Defining the elusive term “green jobs” has become an art form. Any job could be stretched and conveniently labeled as green. While there are a variety of jobs and careers that are green, we need to identify what is green—what green jobs exist or have potential to grow in the region and the impact they will have on our economy. That’s why Capital Area Michigan Works! and Lansing Economic Area Partnership (Leap, Inc.) came together to create “Shades of Green,” a report focused specifically on green jobs in Greater Lansing.

First, what is green and what does the term apply to? Based on a statewide survey of employers earlier in 2009, the term green is concerned with the following: energy, environment, construction and transportation. Green jobs include primary occupations engaged in the production of green-related products or services and support jobs created by green-related revenue.

The capital area’s green economy supports 4,500 jobs, accounting for three percent of wage and salary jobs in the region in 2008. Five hundred of those are support jobs which cover a wide range of employment in companies directly involved with the green economy.  These jobs range in sectors such as manufacturing, professional, construction and technical services and utilities. Most of these are not newly created occupations, but existing jobs that have been retooled to fit with the green economy.

According to the report, green workers are in high-paying industries and occupations. These workers are in the manufacturing, construction and utilities industries, which traditionally are higher paying sectors.

However, two-thirds of green workers need some sort of formal or informal training.

In our backyard, colleges and universities are implementing green degree programs. Lansing Community College is one of the first colleges in the nation to incorporate alternative energy into its curricula and offer an associate’s degree in alternative energy technology.

Michigan State University’s department of horticulture has been conducting a green roof research program, where they grow plants on rooftops, thus replacing the vegetated footprint that was destroyed when the building was constructed.

In addition to the various green programs MSU offers and researches, the university has launched a campaign, “Be Spartan Green,” urging students and faculty members to be proactive in environmental stewardship. With its new $13.3 million recycling and reuse facility, MSU has been propelled to the top of the list of green universities.

Local companies are diversifying and creating green materials. ETM Enterprises, Inc. of Grand Ledge makes parts for wind turbines for Siemens AG, one of the world’s largest makers of wind turbines. KTM Industries manufactures bio-based and biodegradable packaging foam for companies nationwide.

The capital area has more to boast than just creating green materials or offering green services. Local companies have incorporated green techniques and strategies into their business. Some companies have even gone to great lengths to build highly efficient, energy-saving buildings. One example is local construction management company The Christman Company, whose headquarters in Downtown Lansing is the first in the world to receive two platinum certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) program.

With gas prices on the rise again, the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) has become integral to the community as a means of transportation. CATA was the first transit system in Michigan to add full-size hybrid diesel electric buses to their fleet. Today, they feature ten hybrid buses.

Having only touched on a few of the businesses and organizations that contribute to the capital area’s green economy, it is apparent that the region currently possesses a significant green economy, with potential for much more growth.

The new IBM Center and F-RIB create opportunities to showcase the region as a center of innovation, entrepreneurship and the green economy. The newly formed Bio-Manufacturing Alliance of Mid-Michigan will help additional companies identify opportunities that will advance the development of bio-products and biomanufacturing in the region. Mandates and regulations in fuel efficiency standards and renewable portfolio standards will speed innovations in the region. Even being the seat of the state capital will aid the economic transformation, with the state and federal governments’ huge roles in energy and the environment.

It may be a new sector, and a highly overused buzzword, but ultimately, green already is playing a role in the region’s economic conversion.  Only time will tell us how big a role it will ultimately play.

For a copy of the “Shades of Green” report, visit www.camw.org and click on documents.

		Douglas E. Stites is the chief executive officer of Capital Area Michigan Works!, a network of resources that partners with businesses to develop recruiting, retention strategies and that partners with job seekers to enhance education and career opportunities.