Behold the Green Collar Worker

I caught an interesting interview at the end of the Colbert Report on
Comedy Central last night involving
Stephen Colbert (the show’s host) and a gentleman named
Van Jones, co-Author of
Green for All.

Personally, I had never really heard of “green collar”, but with all of the hype around “being green” and green activism across the US these days, the concept doesn’t surprise me. The essential premise behind being a
green collar worker and green collar jobs has to do with occupations that support green industries. Essentially we are talking about work that involves installing solar panels, building windmill farms, brewing bio-fuels, weatherizing homes and other jobs that support the objective of having a cleaner and healthier environment that will expand entrepreneurial, wealth-building opportunities for American workers who need new avenues of economic advance.

While the concept isn’t new (the idea has been floating around for at least 2 years now), it certainly seems like something that we are sure to hear more about. The thing that I find compelling about green collar work is that it could serve as an effective substitute for employment to help those who may have been displaced as a result of manufacturing job loss or those who formerly worked in the new housing industry who have suddenly found themselves without work.

The interview video from last night’s episode of the Colbert Report: