Note: please note that this issue brief should (a) link back to the issue overview on this topic, (b) be focused either the local, state, national, or global level, and (c) be neutrally presented, based on facts, and include footnotes for each of the items.  See the Research Guide and Information Sources to assist you. 

Goal Statement

Green Jobs: The Key to Success in Maine

The topic of green jobs has exploded everywhere in the past few years, mainly because  a wide variety of environmentalists, businesses, labor groups, community organizations, social justice advocates, urban planners, government officials, and youth networks share a common goal in the creation of sustainable businesses and jobs. Several large-scale conferences hosted by organizations like Green for All have worked to unite these different people and agendas into a common effort. For instance, in 2008, Green for All hosted the “The Dream Reborn” conference which included workshops in such varied areas as environmental justice issues, hip-hop activism, green job training, and using organized labor to make the auto industry greener. Beyond the need for a greener economy, a commonly emerging theme in the proliferation of conferences, websites, and organizations devoted to green jobs have emphasized the need to get young people on board in the green jobs campaign, both for their own personal career development, as well as for the future of sustainable industries in the US.

Green jobs include any jobs in an environmental industry, such as alternative energy projects like wind and solar power, or energy conservation work, such as weatherization or retrofitting. The state of Maine likewise has several urgent needs and interests that intersect in the creation of green jobs, the most important of which are the conservation of energy and energy-related costs, the improvement of quality education for young people, and the growth of green industries; focusing resources on these areas will spark sustainable economic growth and provide jobs for skilled Maine youth entering the workforce.

Scope of the Problem  factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future

Maine's Environmental and Economic Challenges

In terms of environmental impact and energy use, 80% of Maine residents use fuel oil to heat their homes, in the oldest housing stock in the nation. Mainers have also historically had the highest output of automobile fossil fuels. Meanwhile, shortfalls in education and preparation for the workforce have had devastating economic impacts on the state. Maine’s median incomes are the lowest in New England, while Maine has the highest percentage in the country of youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who are neither working nor pursuing education. Opportunity Maine reports that 4,200 middle-skill jobs in the state went unfilled, as industries were forced to recruit from out of state to fill its positions.[1] Yet in terms of those young people who are gaining higher education and important work skills, most find it most feasible to seek higher skilled jobs out of state. Maine has plenty of potential to play host to a revolution in green industries, but so far it is having trouble attracting those industries to the state.

Challenges for Youth      

Yet despite all of these promising programs, there still remains much to be done to educate and prepare Maine youth. First of all, many of the young people who might be interested in green job opportunities live in rural places where it might be difficult to organize around green jobs. Furthermore, the state of Maine is facing major challenges to education. The Maine Center for Economic Policy reports that just over a quarter of people over the age of 25 hold bachelor’s degrees, while the average income difference between those with only high school diplomas and post-secondary education degree-holders is $12,500. Compared to the national level of improvement in the number of people with bachelor’s degrees, Maine has made very little progress (only a 4% increase since the 1990s.)[2] The Green Jobs, Green Savings initiative should be largely considered as an opportunity to create more programs and incentives for the state to invest more heavily in education programs that will meet the growing demands of a green job markets.

Past Policy  key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, etc.

• Green Jobs Act 2007 - Grants $500 million to states for green jobs training

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Grants $5 to Maine for Weatherization projects

Current Policy  summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding

Adding a great deal of hope to the situation is Opportunity Maine’s Green Jobs, Green Savings Bill, which, if approved in April, could significantly improve funding of such endeavors as retrofitting homes, improving education and training that will place youth in higher-paying green jobs, and incentivize more green industries to operate in Maine.[1] The bill would allocate grants to low income or laid-off people so that they could be trained for career-ladder type green jobs, as well as provide direct funding for people interesting in going through green jobs training programs. By raising energy efficiency standards (to increase efficiency by 30% by 2019,) and providing grants for residents or businesses to weatherize or retrofit their buildings, the bill would also heighten the demand for the green labor market.

There are several examples of innovative tactics from around the country that are being used to engage more youth in green jobs, as well as make green jobs more accessible to youth. For instance, New Mexico Youth Organized has developed a consistent group of youth volunteers who plant gardens and hold information sessions around their community concerning green jobs. The organization took a group of youth volunteers on a bus to visit different parts of the state and communicate with various communities about the importance of green jobs. Meanwhile, Alternative Environments and Communities (ACE) in Boston uses the Roxbury Environmental Education Program to engage youth in environmental justice awareness work around the city. By involving young people at the high school level in renewable energy and conservation issues, while also connecting them to apprenticeships or programs for further education, these organizations create far more pathways to green jobs for young people than by simply educating young people in a traditional top-down way.

Policy Options   

Educators and community organizers could also do more to engage Maine youth about green jobs. There are several examples of innovative tactics from around the country that are being used to engage more youth in green jobs, as well as make green jobs more accessible to youth. For instance, New Mexico Youth Organized has developed a consistent group of youth volunteers who plant gardens and hold information sessions around their community concerning green jobs. The organization took a group of youth volunteers on a bus to visit different parts of the state and communicate with various communities about the importance of green jobs. Meanwhile, Alternative Environments and Communities (ACE) in Boston uses the Roxbury Environmental Education Program to engage youth in environmental justice awareness work around the city. By involving young people at the high school level in renewable energy and conservation issues, while also connecting them to apprenticeships or programs for further education, these organizations create far more pathways to green jobs for young people than by simply educating young people in a traditional top-down way.

1.      Continue programs and policies that drive up the demand for green jobs and green industries.

2.      Utilize youth organize tactics to get youth not only trained in green job areas, but involved in the greater movement towards a sustainable green economy

3.      Increase funding  for Career and Technical Education Centers to continue their work providing training to young people, as well as retraining for people laid off from work

4.      Create a centralized network of industries and educators that can more easily connect youth with job shadowing or service learning opportunities in green jobs sector 

5.      Form partnerships with labor unions, community leaders, Maine youth groups, as well as national alliances like Apollo Alliance, who can provide resources to get more members of the state onboard for green jobs

Key Organizations/Individuals   contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals

• New Mexico Youth Organized nmyouthorganized.org/

• Alternative Communities and Environments (ACE) - Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Program (REEP) http://www.ace-ej.org/reep

• Chelsea Collaborative ECO

Glossary of Terms

• Green Jobs include any jobs in an environmental industry, such as alternative energy projects like wind and solar power, or energy conservation work, such as weatherization or retrofitting.

Bibliography   web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material 

• Allocation of Stimulus Funding to Maine: http://www.maine.gov/recovery/

• Brown, Robert and Clifford Ginn. Opportunity Maine. “A New Energy Initiative for Maine,” http://opportunitymaine.org/NewEnergyJobsExecutiveSummary.pdf, retrieved 11/25/2008.

• Green Jobs Act, as introduced in 2007: http://solis.house.gov/list/press/ca32_solis/wida6/greenjobscomm.shtml

• Mattera, Philip. Good Jobs First, “High Road or Low Road? Job Quality in the New Green Economy.” report by Good Jobs First, Feb. 3, 2009.

• Wise, Kurt and Alexis Mann. “Maximizing Maine’s Educational Investments, Optimizing Results.” Choices: Ideas for Shared Prosperity, Augusta, ME: Maine Center for Economic Policy. 12, February, 2009.