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Are Green Jobs the Wave of the Future?
With the promise of environmentally-friendly technology innovations, integrators should look to green.
According to Ian Thomson, co-founder of CleanTechies.com, investors are “starting to hear President Obama about financial opportunities” pertaining to eco-friendly innovations.
With president-elect Obama planning to pull together "a more energy-efficient economy," CE pros should watch for new green opportunities for their businesses.
To help them, sites like CleanTechies offer "jobs and information for the CleanTech space." The site's job board contains postings for positions for everything from "retail sales representatives" to "project managers" and "electrical engineers."
Ian Thomson, managing director and co-founder of CleanTechies, started the site as an information hub for innovators of energy-related.
As a venture capital consultant, Thomson was finding that there were many green innovations in need of funding. "They had some real human capital issues," he says.
So, Thomson starting blogging about the needs and also about possible solutions. "I started regurgitating what I had been saying, putting it out there on the Internet."
Just four months up and running in full, CleanTechies is starting gain traction and was recently nominated for "Best Business Blog" by the Weblog Awards.
"I think what's happening is that people are asking, 'Is my industry going to be here for a while?' They're starting to hear President Obama about financial opportunities," he says.
Thomson says professionals and job seekers make up a lot the traffic on CleanTechies, but there are also consumers with a strong interest in green buildings. About 25 percent, he says, are already involved in the community.
The remainder, he speculates, are financial professionals and investors. "There are a lot of people in real estate looking," he adds.
Companies like Project Frog, designers and manufacturers of net zero energy efficient buildings, and SunRun Solar Service, residential solar power providers, are inspiring a lot of new ideas in Thomson's readership.
Those ideas could mean additional opportunities for integrators -- especially associated with lighting and HVAC systems.
The legislative developments to occur over the next several months will go a long way in determining government's role in subsidizing and/or supporting green technology growth.
Green building consultant Jerry Yudelson says green projects will benefit from the new Obama presidency, with a strong focus on jobs in energy, efficiency, new green technologies and renewable energy.
"What we're seeing is that more people are going green each year, and there is nothing on the horizon that will stop this trend."
To help them, sites like CleanTechies offer "jobs and information for the CleanTech space." The site's job board contains postings for positions for everything from "retail sales representatives" to "project managers" and "electrical engineers."
Ian Thomson, managing director and co-founder of CleanTechies, started the site as an information hub for innovators of energy-related.
As a venture capital consultant, Thomson was finding that there were many green innovations in need of funding. "They had some real human capital issues," he says.
So, Thomson starting blogging about the needs and also about possible solutions. "I started regurgitating what I had been saying, putting it out there on the Internet."
Just four months up and running in full, CleanTechies is starting gain traction and was recently nominated for "Best Business Blog" by the Weblog Awards.
"I think what's happening is that people are asking, 'Is my industry going to be here for a while?' They're starting to hear President Obama about financial opportunities," he says.
Thomson says professionals and job seekers make up a lot the traffic on CleanTechies, but there are also consumers with a strong interest in green buildings. About 25 percent, he says, are already involved in the community.
The remainder, he speculates, are financial professionals and investors. "There are a lot of people in real estate looking," he adds.
Energy-Saving Tech Requires Integrators
Companies like Project Frog, designers and manufacturers of net zero energy efficient buildings, and SunRun Solar Service, residential solar power providers, are inspiring a lot of new ideas in Thomson's readership.
Those ideas could mean additional opportunities for integrators -- especially associated with lighting and HVAC systems.
The legislative developments to occur over the next several months will go a long way in determining government's role in subsidizing and/or supporting green technology growth.
Green building consultant Jerry Yudelson says green projects will benefit from the new Obama presidency, with a strong focus on jobs in energy, efficiency, new green technologies and renewable energy.
"What we're seeing is that more people are going green each year, and there is nothing on the horizon that will stop this trend."
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About the Author
Geoffrey Oldmixon is a Massachusetts-based freelance writer and editor. He served as CE Pro's managing editor from 2007 to 2009.
2 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
Another mistake that is made by both the owners of the websites and the designers is that the URL is bought and paid for long before they realize that securing a domain name that is also your keyword phrase should be of the highest priority when considering how people will find you when they enter their search terms in one of the major search engines.north carolina web design
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It’s so obvious systems integrators should get into industries like solar energy that it’s hard to imagine they haven’t realized it yet. Solar is simple compared to what CEDIA guys do on even a basic install, not to mention that custom integrators have the opportunity to talk to prospective buyer at the ideal time: when the house and its features are in the development stage. Unlike CE products solar has huge resale value, the current market is receptive to the message, and the government is supporting, even assisting, the integration of green products. Dealers in areas that have wind would be surprised at how cheap wind power is to install compared to many CE installs. This is a natural fit for CEDIA installers—I’m surprised they didn’t see it 3 years ago, but it’s not too late. If you’re unsure, partner with an alternative energy company in your area and send him referrals; either way it seems there’s money to be made and in this economy we need to get it where ever we can.