Abstracts
Since a green economy is emerging, its structure, nature, and scope are malleable, offering an opportunity to improve the nature of work while also improving sustainability. This chapter reports on a case study of two green jobs training programs, one in Vermont and one in Pacific Northwest, to determine their effects on job creation and labor market functioning. The study showed that green jobs can both improve the environment and close the equity gap if policy makers leverage market dynamics and public investments to move green employers to adopt a work system based on high quality and skill standards. Results highlighted the need to bring efforts to scale, respect local conditions and relationships, be responsive to industry and worker needs, and develop new methods to synchronize labor market supply and demand.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsFurther Reading
In addition to the resources listed in the reference list, the following readings are suggested for those who seek to develop a deeper understanding of a sustainable economy and the green jobs labor market.
Basol, O. 2014. Classic or Modern: Enhancement Of Job Satisfaction Scale for Green Job Workers. Management 11 (2): 103–122.
Bowen, K., and K. Kuralbayeva. 2015. Looking for Green Jobs: The Impact of Growth on Employment. Seoul: Global Green Growth Institute.
Brown, M. 2015. Developing and Using Green Skills for the Transition to a Low Carbon Economy. Australian Journal of Adult Learning 55 (2): 182–203.
Consili, D., G. Marin, Z. Marzucchi, and F. Vona. 2016. Do Green Jobs Differ from Non-green in Terms of Skill and Human Capital? Research Policy 45 (5): 1046–1060.
Hess, D.J. 2012. Good Green Jobs in a Global Economy: Making and Keeping New Industries in the United States. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Leszczynska, A. 2016. Conceptualization of Green Human Resource Management. In 16th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development—“The Legal Challenges of Modern World” Book of Proceedings, ed. Z. Primorac, C. Bussoli, and N. Recker, 431–441. Koprivnica: Varazdin Development and Entrepreneurship Agency.
Scully-Russ, E. 2012. Human Resource Development and Sustainability: Beyond Sustainable Organizations. Human Resource Development International 15 (4): 399–415.
Strietska-Ilina, O., C. Hofmann, M.D. Haro, and S. Jeon. 2012. Skills for Green Jobs: A Global View. Geneva: International Labour Organisation.
US Government Accountability Office. 2013. Employment and Training: Labor’s Green Jobs Efforts Highlight Challenges of Targeted Training Programs for Emerging Industries [Report to Congressional Requesters]. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Accountability Office. Available at: <https://www.gao.gov/assets/660/655331.pdf>
References
Appelbaum, E. 2012. Reducing Inequality and Insecurity: Rethinking Labor and Economic Policy for the 21st Century. Work and Occupations 39 (4): 311–320.
Cleantech Group, LLC. 2009. Clean Technology Venture Investment Falls to $1 billion in 1Q09. Press release.
Conway, M., and R.P. Giloth. 2014. Connecting People to Work: Workforce Intermediaries and Sector Strategies. Aspen: Aspen Institute.
Curson, J.A., M.E. Dell, R.A. Wilson, D.L. Bosworth, and B. Balduf. 2010. Who Does Workforce Planning Well? Workforce Review Team Rapid Review Summary. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance 23 (1): 1–9.
Ehresman, T., and C. Okereke. 2015. Environmental Justice and Conceptions of the Green Economy. International Environmental Agreements 15: 13–27.
Goerner, S.J., R.G. Dyck, and D. Langerroos. 2008. The New Science of Sustainability: Building a Foundation for Great Change. Chapel Hill: Triangle Center for Complex Systems.
Hartman, C., and G.D. Squires, eds. 2006. Pre and Post Katrina. There Is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class and Hurricane Katrina. New York: Routledge.
Jones, V. 2008. The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. New York: Harper One.
Kelleberg, A.L. 2011. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs: The Rise of Polarized and Precarious Employment Systems in the United States 1970s to 2000s. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Korten, D.C. 2001. When Corporations Ruled the World. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Lipfert, F.W. 2004. Air Pollution and Poverty: Does the Sword Cut Both Ways? Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 58 (1): 2–3.
Marshall, R., and H.A. Plotkin. 2010. Creating a 21st Century Workforce Development System. In Transforming the US workforce Development System: Lessons From Research and Practice, ed. D. Finegold, M. Gatta, and S. Schurman, 285–314. Champaign: Labor and Employment Relations Association.
Pachauri, R.K., M.R. Allen, V.R. Barros, J. Broome, W. Cramer, and R. Christ. 2014. Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contributions of Working Groups I, II, and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Pew Charitable Trusts. 2009. The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America. Washington DC: Pew Charitable Trusts.
Pinderhughes, R.R. 2007. Green Collar Jobs: An Analysis of the Capacity of Green Businesses to Provide High Quality Jobs for Men and Women with Barriers to Employment. Berkeley: City of Berkeley Office of Energy and Sustainable Development.
Pittman, P., and E. Scully-Russ. 2016. Workforce Planning and Development in Times of Delivery Systems Transformation. Human Resources for Health 14 (56): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-016-0154-3.
Renner, M., S. Sweeney, and J. Kubit. 2008. Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-carbon World. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme.
Schmid, G. 2006. Social Risk Management Through Transitional Labor Markets. Socio-Economic Review 4 (1): 1–33.
Smit, S., and J. Musango. 2015. Exploring Connections Between the Green Economy and Informal Economy in South Africa. South African Journal of Science 11 (12): 151–161.
Speth, J.G. 2010. Towards a New Economy and a New Politics. Solutions 1 (5): 33–41.
Stone, J.R. 2010. It Isn’t Easy Being Green, or Is It? Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers 85 (3): 42–45.
Vermont Environmental Consortium. 2009. Vermont’s Environmental Sector: Identifying Green Workforce Training Needs and Opportunities. Norwich: Vermont Environmental Consortium and Yellow Wood Associates.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Scully-Russ, E. (2018). The Dual Promise of Green Jobs: Sustainability and Economic Equity. In: Brinkmann, R., Garren, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71389-2_27
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71389-2_27
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71388-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71389-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)