Solar Now Provides Twice As Many Jobs As the Coal Industry, Co.Exist
While the coal industry faces a sharp decline, solar power is growing at record levels — adding jobs at a rate 17 times faster than the overall workforce. The industry is also a more lucrative option for people without higher education. As one advocate puts it, “This is just an incredible example of the opportunities that exist for people that need these opportunities the most.”
Building Trust Cuts Violence. Cash Also Helps. The New York Times
A radical approach to gun violence has helped reduce the homicide rate by nearly 60 percent in Richmond, Calif., formerly one of the nation’s most dangerous cities. Spearheaded by DeVone Boggan, a NationSwell Council member, the program identifies those most likely to be involved in violent crimes and pays them a stipend to turn their lives around. Aside from the cash benefits, participants receive mentoring from “neighborhood change agents” who have come out of lives of crime themselves.
Iceland Knows How to Stop Teen Substance Abuse but the Rest of the World Isn’t Listening, Mosaic Science
In the last two decades, Iceland has implemented an ambitious social program that’s nearly eliminated substance abuse among teens. After research showed that young people were becoming addicted to the changes in brain chemistry brought on by drugs and alcohol, experts decided to “orchestrate a social movement around natural highs,” offering extensive after-school programs in sports, dance, music — anything that could replicate the rush of drugs. This, coupled with stricter laws and closer ties between parents and schools, led to a huge societal makeover. Proponents of the program hope to recreate it in the U.S., but funding and public opinion remain obstacles.
Continue reading “Solar Trumps Coal When It Comes to Jobs, Cash Handouts Deter Crime in California and More”
Tag: green jobs
The ‘No-Brainer’ Investment That Creates Jobs and Saves the Environment
If we want a healthy economy, we need a healthy ecosystem.
That’s probably the most important takeaway of a new report from the Center for American Progress and Oxfam America that analyzed the benefits of conserving, repairing and restoring our coastal ecosystems.
As Think Progress reports, the authors of the report studied three separate coastal restoration projects that were funded by stimulus grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2009. They found that for every dollar invested, there was more than $15 in net economic benefits.
MORE: A Landmark Project Brings Water Back to the Colorado River
How so? Coastal restoration gave way to more money for local economies, from boosts in tourism and commerce to protection against natural disasters such as storm surges. It also improved fish stocks and benefited oyster reefs, which play a big part in keeping waters clean.
Significantly, these coastal restoration projects also created a lot of jobs. According to the report, every $1 million investment in coastal restoration created 17 jobs on average. In comparison, that same investment in offshore oil and gas development only brings 8.9 jobs.
The argument for coastal restoration comes down to simple math, really. “We learned in a nutshell that there’s a win-win, if not a win-win-win, opportunity that presents itself when you invest in conservation,” said Mark Schaefer, the assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management at NOAA. “We gain big when we conserve and restore coastal habitats — this is a no-brainer.”
Looks like the business of saving the environment is good business for us all.
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The Eco-Friendly Action That Improves the Economy
Recycling has tons of benefits, from reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills to decreasing pollution. But if you need another reason to keep on recycling those cans, bottles and newspapers, here’s another incentive: You’re creating jobs.
As the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports, California is a shining example of how recycling is actually doing its part in stimulating the economy. The state is currently trying to reach a recycling goal of 75 percent by 2020, and if it does, 110,000 jobs could be created, according to a study from the Tellus Institute, a non-profit research company. (If you think 75 percent recycling sounds unrealistic, California was already at 50 percent way back in 2011, which puts the state comfortably on track to hit its goal.)
MORE: The Eco-Friendly Plan to Quench Central California’s Thirst
So why would recycling create more jobs? According to the NRDC report, “meeting the 75 percent recycling goal would create more than 34,000 jobs in materials collection, 26,000 jobs in materials processing, and 56,000 jobs in manufacturing using the recovered materials.” Additionally, the report states that these 110,000 jobs would create another 38,600 jobs indirectly — such as recycling-related businesses. The purchasing power of all these new green workers is also certainly going to boost the economy and spur job growth even more.
Just imagine what would happen if the whole country took a page from California and increased recycling on a national scale. A different Tellus report from 2011 actually crunched those numbers, and their findings are just as encouraging. Apparently, if the entire country recycled at a rate of 75 percent by the year 2030, we could reduce greenhouse gases by 515 million metric tons, which is the same as “shutting down about 72 coal-fired power plants or taking 50 million cars off the road,” the NRDC writes. Now that’s a huge incentive to go reduce, reuse and yes, recycle.