Green-Collar Jobs?

Yesterday's metro section of the Washington Post featured an article about how Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine is urging a major expansion of environmentally oriented jobs. Part of U.S. President-Elect Obama's economic recovery plan includes an emphasis on employment in the so-called "green sector." Yesterday, the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, announced his plans to create 400,000 new jobs—in small business, capital investment projects, and as part of the green economy—over the next six years.

So, there's an awful lot of important people putting a lot of expectations into the little-known green sector. Is this a legitimate strategy, or is it wishful thinking? What must U.S. lawmakers consider as they work to tie economic recovery and green?

—Jennifer Proctor, Editor-in-Chief, APICS magazine

Yesterday's metro section of the Washington Post featured an article about how Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine is urging a major expansion of environmentally oriented jobs. Part of U.S. President-Elect Obama's economic recovery plan includes an emphasis on employment in the so-called "green sector." Yesterday, the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, announced his plans to create 400,000 new jobs—in small business, capital investment projects, and as part of the green economy—over the next six years.

So, there's an awful lot of important people putting a lot of expectations into the little-known green sector. Is this a legitimate strategy, or is it wishful thinking? What must U.S. lawmakers consider as they work to tie economic recovery and green?

—Jennifer Proctor, Editor-in-Chief, APICS magazine