Architects and related professionals have become increasingly aware of the growing focus on green solutions for the built environment. Serving today's demands for higher-performing, more environmentally intelligent buildings and communities requires special skills and training. Sandra Leibowitz Earley, Principal, Sustainable Design Consulting, LLC and John Esson, Director, Green Careers Center will report on the current demand for green building professionals and will discuss the growing array of opportunities for professionals in both architecture and other careers that will play valuable roles in greening the building industry.  Info: http://www.aiadesigndc.org; July 9, 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the DesignDC 2008 conference, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center located at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.

In just a few years renewable energy has gone from a trendy niche to a national imperative. Today thousands of employers in dozens of sectors are looking for employees. [more info]

by Christina Couch, ClassesUSA

When architectural intern Jennifer Downey moved from Richmond, Virginia, to New York City last year, it took more than a college degree to land her current job with the design firm Marble Fairbanks.

Prior to moving, Jennifer obtained her Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, accreditation, a credential issued by the U.S. Green Building Council for architects specializing in environmentally conscious building practices. She attributes her current professional success to her knowledge of both architecture and the Earth. [full story]

Bridgeport— The job of someone who is weather-stripping your house cannot be outsourced overseas. And that's only one of the selling points for so-called "green" jobs — those with an environmental or sustainable aspect — that outlook was the topic of an event at The Barnum Museum. [full story]

As business and industry are taking more interest in renewable energy, academia is not far behind. Anticipating increased demand for new technical and design skills, colleges and universities across the nation are offering degree programs in the field. Starting salaries nationally, say students and faculty members, typically range between $35,000 to $45,000 for graduates of two-year programs and $45,000 to $60,000 for graduates of four-year programs. [full story]

If you are going to use tax policy to shape energy strategy then you want to raise taxes on the things you want to discourage — gasoline consumption and gas-guzzling cars — and you want to lower taxes on the things you want to encourage — new, renewable energy technologies. We are doing just the opposite. Are you sitting down? [full story]

LINCOLN, Kan. (AP) - The line of towering wind turbines stand motionless on the ridgeline above Interstate 70 in central Kansas, Y-shaped silhouettes amid the swirling snow.

Despite the weather, dozens of technicians are working to get the 10-mile-long Smoky Hills Wind Farm ready to begin producing electricity.

Jason Martinson, who is supervising the 56-turbine operation on behalf of Enel North America Inc., said after almost a decade in the industry he's still amazed by how fast wind farms like Smoky Hills are going up across the country. But he also said workers like those braving the blizzard-like conditions outside his office are becoming increasingly rare. [full story]

So, you want a job in the environment-friendly or green industries?

Maybe you want to invest in these future professions and technologies.

Then you don't have to look far for work and business opportunities because Central Pennsylvania firms and professionals say green jobs permeate nearly every facet of modern commerce, including information technology, energy production, public relations, farming and mechanical engineering. [full story]

We stand at the cusp of a new clean energy economy. Climate change and peak oil are twin crises that will have tragic and disorienting consequences as they play out. However, solving these crises creates an enormous opportunity, and thousands of jobs will be generated in coming years as our economic and political systems adjust to the new realities. [more]