must also be part of a sustainable future. I would hope we don't get to the stage where we see job losses in 'green' forestry.

D, this is a big conversation the IT industry uses lots of energy but at the same time provides lots of opportunities to reduce emissions elsewhere. Time in use metres, video conferencing, intelligent lighting and smart cars are all examples in the green jobs space. Redesigning data centres and mainframe systems to be much more energy efficient addresses the other side of the opportunity.

Jessica, I think you should be promoting your "green skills" as hard as you can. The world is now more aware of the need for change and if you put yourself forward as someone who can contribute to that I am sure you will be listened to.

You're right Marc. It's a pity that we will have to go through a major cultural transformation in our workplaces. The social component of which will be employers engaging with green employees to understand the skills and knowledge they do possess.

You are quite right Neil. The harvest you will reap in the emerging Green Jobs sector is that you already understand the opportunity and you will be able to respond much quicker.

Steve i could probably find you a green job in every sector 'harder in some than others' in finance for example they will be in carbon accounting, in automotive they are in fuel efficient hybrid and electric cars. In construction: energy efficiency, materials selection & procurement and waste management. We have to understand that a tram conductor is a green job.

I agree Jane. Green practices need to be integrated throughout all businesses if we are to contemplate a sustainable future. However, the Federal government has identified green jobs as an emerging sector. So for the short term at least i think that 'special status' is just fine.

Jo, you will be happier doing it because you'll know that your impact on the planet is less and because you are happier you will be more productive at work and your employer will be happier too.

Good to see your interest John. Let me know if you have any queries.

Any business can transform from the ground up and there are lots of things online that will enable business owners to begin the process. Have a look at the PEW Center publication 'Getting Ahead of the Curve: Corporate Strategies that Address Climate Change'

Grant, my initial response is to think about having your operators suggest to callers that they think about visiting resorts that are energy and waste efficient and are using airlines that understand the need to offset travel. By the way carbon offsetting is not the answer on it's own we must be more energy efficient and invest in the purchase of renewable energy as the first parts of our personal climate strategy.

Good question Tony, typically you and Yarra Valley Water are ahead of the game. I also ask questions like "How long can we sustain an unsustainable economy?". I think it's a matter of educating employers that they will do better when they understand your point that there business needs to be sustainable rather than just hiring a few individuals to "green jobs".

David, time's a fascinating thing. "How longs a piece of string?". I hope that the exciting new jobs that we will see emerging will educate employers that they can build their business & be more responsible at the same time so that the sector will become mainstream as soon as possible.

Erin this is a big area and really important for Australia's agricultural sector. We need to think about embodied water intensties in food production, carbon and transport costs and a whole range of other components in our food choices. This in turn will support green jobs and green companies.

Tracie, my mind immediately went to Green Home Loans, banks already know that customers concerned about our environment are low risk so somebody in your branch who understood what an energy efficient house design was, and that customers living in an energy efficient home had reduced costs on energy and water and are more likely to make their loan repayments, might bring you more business if you offered favourable rates for a Green Home Loan.

Your right Connie many people still believe it is about pollution, trees, energy use and water. Its really a new way of doing business and as a Niall Fitzgerald the UK CEO of Unilever once said 'Sustainablity is here to stay or we may not be'.

Connie i've just seen the September edition of Harvard Business Review the cover under the banner 'sustainability and innovation' says "How green will save us" - Why sustainability is now the key driver of innovation.

Ah ha, an enquiring journo. The quality of the answer we get depends on the quality of the questions we ask, we simply have to ask harder questions our consumer society has allowed green wash to emerge. As individuals we need to conduct "audits" on businesses that we think might be guilty of green wash, just ask hard questions.

What a great idea!

Have a look at my response to Frank Dunnell's question about tangible commercial benefits and the role of government. Access Economics has provided some answers to the questions you raise. We need training programs like yours and in time businesses will come to understand triple bottom line benefits for their future growth.

Hi Lachlan, (your family GP), has probably recently moved to a paperless office. all the pathology and other tests as well as replies from the hospital and consultants can go straight into the GP's computer. Jobs in this sector are being driven through the technology based organisations such as WebAlive who have now employed a trainee working in this area.

Absolutely Alexander. There is a major push from the big engineering and architectural companies to move in to six star retro fits of commercial buildings. have a look at the www.gbca.org.au website to see where the leading lights are. Green jobs are always available on our www.greenskills.com.au and www.wpcgroup.org.au websites but here are a few examples: green plumbing, electrotech (renewable energy), mechanical engineers (wind farms) etc. Keep in touch or contact us and have a chat with our recruitment department about the opportunities.

Good Morning Jason and first of all thank you to the hundreds of people who have asked questions in the forum this morning. In relation to your question, the answer is some minimum green standards would be good but it will be hard to get political consensus if you can encourage your parliamentary representative to get interested in minimum green standards.

Barb, Innovation coming out of the recession with emerging technologies will be driven by consumer demand and Government programs. These industries are going to offer the opportunity to build new skills as well as offer opportunities to existing workers. We need to make sure that we have the training and the skills development processes in place to ensure these developments are not impeded by skill shortages.

Michael there are doubters everywhere aren't there. Personally i am with Barack. The 'old school' just doesn't like change. New world thinking requires us to be more passionate about our planet and the future for our grandchildren

Hi Jeff, Nick here, the ABS has no definition for "Green Jobs". This forum will hopefully increase the number.

Ken, Rob used the tram conductor example to explain that green jobs (sustainable jobs) also identify social sustainability as a key component of the new world we must move to. So yes looking after passengers, safety, a smile and some good humour are very valauble components to the ticket purchase transaction. Jobs in the future will be much more diverse than we have today.

T, we need to make all jobs deep green as soon as possible! Do you think we could do it by the end of the month?

Frank, the ETU has recently commissioned a paper by Access Economics, it's called "Job Creation the Case for a National Gross Feed-in Tariff" it explains that 4000 jobs are available in the electrical sector if the Federal Government was to introduce a gross feed-in tariff like Germany's that paid those with solar panels and wind turbines a high rate for ALL the energy they produce. Hopefully Governments will soon understand this and support effective emissions reduction and jobs growth.

Hi Gladys, Yes you are spot on, we can't leave everything up to other people and we need to take responsibility for our own actions. But as a society we need to make sure people have got the right training, skills and information to be effect in what they do.

Chloe i cant think of many jobs in the rail sector that i wouldn't call green jobs. Rail for both people and freight will be a fundamental component of Australia's capacity to reduce emissions in  the transport sector, something we must do. I would happily justify a ticket seller, a baggage handler, a loco engineer even a news stand vendor as ones working in a fundamentally valuable sector. Whether NSW railcorp is prepared to advertise these as green jobs remains to be seen. I reckon you should!

Eugene, Yes to some extend you are right. Green jobs today are really the innovative jobs that are driving change for the future of how we do things. Of course at some stage Green Jobs will be just jobs. But for the moment while we are transitioning to a new way of doing things that is adapted to the environmental challenges we face. "Green" is an appropriate way of showing recognition for jobs that contribute to the changes we need to make.

Jaye, We are seeing a lot of evidence of change today. Particularly if you look at the investments some of the countries in North Asia and the US are making in adapting to the environmental needs of the future. We have seen things happening in Australia, although I understand many people would like to see more happening. WPC Group's Greenskills program supports the change process by fostering the skills we need and the innovation we need to address and adapt to climate change.

Ashiq, Wouldn't it be great to think that in Australia we could develop a model for Greenskills that could be applicable to workforces all over the world.

We have to start somewhere don't we Coralie, but you are right panel's and insulation are the tip of the ice berg, we will need to broaden the horizon's of government as well as the general community so that we all understand that well need to invest in our capacity to be innovative. We needs lots more support for long term training.

Nicole, Refer back to the exchange between Rob and Dominique Fisher. There are obviously many challenges facing this industry. Our Greenskills program is intended to be part of the solution by building the skills needed.

Alicia, Yes there are a lot of things you can do as a Personal Assistant to promote improved environmental performance. For instance there is a lot of work around developing the green office through the sorts of equipment and supplies you buy, how you manage your equipment, how you manage your energy use in particular. A little bit of research on the internet should be able to provide you with a lot of ideas such as paper sourcing policies, duplex printing, recycling programs etc.

Linda, Most definitely yes. A growing proportion of school leavers are very interested in the green values of potential employers. In terms of statistics, yes we have found that very difficult. We are trying to develop a database to help guide our Greenskills program.

Melissa, Your right. The bottom line is the most powerful driver for change. Most of the time it is quite possible to demonstrate that good environmentally outcomes can be achieved with good economic outcomes. So for instance changing light bulbs to low energy bulbs saves power. Using duplex printing saves paper. Beyond this though, staff morale can be significantly enhanced through a shared committment between employers and employees to environmental improvement. Employees who feel good about the place they work, will tend to be more productive employees.

Chia, The important issue here is the potential for adapting to climate change to create new industries for the future and new jobs. If we can emphasis this and provide the skills and training opportunities for people to adapt their skills to future needs, then adapting to climate change should be easier politically.