All of a sudden “green jobs” have become the rallying cry for those concerned
about the world’s ecological and economic health as the savior that will replace
the jobs lost during this period of change in the world’s economy while
simultaneously fixing the climate change problem. Activists, politicians,
educators, venture capitalists, union leaders, corporate CEOs and the media
alike are singing the green jobs tune with fervor. (And yes, they’re in this
magazine too, as the topic for our Ask Natural Life column.) Unfortunately, the
term – like its companion “green economy”
– has no formal definition. The
stereotypes involve renewable energy, organics and the like. But what about the
driver of the conventional diesel truck that delivers wind turbine components
from one factory to another: Is her job green? Or what about the steelworker who
helps manufacturer one of the main component materials of a wind turbine? Is his
job green?
The United Nations Environment Program defines green jobs as “work in
agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and
service activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring
environmental quality. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs
that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials and
water consumption through high-efficiency strategies; de-carbonize the economy;
and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and
pollution.”
But I think that definition is lacking in vision and provides fodder for greenwashing, which can lead to public skepticism and eventual irrelevance. The
goal must be to make every job green, since each and every one of us has a
personal responsibility to preserve and regenerate the Earth, no matter what our
job description. Further, the definition of a green job must encompass not only
environmental issues but social justice, human rights, professional ethics and
cultural diversity. In short, we need to accompany the environmental
responsibility that is inherent in the concept of “sustainability” with ethical
responsibility.
The idea of sustainability was put onto the public agenda when the United
Nation’s Brundtland Commission published its report Our Common Future in 1987.
It defined sustainable development as meeting “the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” As much
as there seemed to be international buy-in to the desire to grow without
damaging future generations’ prospects, economic sustainability was not part of
the equation. Fortunately, the interconnectedness of social, environmental and
economic spheres was recognized as the “triple bottom line” in the late 1990s by
author and corporate responsibility guru John Elkington. He realized that
business goals are inseparable from the societies and environments within which
they operate, and that a failure to account for social and environmental impacts
makes economic gain unsustainable and vice versa. The UN has now embraced
“people, planet, profit” and that philosophy has become the dominant approach to full-cost
accounting.
All of that has remained the domain of academics, environmental organizations and
the odd entrepreneur interested in something called “Corporate Social
Responsibility.” A few educational institutions began teaching the triple bottom
line and exploring the need for environmental and economic transparency.
Nevertheless,
preparing oneself for a green job seems to be as difficult these days as finding
one. A recent article in The
New York Times highlighted a concern among employers and
job recruiters that business schools are turning out graduates with a limited
understanding of ethical and social considerations, let alone environmental
ones.
But, today, we find ourselves having hit the ecological, economic and ethical
walls all at the same time. And that has got our attention. It remains to be
seen how we will work ourselves out of the mess, how many green jobs will be
created and how people will train for them. But I do know that more people than
ever before have a sense of the impact their actions have on the world. So I
continue to have hope for a sustainable future – where capitalism and
consumerism do not cause human suffering, and where individuals take
responsibility for discontinuing and cleaning up environmental and economic
devastation.
Natural Life Editor
Wendy Priesnitz
Read Wendy Priesnitz's
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