Green Collar Jobs

By Alan Durning

“In this eloquent little book, Durning brings to life tales of the misdirected struggle between environmentalists and chambers of commerce.” – Yes: A Journal of Positive Futures

The typical job in the Pacific Northwest is gentler to nature than at any time in decades, thanks to the region’s swift uncoupling from timber, mining, and other resource industries. But while jobs are greener, this new economy has a dark side: the gap between rich and poor has widened, and rising consumption is eroding the region’s environmental gains. From Ketchikan, AK to Bend, OR to Boonville, CA, the question resonates: If we do what’s right for the environment, what is everyone going to do for a living? Green-Collar Jobs takes a close look at timber towns in the Northwest–ground zero in the perceived battle between jobs and the environment.

This book is available for purchase from Amazon.

Alan Durning is executive director of Sightline.

**update: The term “green-collar jobs,” which got its start with this little book, is now enjoying new popularity as a buzzword on the presidential campaign trail and with “green jobs” leader Van Jones. Read about it here. Also read Sightline’s primer on how to grow a green-collar workforce: Green-Collar Jobs: Realizing the Promise.