By now, we all know the platform: President Obama supports green jobs, and Governor Nixon feels similarly, touting the endless economic opportunities for sustainable efforts. Yet for all the talk of “green-collar jobs,” the term itself remains somewhat elusive—encompassing everything from steelworkers who help build wind turbines to new jobs created through scientific innovation. We asked three local leaders for their definitions.
- “My concept of a green economy has more to do with thinking globally and acting locally, if you want to use a bumper sticker. There’s so much room in a green economy for all skill sets and talents, but people need to think about it in a different way… It is about people having a holistic understanding of how we fit on the planet. We can’t just throw money at [the problem] and expect it will happen. It has to do with leadership, purpose, and mission.” —Kat Logan-Smith, executive director, Missouri Coalition for the Environment
- “I believe Thomas Berry summarized it brilliantly when he asserted that the health of planet Earth is primary, and human health is derivative… Therefore, we are working to transform our economies to ensure they are ecologically and socially restorative, solve environmental problems, eliminate waste and toxics, and rely on renewable resources... Any jobs or companies that can work to help transform our economies in this way would fall within my definition of ‘green-collar.’” —Matthew Malten, assistant vice-chancellor for campus sustainability, Washington University
- “Green-collar jobs are blue-collar jobs in the environmental industry. They require different skills than white-collar jobs that happen to involve environmental issues or policies. Typically, green-collar employment involves manual labor aimed at things like resource conservation, clean-energy generation, environmental restoration, and increased energy efficiency. St. Louis is already a not-so-secret hotbed of green-collar activity.” —Mayor Francis Slay
