In 2007, Raquel Pinderhughes, Ph.D. composed an enlightening case study of Berkeley, CA Green Collar Jobs: An Analysis of the Capacity of Green Businesses...

In her analysis, she presents a sound case for development in green jobs. However, one of the most startling things I found in her case was the assertion that green jobs exist in a whopping 22 current economic sectors.

When discussing green solutions with people who have never heard the term "green collar," I often mention the obvious: solar installers, wind turbine manafacturers, and the like.

Rarely do I think about more tangible, quotidian fields like bike repair and tree pruning. I wonder why not.

That's actually a more complicated question than it appears. This video produced by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers highlights a few options for those who wish to learn about PV installation and energy-saving electrical practices.

The information about the house that stores energy in the form of hydrogen gas about 6 minutes into the video still has me wonderi

It's exciting to see the term "green collar" has become "official" by making it into Merriam-Webster's. The induction still carries significance, while also bringing into focus the process by which our culture changes through language. As a term's definition solidifies over time, so to does its acceptance and visibility in the discourse.

Interestingly, "green collar" has been somewhere in the vernacular for quite some time. Wikipedia dates it back to 1976 in Patrick Heffernan's, “Jobs for the Environment — The Coming Green Collar Revolution.” More than 30 years later, I have to wonder what Heffernan intended when he used the word "coming" in his congressional presentation.

In a more recent work,  Green Collar Jobs: The Alternative Energy Industry and Labor Markets,
Noam Segal chronicles the potential for new jobs in our current markets. Much of Segal's analysis focuses on the process by which "green collar" has come to be understood.    

In order to effect cultural change, we must have a collective understanding of the concept. For a new term to carry weight it needs to exist in the physical -- not just literal -- world. Yet the dictionary definition of "green collar" bears little resemblance to the application for which it is intended.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences analyzed the global potential for wind-generated electricity. The study relied on a variety of geographical and meteorological data sources to substantiate a claim that wind power could realistically replace all forms of energy consumed domestically and worldwide. 

The study's methodology involved analyzing various patterns in wind and air pressure across varied geographical formations in sparsely populated areas. According to the investigators, if these areas operated at only 20% of capacity, wind could supply greater than 40 times the current worldwide consumption of electricity.