The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act makes available over $787 billion federal dollars nationwide for investments in new projects, development to be used for green building, retrofitting, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, including those in federal facilities, states, localities, tribal areas, schools and housing. So, I am curious how us greenies can make the most of the opportunities available from the allocation of over $55 million in green job grants?
This funding is great to get green initiatives rolling, and hopefully we will soon see solid results in increased job placements and the promotion of economic growth. But, according to the LA Times, California's unemployment rate increased in October from September's rate of 12.2%, giving the Golden State the fourth-highest spot in the country. Still, the state gained 25,700 jobs last month. So, while the pace of unemployment has slowed, it doesn’t look like green jobs have arrived in force or maybe they are just not easy to find. Either way, things look promising on the horizon. Additionally, a new national program has been unveiled to re-train the workforce for green jobs starting with the renovation of public housing to become more efficient by exceeding basic LEED standards. Not only can with this reduce energy costs for the tenants and the government, it can help offset many layoffs. Hopefully this type of program can expand to other business sectors as well.
