Looking ahead: Green business in 2010
By Melissa Hincha-Ownby
As 2009 comes to a close, I want to take a minute and look ahead at how green business can grow and prosper in 2010.
With the Copenhagen Climate Summit monopolizing much of the recent eco news coverage, it is hard to not to be down about the environmental future of the world. However, I don’t think everything always needs to be doom and gloom. Sure, we are in an environmental crisis right now and we absolutely have to act to stave off future catastrophe, but 2009 saw a lot of growth on the green business front and I am optimistic at how 2010 will pan out.
Green Jobs I’ve already proclaimed 2009 to be the Year of the Green Job. Of course I don’t have the power to make an official mandate but in my opinion, green jobs went from being a topic discussed by environmental advocates to a topic being discussed by anyone, anywhere over the course of the year. This warrants a personal proclamation.
I even heard green jobs being discussed while waiting to pick up my children from school. I don’t live in an area known for its great environmental programs and I’m quite certain that my neighbors don’t consider the environmental impact of everything they do, but they were talking about green jobs.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is responsible for funding the Green Jobs Act of 2007. In my opinion, this funding along with additional monies set aside for green jobs by the ARRA, is responsible for most of the interest in the industry. These grants and loans will continue to fund projects well into 2010.
Even after the ARRA money allocated to green jobs is depleted, the country will still benefit. The training that these workers received and the fact that green jobs are now a household conversation topic will continue to support the green jobs movement for years to come. Read more…
Categories: Cap and Trade, Green Building, Green Business, Green Finance, Green Jobs, Green Office Tags: Cap and Trade, Green Building, Green Business, Green Finance, Green Jobs, Green Office
