Forbes: America’s Hottest Green Job Markets

Amidst all of the gloomy news out of Wall Street lately, Forbes.com is offering up a beacon of hope: the green job market.  Green jobs will be available by the millions in the coming years, and if you’re wondering where the best places to snag them are, check out Forbes.com’s new list of the hottest green job markets.  Unsurprisingly, big cities claim most of the spots on the list.

From Forbes.com:

No. 1: New York, N.Y.

The looming prospect of layoffs on Wall Street could be a blessing in disguise for the nation’s largest green jobs market–New York City. The Big Apple reported more than 25,000 green jobs in 2006. By 2038, New York’s green economy could generate nearly 200,000 jobs, many in architecture, engineering and design. If a lot of super-ambitious, ultra hard-working investment bankers suddenly find themselves out of work, odds are they’ll reinvent themselves in the green space.

No. 2: Washington, D.C.

In January, the CIA opened the first of two new buildings designed to comply with green building standards. Interestingly, the CIA is a relative latecomer to the green game in the nation’s capital. In the past two years, the nation’s largest landlord–the U.S. government–has put energy efficiency high on its list of priorities. Ultimately, the investment could generate substantial returns the federal government in the form of lower energy costs for the more than half-million buildings it oversees. It can add sparking the growth of a green jobs market in the capital to the list.

Check out the rest of the list at Forbes.com.

If the future for your job market is looking decidedly bleak, now’s a great time to start thinking about how you can parlay your skills in the green market.  Everyone from salespeople and factory workers to engineers and marketing experts will be able to make the shift to a more secure future.  Watch for EarthFirst’s ‘great green job of the week’ every week, and check out the job board at Treehugger.com.

Link [Forbes] + [Treehugger]

The Greenest Hotels in the U.S., from Manhattan to Waikiki

Most of us have learned by now that you can’t trust a company to be honest about whether they’re truly eco-friendly or not.  Greenwashing is rampant right now, and many consumers are noticing the terms ‘eco-friendly’, ‘green’, ‘earth-friendly’ and other claims on brochures and other marketing materials for all kinds of products and services.  Lately, more and more hotels have been trying to get in on the game, and as Forbes Traveler found, some claim to be green with nothing but an ‘optional recycling program’ to back it up.  That’s why Forbes Traveler set out to find the greenest hotels in America – the ones that have worked sustainability into the daily operations of their businesses.

Some of the hotels on the list, from Forbes Traveler:

• NYC, NY – New York Marriott Downtown: Company-wide policy to cut energy consumption by 25% by 2017; biodegradable cutlery; turned golf courses into Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries.
• Townsend, MT – Bison Quest Sanctuary and Spa: Founded by a wildlife biologist on a private bison reserve; completely wind and solar powered; composting for organic waste
• Key West, FL – Banyan Resort: Solar-powered swimming pools; biodegradable tiki bar; deck made of recycled lumber; grounds are xeriscaped with native flora; first ‘Green Lodging Facility’ in the Florida Keys.
• Boston, MA – Seaport Hotel: Chemical-free, electrolyzed water instead of bleach for cleaning; food waste is composted; purchases from eco-friendly suppliers; on-site vegetable and herb garden.

The list also includes hotels, resorts and bed & breakfasts in Honolulu, Hot Springs Arkansas, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Homer Alaska, San Francisco, Asheville North Carolina, Taos New Mexico, Buena Vista Colorado, Austin Texas and Maiden Rock, Wisconsin.

Check out the rest at ForbesTraveler.com.

Link [Forbes Traveler]

T. Boone Pickens Says Jump, Investors Act Like Crazed Kids on Pogo Sticks

T. Boone Pickens has gained a lot of clout lately. Let’s put aside for a moment the fact that he is one scary guy, and might become one of the people responsible for putting us into a very frightening situation with our water supply. He’s also known as being a billionaire oil tycoon and recently purchased a huge number of wind turbines. When he predicted that oil would hit $100 a barrel, investors laughed because it seemed so improbable – and then it happened. That’s why they’re now listening up to everything this guy has to say.

From Forbes:

Wall Street decided to treat T. Boone Pickens as the smartest guy in the room.

Light sweet crude prices soared 1.5%, or $1.88, to $128.93 a barrel, after the billionaire oilman said he expects it’ll hit $150 a barrel this year.

“There’s a feeling that some of these forecasts of $150 oil might be right, so why not buy it now rather than later,” Peter Beutel, president of Cameron Hanover, told Reuters.

Pickens gave more than a number though. According to TradeTheNews.com, Pickens also said that speculators have nothing to do with high energy prices, and that oil costs are not a bubble. He that he is investing long on natural gas. This kind of support from a name that holds such credibility gave other investors a renewed sense of confidence in how they played the commodity.

Pickens is positioning himself as an energy expert, and a powerful one at that (cue ‘impending doom’ music). While we’re glad that he has made some good choices in renewable energy, this guy doesn’t have the scruples to be trustworthy – it’s all about the money for him, so if he sees big bucks in an industry that could still harm the planet, he’ll likely jump on it. We’re crossing our fingers that he sticks to renewable energy and drops the creepy water privatization plans.

Link [Forbes]
Photo credit: Flickr user sfslim