KEITH BROOKS'S BLOG

I’ve been at CanSIA’s Solar Canada conference the past two days. I quite enjoyed it, so much so that I want to share some of the key themes I heard while there.

Here goes:

I've been an environmentalist for quite some time. Not surprisingly, my environmentalism has matured over the years in tandem with, or perhaps as a result of, some developments in the broader environmental movement.

A strange article appeared in the Vancouver Sun recently. I say strange because the article was based on a paper issued by the progressive think-tank, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, but at first glance, it appeared to be arguing that claims that green energy can create good jobs are overblown.

Readers of the Globe and Mail no doubt noticed Margaret Wente’s column of last week which argued that most green-jobs schemes are failures. To be sure, she has cobbled together a list of facts and examples that support her position. However, these facts are not representative of the bigger picture. Rather, they are the exceptions to the rule and, contrary to Ms. Wente’s assertion, green jobs have been created the world over.

Here at Blue Green Canada, we spend a lot of our time monitoring the growth of the green economy and tracking green jobs. One of the things we've realized is that it's not a simple task.

(cross posted from Huffpost Canada)

If you read the Globe and Mail yesterday morning, you may have come across an article that argues that green jobs are shrewd PR, but poor economics.

Ontarians received some good news today: If we continue with the policies already in place, wind power will create tens of thousands of jobs, clean our air, provide a source of revenue for farmers and other landowners, generate millions of dollars in municipal tax revenues, and serve as a boon to Ontario businesses.

Specifically, a report released today shows that if the Ontario government sticks with its Long Term Energy Plan and the Green Energy Act:

Have no doubt; Ontario’s commitment to the green economy has successfully created jobs.

Over 20 firms are currently manufacturing solar components in Ontario and 20 more have announced their intention to build facilities in the province, which is having a positive effect all the way up the supply chain, in areas such as hardware and metal products. There are also jobs in construction, installation, sales, and more.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hearing the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, speak about UNEP’s groundbreaking report: Towards A Green Economy.

I particularly liked Steiner’s framing of the economic environment we now find ourselves in.

I was on a panel at the Green Living Show this past weekend as part of the Green Jobs Forum. It was a great event, and indicative of the growing recognition that being green isn’t just about what we buy, or even what we don’t buy – it’s also about the things we make and the work we do.