If you are passionate about the environment and want to make a career out of it, there are lots of possibilities. The current administration has been investing in the growth of the green job industry over the past few years. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), included provisions for new jobs in industries such as energy, utilities, manufacturing and construction. Last March, President Obama appointed a Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Read the full story

Noreena Hertz, mentioned previously on Padosa.com, wrote a compelling editorial in the UK’s Guardian – The New Green Revolution. Worthy read – reminds me of Thomas Friedman’s call to action offered in Hot, Flat and Crowded as well as his other writing. Ms. Hertz offered this in advance of the Copenhagen meetings. Read the full story

I majored in economics in college, where I learned all about the beauty of free markets. As a management consultant for the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to work with small companies as they apply those lessons. Companies compete, grow, and evolve. Sometimes the growth comes at a (non-economic) cost but seemingly things improve. The mantra is always pure – let the company serve the shareholders, so they in turn can take care of the employees, the community, and the world around. It generally works, kind of, sort of. Productive employees (usually) benefit and capital moves throughout the economy. Read the full story

The idea behind what Terracycle is doing is quite brilliant – take items that no one wants, and make something with it that someone does want. This reuse is far better than recycling for the environment, and for the business, provides raw materials at very low costs.

Hearing about the story is one thing. Seeing it is even better. With apologies for the low production values, we have added some video to the site that shows how Terracycle does what they do. Check out the first video that will show you how worm poop gets turned into fertilizer. As Albe says, good for the environment, and fiscally responsible.

Can you get support within your business for sustainability initiatives? Tough going.

Can you get support for innovation efforts? Much easier.

Would it be easier to get support for your sustainability efforts if you told your manager that one of the leading business gurus said, in the most prestigious business journal, that “smart companies now treat sustainability as innovation’s new frontier”? Read the full story

An occupancy sensor was installed in the bathroom, which is several doors away from my office. Prior to the installation of the sensor, the light always got shut off after the bathroom was used. Now that the occupancy sensor is there, the light will frequently get left on. Drives me nuts! Read the full story

Lots of banter in the media on the Cap-and-Trade bill passed by the House. Opinions vary. Triplepundit posted an excellent opinion piece. My view of the bill is that it is far from perfect – plenty of flaws. But it is a place to start and I hope the Senate approves it. Once we get started hopefully businesses will support it, for the catalyst it provides to innovation. Read the full story

We are now ‘tweeting.’ Come follow us at @Padosa on Twitter for updates 140 characters at a time. There is a second reason to check Twitter out – to find other people like you. If you want to be found on Twitter by other readers of the site please put your Twitter username in the comments section below.

Thanks to Darren Rowse and his Photography Blog for the idea!

Thanks!

BusinessWeek had an excellent article on the benefits and challenges of greening a building. The article provides some payback data for some of the better upgrades – lighting, variable-speed drives, and upgraded windows. It also introduces one of the biggest challenges that building owners face in going green, particularly in multi-tenant buildings – there is not an alignment between who pays, and who benefits. A great article.