Yesterday, Clean Edge, Inc., a clean-tech research and publishing firm, released Clean Tech Job Trends 2009. The report provides an investigation of how clean-tech jobs in the U.S. and globally are changing the face of industry, where the hotbeds of growth exist, and whether current clean-tech salaries are living up to their ‘green-over blue-collar’ promise.
Businesses around the world are feeling the pressures of rising energy, water, and the potential costs of emissions. While business risks and costs are driving many behavior changes, leading businesses are exploring sustainability concepts to identify opportunities. Many companies are addressing these risks by exploring the value aspects of business sustainability.
Grassroots Environmental Education recently launched a new web portal called, “HowGreenIsMyTown.org (HGIMT ), which is designed to provide local citizens and decision makers the tools they need to bring about meaningful and lasting environmental change in their communities. The 200-plus page online initiative draws together resources from government agencies and non-profits across America to address the issues of climate change, sustainability and environmental health in one web site.
The United States has the potential to save more than $1.2 trillion in energy costs and cut consumption by 23 percent by 2020, according to a report released last week by global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. The comprehensive energy-efficiency strategy cited in the report removes approximately 1.1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually — the equivalent of taking the entire U.S. fleet of light trucks and passenger vehicles off the roads. It also could produce savings that exceed California’s total annual energy consumption.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently announced their list of the greenest cities in the United States and have released their findings on a new web site, called Smarter Cities. The survey includes all cities in the United States with populations larger than 50,000. Smarter Cities is considered to be one of the nation’s most comprehensive and robust database of U.S. urban progress toward sustainability. Seattle ranked number one and San Francisco ranked number 2 among the 67 large cities that were evaluated. Madison, Wisconsin placed firstand Santa Rosa, California came in second among the 176 medium cities that were surveyed. Among the 402 cities that were evaluated, Bellingham, Washington came in first place and Mountain View, California came in second.
Greenopia recently released a comprehensive ranking of 50 governors in the US and compared their policies, transparency, and interest group ratings to determine which governors were eco-leaders and reveals which state governments are most dedicated to preserving the environment. Topping the list is Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado followed closely by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.
Administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Program provides grants to organizations and local governments working on a local level to protect and improve watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay basin while also building citizen-based resource stewardship. The purpose of the program is to support protection and restoration actions that contribute to restoring healthy waters, habitat, and living resources of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
The Greenopolis Foundation in partnership with the Environmental Media Association (EMA), the Greenopolis Foundation will award grants to offline projects that produce educational materials and resources which would benefit the Greenopolis online community and others interested in environmental sustainability.
