“Green Is The New Blue”: What The Future Of America’s Blue-Collared Worker Really Looks Like

A lot has been written about the plight of the blue-collar worker. Replaced by forces of globalization and technology, they’ve been depicted over the last decade as largely out of work and facing an unsure, even catastrophic future.

The truth, however, is that the future for American blue-collar workers is teeming with a new kind of opportunity defined by jobs more aptly categorized as “green-collar” instead of blue.

That’s because as America invests more and more into renewable energy initiatives, new kinds of infrastructure jobs will become not only available, but incredibly important to fill. From weathering homes to installing wind turbines, there’s plenty that will need to be done. And just the energy behind the Green New Deal is forcing more deployment of this sort of infrastructure in a way we haven’t seen before.

In fact, this shift is already happening.

Over the course of 2016, for example, the U.S. solar workforce increased by 25%.

The wind energy industry, meanwhile, grew its workforce by 32%.

And according to the U.S. Department of Energy, while the number of workers employed by the coal industry continues to decline, solar now accounts for the largest proportion of employers in the entire Electric Power Generation sector. Of the 6.4 million Americans that work in the traditional Electricity and Efficiency sectors, almost half work in the low carbon and efficiency sectors.

This is a good thing not only for American workers on account of ever-increasing opportunity, but also for the country as a whole.

Here’s why.

1) “Green” work is work people can be proud of.

The disaffection of America’s working class can be traced directly back to the erosion — which started decades ago — not just of job opportunities in general, but of job opportunities that were meaningful and reliable.

It used to be that blue-collar American workers could find work they loved — working with their hands and putting in hard “man hours” — that also came with benefits and a pension.

But those days are long gone, and for some time now, many former blue-collar workers have felt like the only “opportunities” available to them are mind-numbing, unreliable jobs that entail working in call centers for an hourly wage without benefits, for example. In fact, even with an economy at full employment, many blue-collar workers are not working full-time jobs because they would rather not work than work in these service sector jobs.

An important asset of the jobs created by initiatives like the Green New Deal, then, is that they promise the return of gratifying, meaningful work.

The vast majority of new green-collar jobs will be in construction. They’ll entail putting on a tool belt every day, creating things that make the world a better place. And that rejuvenation of pride is important; it will help spur the excitement needed to lend the proliferation of these jobs the momentum they need — which, in turn, will create more opportunity.

2) While most green technologies were invented in the U.S., we’ve been the slowest to deploy them — until now.

Understanding that more green jobs pose myriad benefits for the American worker — by way of reinvigorated pride and purpose in addition to economic security — it’s critical to note that investment in green technology at the national level will return something essential to our country, too. Namely, it will reinforce the idea that America really can do big things again.

For too long, while America has been a leader in inventing new energy technology, we haven’t taken the charge in actually deploying it. As a result, we’ve lost a sort of essential belief in ourselves that we can rise to the occasion. Now, we think, sure, we can invent cool things, but the best we can do is license that technology or deploy it in Germany, Japan, or China.

Part of that is a product of increased political polarization, which has risen to such a tumultuous level that even the installation of LED lights — which would save money and energy for everyone — has become a topic of controversy.

Yet it’s incumbent upon our government to put American ingenuity back to work. The push for green-collar jobs — while of course is not without controversy itself — has been, and will continue to be, our most powerful means of doing exactly that.

To continue this momentum, though, we all need to push our local representatives and business leaders to commit.

Here’s the truth: America’s economic and infrastructural future should be founded upon an appreciation for the importance of clean energy. It should look green. And while we’ve made important strides to that end — if you look all around, our progress is evident — the fight isn’t over.

In fact, all of us who want a better future for this country and the workers who comprise it can’t give up. We have to do the good old-fashioned political work. This does not mean clogging up the phone lines of your local Congressman or Senator. This is about calling your high school friend who is now on the school board or your softball teammate that now is the Mayor of your town. You should insist that the decision makers in your sphere of influence move faster to save money. They should push for green jobs in their district; mandate installation of LED light bulbs; sign a long-term contract for low-cost renewable energy.

Right now, the United States deploys about $200 billion worth of green energy work per year. For some perspective, that economic output needs to exceed $1 trillion if we’re going to meet expectations set by the scientists for carbon reduction. We need to employ five times more green-collar workers. We need to issue trillions of dollars worth of infrastructure contracts.

That will not happen on its own. Citizens need to demand it — not only of our politicians, but of our largest private manufacturers and of ourselves.

Which truthfully shouldn’t be too hard. It’s in our best interest to do so. It’s in the best interest of our country’s working class, and it’s in the best interest of our country as a whole. We know what the future of a green economy could look like. Now it’s time for us to forge it into fruition.