Two new reports show that green jobs could be the employment wave of the future in Michigan, and they're touting big numbers to support this claim.
These reports show that a $2.3 billion investment in alternative energy in Detroit would create 23,880 jobs. A similar investment of $4.8 billion in the state of Michigan would create 54,000 jobs. Those jobs would range from high-tech research positions to manufacturing jobs.
"That goes all the way to manufacturing the batteries of hybrid cars to making windmill parts and installing solar panels," says Roshani Dantas, a spokeswoman for the
Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice.
Those are the easy to name green jobs, but there are others that aren't so obvious. These positions include weatherizing homes to make them more energy efficient. Such jobs not only create the economic opportunity of new income but also help create energy cost savings that free up more money in the economy.
The reports were prepared by the
Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts,
Center for American Progress, Green For All and the
Natural Resources Defense Council.
Source: Roshani Dantas, spokeswoman for the Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice
Writer: Jon Zemke