The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is allocating $600 million of the $60 billion effort towards green job training programs; $100 million to expand line worker training programs and $500 million for green workforce training, according to the White House. President Obama supports the spending of $150 billion over 10 years to create 5 million new green-collar jobs by 2038. If his plain is successful, these new green jobs will spill over into both the blue and white collar sectors, and many kids today will be able to help cut energy costs and create renewable energy, as plumbers, electricians, construction workers and solar and wind energy engineers, as well as environmental lawyers and business owners. Researchers predict that the 8.5 million jobs available now in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries will rise to 40 million, or 1 in 4 Americans, by 2030.

So, according to these numbers, it seems like green is on its way to becoming the new blue and the new white.

The challenge is to make sure these new green jobs are quality jobs. The hope is that green jobs will help bail out the economy today, and help maintain a stable economy for our kids in the future, but there are some challenges. Not all jobs fall under what one would consider a white collar job. Low pay is common in jobs at recycling processing plants, wind and solar manufacturing facilities, carpenters and laborers, many of whom make below today's poverty level. So it's not enough for the government to just make these jobs available; they need to provide economic security and stability as well.

Treehugger posted a list of "seven jobs that will make you rich." The top positions are as a venture capitalist ($300-$400,000); a CEO of a green company ($330,000+); the VP of a green company ($195,000+); an environmental manager ($65-97,000); an investment advisor or analyst ($89-$131,000); an international politician ($51,000); or as part of the Cleantech sector (electrician, operations manager ($44-50,000). Green jobs are not unlike typical money-making professions in that they require the same skills and knowledge, but with an added interest in energy efficiency and environmental quality. The key is for the government to help maintain public interest in energy and the environment, so that kids today understand how green jobs can improve the economy and the environment.

A CNN commentary by policy analyst Samuel Sherraden today suggests that the green sector of the economy is currently not strong enough to help lift the U.S. out of its miserable economic state, and that Obama shouldn't rely so heavily on it as the solution to the recession. He says that the government should invest less money into the green sector and more into areas that are more likely to boost the economy:

"Money spent on infrastructure, more aid to state governments and boosting exports by cutting corporate taxes would do more to help our economy recover than pouring money into a relatively small number of green jobs."

Sooo, is that $150 billion plan just a waste of time and money?

At the risk of raining on the green parade, Sherraden does have a point. The government's green efforts will of course benefit the environment, but in terms of rescuing the economy - doubtful, don't you think? The Global Insight study that Sherraden quotes states that "the total of all green jobs in the United States equals half of one percent of total employment (about 750,000 jobs)." So if the government's $150 billion plan succeeds and creates 4 million (or 5 million, as it has been noted in other reports), AT BEST, the green sector would make up roughly 3 percent of total employment - and that's over the span of the next 20 years or so. How is that going to help our economy RIGHT NOW?

Meet Van Jones, the president's self-proclaimed "green-jobs handyman." As a special adviser to Obama for green jobs, he helps coordinate the government's efforts to create these jobs for Americans. Jones says he "got tired of seeing young people without any hope. I wanted them to have a better future. I said, 'Why don't we get these young people trained in green jobs so they can be a part of all these companies that are getting started?' My job is to make sure that the president's desire that we have literally millions of green jobs in our country actually turns into reality." 

In response to critics' concerns that most of the new green jobs will be low-level and low-oaying, Jones replies that the green sector is a "growing part of our economy" and that low-paid workers will soon have the opportunity to fill higher-paying positions like managers or investors. Is his answer convincing?

His answer - that "You take somebody and maybe this summer they're putting up solar panels. Well guess what, this is a growing part of our economy -- the next summer they can be a manager, the next summer, maybe they can be an owner, an investor, an inventor" - was not the best example to give of a realistic climb to the top. I mean, I get his point - that there are a variety of jobs, many of them profitable, within the green sector - but that doesn't mean that an entry-level person will necessarily be making big bucks within a couple of years. Am I being too pessimistic? I'm just saying that some skepticism is warranted for the resulting effect these new jobs will have on the economy.

I wouldn't say replace but I think the green tech economy is an attractive area for job growth, especially with the government encouraging its development. According to the  Pew Charitable Trusts, "America’s clean energy economy has grown despite a lack of sustained government support in the past decade. By 2007, more than 68,200 businesses across all 50 states and the District of Columbia accounted for about 770,000 jobs."

Of course, these statistics were PRIOR to the recession but still -- it's a growing field. California and Texas ranked #1 and #2 for the growing number of clean-energy jobs -- states that are seeing dire unemployment right now.

If this is any indication of where the job market is heading, universities are certainly taking notice and responding to environmental concerns. I just hope a degree in "sustainability" makes you more marketable than one in "Peace Studies." I think a convergence of the idealistic and the practical (through dual degrees, for example) is a promising option. U Penn has a new program that lets students earn an MBA and a master's in environmental studies at the same time.

And, lest the students in these environmental studies programs fret (like everyone else) about finding a job after they graduate, check out this story: Did you know that the wind industry now employs more people in the U.S. than the coal mining industry? The number of wind industry jobs rose 70% last year (!) to 85,000, vs. the 81,000 jobs available to coal miners. Here are some emerging wind energy jobs that seek knowledge in a variety of subjects, including mechanical engineering, physics, meteorology, etc.