The state of Indiana is making significant headway in establishing its status as a state with a large portion of green jobs or otherwise environmentally friendly occupations, numerous journalistic publications are reporting. Zach Ammerman, writing for the Indiana Daily Student, explicates the impact of the newly-released figures—the product of a study by the Indiana Department of Labor—in an article that contextualizes the data as well.

In developing the methodologies and approaches that would count as valid toward determining the overall number of green jobs, the Department of Labor decided that jobs or employment opportunities that somehow directly contributed to the support of explicitly green industries or activities.

The study, Ammerman reports, was conducted over a period of 18 months and with support from Indiana University’s Indiana Business Research Center as well as the Indiana Department of Workforce Department. The preliminary results include the discovery that roughly 47,000 jobs exist in the state of Indiana that can be considered green jobs. In addition to this significant number, more than 17,000 jobs also exist in indirect relation to various green businesses or companies.

The culmination of the analysis of the report’s data allows the state of Indiana to understand its place in green progress more accurately, especially in relation to its neighbors: while Indiana can count 1.7 of its labor force as members of green jobs or involved in green employment, the state of Michigan’s percentage is 3.1.

As Timothy Slaper, the director of economic analysis with the Indiana Research Center, pointed out, however, numerous former automobile industry workers now unemployed due to the recession might find related work opportunities via green jobs. Slaper also pointed out that statistically sampling the green jobs economy is more difficult because tools have not yet been extensively developed for the purposes of assessing it.

For more information, please read: http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=82529

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According to recent coverage that appeared in the reputable green jobs information website EarthTechling.com, a new agreement has recently been formulated and finalized between Arizona State University and the United States Agency for International Development. The move comes as part of a larger effort on behalf of the state to cultivate green jobs in industries that provide its citizens with dependable green energy sources, particularly renewable resources such as wind power and solar power.

EarthTechling.com reports that the agreement stipulates that Arizona State University is set to receive $10 million in the form of two grants “to lead a consortium of higher education institutions and service providers offering clean tech vocational [education] and implement renewable energy programs worldwide.”

The first grant, which constitutes $3 million in size, is set to allow the university to construct this program on-site at Arizona State University. The second grant, consisting of $7 million in funding, will be devoted to focusing on specific renewable energy projects exported out and into the world as a byproduct of a thriving green economy.

“The project will help to create curricula around the operation and maintenance of decentralized clean energy technologies,” EarthTechling.com quotes Mitzi Montoya, the vice provost and dean of Arizona State University’s College of Technology and Innovation, as saying.

For more information, please visit: http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/05/green-jobs-training-gets-global-focus/

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A recent press release publicized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency on April 29 indicates that the agency is adopting a new strategy to endorse and promote the actions of towns and cities to utilize green infrastructure in order to reduce runoff from storms that ends up polluting various important bodies of water, such as coastal waters, lakes, rivers, streams, and even small creeks.

“Green infrastructure,” according to the press release, “decreases pollution to local waterways by treating rain where it falls and keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems.” The press release goes on to detail that runoff stormwater, which may contain a wide variety of harmful pollutants gathered from the rain’s contact with items that contain contaminants or substances such as greenhouse gases, is described as one of the foremost and pervasive obstructions to water quality in the country.

The Environmental Protection Agency is slated to work with the nearby governments of some cities, watershed organizations, and other associations and entities that are similarly interested in preserving the quality of runoff water. An additional way that harnessing the pollutants from stormwater save energy is by removing the stormwater from the general pool of water to be treated, which includes sewage. By removing stormwater and filtering it through a different process, traditional water treatment plants are able to spend less energy and electricity by working with lower quantities of liquid.

For more information about the Environmental Protection Agency’s statement, please visit: http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/EPA-to-promote-use-of-green-infrastructure-in-cities-and-towns-595497

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In a digital edition of the Financial Chronicle today, journalist Debeshi Gooptu Bakshi reported that more than 10.5 million individuals may be employed in various green jobs throughout India by the end of this decade.

Among Bakshi’s many sources to support this exciting hypothesis is a report that an institution known as The Climate Group, “a global environmental think tank,” released in March. The report, which is referred to by the name India’s Clean Revolution, “indicates that enormous potential exists for generating new income and jobs by developing domestic renewable energy resources and clean technologies in India,” Bakshi writes in the Financial Chronicle.

India offers a variety of blossoming green jobs industries, including sustainable housing organizations and corporations, green agriculture entities, green transportation technologies and the traditional host of green energy suppliers: solar energy, wind energy, and other alternative approaches to energy.

Bakshi cites Damian Ryan, a senior international policy manager at The Climate Group, as endorsing the probability of substantive growth in India. “Education and training of both the current and future workforce is obviously critical to seizing the opportunities of the Clean Revolution,” Bakshi quotes Ryan as saying.

“The good news is that the India government has been increasing its investment in education and research over recent years, with a four-fold increase in funding in the 2007-2012 five year plan,” he continues. “This will, no doubt, help to boost the number of engineers and scientists that India is increasingly well-known for producing.”

To read more, please visit: http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/india’s-clean-revolution-promises-employment-105-million-135

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According to EnergyHelpLine.com and other news outlets covering the latest doings of the renewable and alternative energy industries, Ian Byrne, the deputy director of the National Energy Foundation, has echoed numerous other studies, predictions, and experts by forecasting a rapid increase in the number of green jobs available.

Except in Byrne’s case, it’s not simply the number of green jobs that are growing, but the number of jobs with a “green element,” implying that as we move into the future, more and more traditional and conventional occupations will begin to incorporate aspects and facets of green technology—a good sign for both the green industries, which will flourish from this association, and for traditional industries, who will find that utilizing green energy technologies will save them money in the long run while simultaneously benefiting the local environment and the overall health of the planet.

“As environmental issues—especially measures to move to improve the take up of sustainable energy—become more mainstream, many jobs not previously though of as being ‘green’, such as plumbers, electricians and builders, are increasingly requiring more environmental skills,” Byrne is quoted by EnergyHelpLine.com as saying.

“Plumbers and heating engineers need to understand solar water heating, biomass such as wood pellets and ground source heat pumps systems,” he explained. “Builders have to learn about new ways of insulating properties and how to control ventilation in a manner that prevents both heat losses and condensation.”

According to EnergyHelpLine.com, Byrne’s comments were issued alongside energy secretary Chris Huhne’s announcement of plans to train apprentices in implementing energy-saving, and green technology, in consumer homes.

For more information, please visit: http://www.energyhelpline.com/fri/fri/domesticenergy/news/article/800448601

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According to green news source SFenvironment.org and United Press International, the government of the city of San Francisco has taken major steps in pushing its residents toward the reduction of their energy usage and the consumption of more renewable and alternative sources of energy.

United Press International reports that just this Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that will “improve energy efficiency in existing buildings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs and create green jobs.” The ordinance by the Board of Supervisors also apparently makes it a city standard that commercial buildings that inhabit over 10,000 square feet of space must hold audits every five years to determine their relative energy efficiency.

San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee expressed positive feelings over the Board of Supervisors’ ordinance. “San Francisco needs to increase the energy and resource efficiency of existing buildings if we are going to meet our aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets,” United Press International quotes Lee as saying. “This ordinance not only helps educate building owners about what they need to do to save energy and money, but it will also boost our local green jobs economy.”

Melanie Nutter, the director of San Francisco’s Environment Department, also stated that her department has learned that “up to 70 percent of businesses that have an audit will take action and conduct a retrofit,” according to coverage featured by United Press International.

For more information, please visit: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/02/10/San-Francisco-pushes-for-green-buildings/UPI-78421297390270/

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According to the online business journal for green industries SustainableBusiness.com, there may be a frequently overlooked category of sustainable and environmentally-friendly businesses that actually create a marked amount of green jobs and provide lasting employment to workers within the renewable and alternative energy industries. The article on SustainableBusiness.com cites a recent report released just this week by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) in conjunction with an institution referred to as the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP).

Coverage by SustainableBusiness.com indicates that the study issued to the public by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project claims that in 2010 alone, roughly 340,000 jobs were created through the enforcement of national appliance energy efficiency standards, which accounts for a total of 0.2 percent of the nation’s jobs. The study also foresees rapid growth for not only the energy standards industry but the clean energy industry as a whole, estimating that by 2030 the amount of clean energy jobs produced will rise to about 380,000, a number it equates to the amount of jobs in the state of Delaware currently.

Steven Nadel, the Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, shared positive sentiments regarding the study’s findings in a statement when it was released. “Our new study shows that cutting energy waste with strong appliance standards is a proven way to increase domestic jobs and strengthen the American economy for the future,” Nadel is quoted by SustainableBusiness.com as saying.

For more information, please visit the original coverage of the study at SustainableBusiness.com: http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/21781

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WOODY GUTHRIE – THE AUTHOR OF “THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND”

Throughout history, there have many well-known and famous songwriters and musicians.  In today’s society, it is rare to find an artist whose popularity lasts more than a few years.  If you want to look at possibly one of the best song writers and musicians in America’s history, you need to look no farther than Woody Guthrie.

Woody Guthrie was born as Woodrow Wilson Guthrie on July 14th 1912.  He was born in the state of Oklahoma and was named after the soon-to-be President of the United States Woodrow Wilson.  Unfortunately, his childhood was often marred by tragedies that included the death of his sister, multiple family fires, and having his mother committed to a home for the insane.  After moving to Texas and around the age of 18, he wasn’t fond of attending school.  It is often said that he would often be found instead learning music or reading at the local library.

It was in the 1930s when he left his family behind to travel, along with thousands of others, to the state of California in search of work.  If you were already aware, this was a difficult time for those relocating.  Despite the difficulties faced, it did provide Woody Guthrie with a source on inspiration for his music.

One of his first music jobs, acquired in the late 1930s, was working with a radio partner playing folk music.  Around this time he began to focus more on writing his own music.  Many of his songs were about protesting and they appeared on the popular Dust Bowl Ballads.  Around this time, Woody Guthrie often became known as a political musician, but that wasn’t his original intent.

Woody Guthrie’s popularity and success increased when he relocated to New York City in the 1940s.  It was here when he wrote “This Land Is Your Land.”  This song was, hands down, his most successful and well-known.  While most of us believe there is an environmental education theme in the mix, it is actually believed that Woody Guthrie wrote this song because he was frustrated with the constant overplaying on the radio of “God Bless America.”  So what did he do?  He penned “This Land Is Your Land.”

Woody Guthrie went on to write and sing many more songs over the years.  He died of Huntington’s disease in 1967.  Even years after his death, his “This Land Is Your Land” is played around the country in many schools, at public sporting events, and more.  Over the years, many musicians, such as Bob Dylan, have rerecorded the song, but there is nothing like the original.

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CELEBRATE!

Earth Day, celebrated on the 22^nd of April each year, is celebrated in many countries all over the world and was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. Earth Day is celebrated to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. Some of the best environmental schools offer courses to educate people on environmental pollution.

The idea of an Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years. Finally in November 1962, Senator Gaylord Nelson thought of an idea to put the environment in the political limelight once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national conservation tour. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963. The tour did not go according to plans but it was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day.

Ron Cobb designed the Earth Day symbol and was published on November 7, 1969 in the Los Angeles Free Press. The symbol is a combination of the letters “E” and “O” taken from the words “Environment” and “Organism,” respectively. Five months before Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, The New York Times published an article by Gladwin Hill on the astonishing proliferation of environmental events such as environmental pollution etc. It was obvious from the article that the Earth Day would eventually be a success.

22nd April 1970 marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Approximately 20 million Americans participated, with a goal of a healthy, clean environment. The number of people supporting the cause kept on increasing and in 2000, more than 5,000 environmental groups around the world were on board, reaching out to hundreds of millions of people in a record 184 countries. Earth Day 2007 was one of the largest Earth Days to date, with an estimated billion people participating in the activities in thousands of places like Philippines, Togo, Madrid, Spain, London and New York. Many cities extend the observance of Earth Day extends to an entire week, usually starting on April 16 and ending on Earth Day, April 22.

Some environmentalists have also become critical of the Earth Day. An editorial published in The Washington Times on the 5^th of May 2009 compared the Earth Day to Arbor Day, claiming that Arbor Day was a happy, non-political celebration of trees, whereas Earth Day was a pessimistic, political ideology that portrayed humans in a negative light.

Despite all that, Earth Day is celebrated each year whereby people, communities and groups hold short courses and workshops to enlighten the people with the threat posed by pollution. Many noted speakers gather together and conduct environmental trainings. They teach you about the environmental ethics, how to reduce pollution, etc.

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CELEBRATE!

John Muir with cane

John Muir, born on the 21^st of April 1838, was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of United States wilderness. He thought that nature was a primary source revealing the character of God. Apart from being an environmentalist, he was a traveler and a scientist. His books, letters and essays about nature have been read by millions. His activism helped to save the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States.

John Muir was born in Scotland was one of the eight children. His love affair with nature began while he was still young and some feels that it was a reaction to his strict religious upbringing. In 1849, Muir’s family migrated to the United States. At the age of 22, Muir enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, paying his own way for several years. In 1864 Muir left school to go to Canada. There he met his brother. A lot many people say that his trip to Canada was a journey to wilderness and to avoid military services. He fancied adventure jobs and was more inclined towards landscape jobs. Muir started working at the mill until it burnt down in March 1866, and returned to the United States to work as an industrial engineer in Indianapolis. In 1867 Muir started a journey on foot from Indiana and making his way through the wildest, leafiest and least trodden way reached New York and ultimately California. He recounted his trip in the book titled ‘A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf’ in which he also went on to talk about environmental products.

He was an explorer or nature. In 1868, Muir went to Yosemite where he designed a water-powered mill to cut wind-felled trees and

U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (left) and nature preservationist John Muir

he built a small cabin along Yosemite Creek and wrote about it in his book ‘First Summer in the Sierra’ published in 1911.  It also produced hydro energy and served as an alternate energy source. During these years in Yosemite, Muir was unmarried, often unemployed, with no prospects for a career, and had “periods of anguish”. He was greatly influenced by the work of naturalist author Ralph Waldo Emerson and his dream of meeting his idol came through when Emerson along with his academic friends came to Yosemite and in just a single day offered Muir a teaching post at Harvard which Muir declined. He was a great advocate of environmental jobs or environmental internships so that people work towards preserving the nature.

His life was marred by activism and controversies. Some of his greatest works include establishing Yosemite National Park that was modeled after the Yellowstone National Park. On 30 September 1890, the U.S. Congress passed a bill that essentially followed recommendations that Muir had suggested. Muir along with Professor Henry Senger and San Francisco attorney Warren Olney formed Sierra club in 1982 for mountain lovers. Muir was elected president of the club the same year, a post he held until his death 22 years later.

Muir was noted for being an ecological thinker, environmental writer, political spokesman, and religious prophet, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for countless individuals. In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to the preservation of the Western forests. He always saw nature as his home.      In his life, Muir published six volumes of writings, all describing explorations of natural settings. John Muir died in in Los Angeles on 24 December 1914 of pneumonia at age 76.

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