Posts Tagged environmental jobs

It’s time for some concrete policies on green jobs

March 5, 2009 at 12:34 pm · Filed under Green News ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Although Gordon Brown’s strong emphasis on environmental jobs during his speech to the US Congress this week was all very nice, pressure is growing on the UK government to come up with some real plans to create green careers. Weeks ago, business secretary Peter Mandelson promised a million green jobs by 2015, but no clear plans have yet emerged as to how these jobs will be created, and what exactly they will be.

Sky News has been on the case lately, pestering the government for an answer on what exactly it means by “green job creation”, when it is going to happen, and where. According to the news organisation, the government claims that 160,000 green jobs will be from the renewables industry, which makes sense and which we could have all guessed. 100,000 more will come from nuclear power, which might leave a bad taste in the mouths of many environmentalists; just because it isn’t oil doesn’t make it green, you might say, and that makes it a potential source of conflict.
A further 10,000 jobs will be created through the production of electric and hybrid technology cars, which will come as some consolation to the thousands of Ford Motor employees facing redundancy this year.

This is all very well, but, if my mathematics serves me well, that leaves a further 730,000 green jobs promised by Mandy, but with no apparent origin. What will they be? Can the government meet its one million job promise? If it doesn’t start making more definite plans soon, the idea will start to lose momentum; there are calls from all sides of the political spectrum for a green job surge, and if Labour does not deliver it, it could be the party’s undoing.

Author
Rachel Charman, a writer for JuicyJobs; Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Oldham set to become a green job beacon

March 2, 2009 at 11:49 am · Filed under green jobs ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

When you think “progressive”, you might be forgiven for not immediately thinking “Oldham”. The town’s council, however, is becoming something of an environmental beacon, with surrounding councils visiting the area and taking notes on how to become more sustainable and create green jobs.

Councillor Mark Alcock, cabinet minister for the environment, has proudly revealed the town’s plans to the Oldham Advisor:

“The council recognises the huge challenge facing us with regards to climate change.

“Our aim is to create a local low carbon economy that will provide new jobs and support small businesses while at the same time meeting our obligations on national targets.

“Our aim is to be the greenest council, not only in Greater Manchester, but the whole country.”

The council revealed that a foreign green technology company is considering relocation to Oldham, which could create 500 new environmental jobs in the region. There are further plans to create green jobs through insulating homes, and that a new recycling scheme could create a further 350 environmental careers.

As well as this, the council’s regeneration department has been working hard to ensure sustainability in new developments in the town. The renewable energy policy in Oldham dictates that all new buildings must derive at least 10% of its energy from renewable sources, whilst 84% of Oldham schools are now eco-schools.

Whilst initiatives on a local level such as this are fantastic news, there is still a need for a nationwide, comprehensive green policy from central government ensuring consistency in the UK’s environmental efforts, as well as helping to tackle the rising unemployment with a large blow rather than in small swipes. If Chris Smith, chair of the Environment Agency, gets his way, this could happen sooner rather than later.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for Juicyjobs Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Smith bangs his green drum: will the government dance?

March 2, 2009 at 11:45 am · Filed under green jobs ·Tagged , , , ,

Chris Smith, chairman of the Environment Agency, has been making a fuss last week over green initiatives. Smith, who has been pushing for more green jobs and more concrete environmental policies for quite some time, said that the government needs to create a more comprehensive package of environmental initiatives, and take a new approach to helping people live more sustainable lives.

Smith makes a good point. He accused the government of creating only “scattered green initiatives” instead of having sustainability across the board, and “no sense of a full-scale national endeavour”. Given the closure of the low carbon building programme recently, this is particularly relevant; there are sporadic attempts by the government to make the UK a more sustainable nation, which are often localised, too short-sighted, or not progressive enough to be effective.

Smith also said that the government needs to help people become more sustainable, rather than simply berating them for not being green enough. This could be done by creating green jobs such as environmental advisors to educate people on energy-saving, which would tackle both unemployment and rising fuel prices in one go.

Smith said: “We have to do it by making it as easy as possible for people to take up the efficiency offer.

“By doing something as basic and simple as having someone knock on the door, spend half an hour providing free advice about what can be done to help, and then offering to make all the arrangements to have it done.

“Take the hassle out of going green, no complexity, no daunting forms, and I suspect a huge take-up.”

Smith likened the situation to the changeover to natural gas in the 1970s, when the government provided advisors to visit people’s homes and help them make the necessary changes. He said:

” When the change was made to natural gas in the home many years ago, there was a team of people who called door-to-door, making changes, fitting new meters and valves and explaining what’s happening.

“Surely it can’t be beyond our organisational capacity as a nation to do the same for energy efficiency?”

Smith makes a convincing case. Following Gordon Brown’s pledge to support the green industry in Parliament yesterday, it’s clear the pressure is growing for the government to take more decisive green action. Let’s hope Brown was listening to Smith’s ideas.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for JuicyJobs Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Green jobs to be created by Scottish renewable energy project

January 23, 2009 at 7:40 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

A new 4 mega watt wave farm to be built on the Isle of Lewis was approved on 22nd January by the Scottish Government.

The Saltire Prize winning project is one of the first marine renewable energy projects to be approved in the UK.

Following on from initiatives in Northern Ireland and England to create green jobs to conserve energy and beat unemployment, the new wave farm will provide the island with 70 new environmental jobs.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said in a statement:

“Today’s announcement is a significant step in Scotland’s journey to become a world leader in renewables. The Siadar wave farm will be one of the largest consented wave electricity generating station in the world.

“This is proof of Scotland’s unique opportunities in renewables and evidence that we are already on the way to seizing every opportunity to maximise our natural resources and capability to generate clean, green energy.

“This is good news for the Western Isles and for Scotland but its long-term potential is global.”

Energy produced by the wave farm will be enough to power around 1,800 homes, and the farm will be one of the world’s largest.

The local community on the Isle of Lewis are excited about the creation of the wave farm. Mp Angus MacNeil said:

“Having visited the site and met with those involved in it, I know that this news will be greeted warmly, and that the community will now be eager to move forward to the construction phase.”

Numbers of green jobs are expected to expand this year, as the UK faces job losses in other sectors such as manufacturing and finance. If you are looking to change jobs, investing your career in an environmental job could be the wisest move you ever make. Check out the listings on JuicyJobs.biz now to start your search.

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Get your green job: the web 2.0 way

January 16, 2009 at 10:49 am · Filed under ethical jobs, green jobs ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Finding a job in the current economic climate can seem like an impossible task, with stories of redundancies hitting the headlines every day. The ethical and environmental sectors, however, are in fact growing as the credit crunch wears on.

You’ve probably read all the usual job advice on how to behave in an interview, how to tackle recruitment workshops, and so on and so forth. In our multimedia, interactive world there are new tricks to learn in the hunt for jobs, making the most of the technology you have access to from your laptop. Check out these top tips!

  1. Facebook PRO-file: Social networking is not just about socialising. It can help your professional life too. The rumours that recruiters check Facebook profiles to suss out prospective candidates are true, so make sure your profile is suitably professional. That means no silly photos or bad language. Put your work numbers and email addresses on there (but remember to reset your security settings to ensure only people you know see these). Use the “about me” section not to waffle on about your favourite films, your cats, and how you like long walks, but to record your relevant achievements and most impressive job titles. See it as a CV but one step better; a CV you can easily embed video, photos and audio into!
  2. Make your CV say more about you: Imagine a busy recruiter sieving through hundreds of CVs. How many times do you think they will read the phrase “works well under pressure/in a team/on own initiative”? Probably too many. To make your CV stand out, try giving more of a personal feel by avoiding clichés, and using short but relevant examples to illustrate your skills. You could even add a short video or audio file of yourself explaining why you want to work in the sector you are applying for, showing off your confidence, multimedia savvy and ability to stand out. Finally, try and get a quote from an employer as well as a reference. This will stick in a recruiter’s mind, as you have already gone to the trouble of getting a reference for them.
  3. Get online: Aside from Facebook, there are other online or mobile technology tools you can use to your advantage. Use social networking  and profiling sites like LinkedIn as mini-CVs and link them all together. Start using Twitter to update people on your progress in the job search; letting them know where you are interviewing might lead to them putting you in touch with an inside contact.
  4. Stay in touch: Make it as easy as possible for potential employers and contacts to get hold of you. Create an email signature with your full name, all mobile and landline numbers, email addresses and online profiles in it. As well as this, it’s a good idea to go old-fashioned and have business cards printed, again with all of your contact details and your area of expertise or job title on them. They are cheap and easy to have printed, but can make all the difference when meeting a new contact by chance.
  5. Network: Although technology and the web makes job hunting easier, there is still no replacement for meeting people in person if you want to make an impression. There are hundreds of events going on all over the UK for professionals to meet and exchange advice and news. A quick online search will bring up a list of hosting companies in your area, and joining the guest list is normally free. Events usually charge for entry, but meeting other people working in your sector face-to-face can be invaluable. Make sure you maximise your time at these, getting to know people and passing on your contact details.

The environmental sector is about to boom, so start setting yourself up now in order to catch the wave! Check out the listings on JuicyJobs.biz for great job opportunities.

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