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Green Collar Jobs Bring Hope to Neglected Communities "Green collar jobs" is not a term with which Damon Carter was familiar. In fact, he spent years working minimum wage jobs near his home in a neglected Chicago neighborhood. But now he’s steadily employed and receives good pay and benefits in this rapidly growing industry. Damon is a head driller for Indie Energy, a company that designs and builds environmentally-friendly, renewable energy systems throughout the Chicago region. He secured this job by enrolling in a community workforce training program funded in part by Indie Energy. ShoreBank recently loaned Indie Energy enough funds to buy a cleaner, more efficient geothermal rig that will allow them to expand their business, hire two to three more workers, and continue to help fund the community workforce training program. "We are proud to work with Indie Energy because they are not only reducing pollution and energy consumption, but also helping to create new job opportunities," said Kaushik Shah, Vice President of ShoreBank. As energy costs and environmental concerns continue to loom large for consumers, new companies are introducing innovative solutions that reduce carbon emissions and energy spending. Indie Energy is saving their customers up to 70% on their energy costs and in many cases that’s a savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars. By funding necessary job training, they are building their workforce too. "We are so pleased to be able to help train and employ Damon and other hard working individuals who have had difficulty finding steady employment. It’s our mission to help build a green economy strong enough to lift people up," said Janan Asfour of Indie Energy. According to a 2006 study by Management Information Systems, the green collar industry comprises 5.3 million jobs, and supports a $341 billion economy, and these figures are only projected to increase. Green jobs like those offered at Indie Energy are also local jobs, meaning money stays in the community since these jobs cannot be shipped offshore. "We feel strongly about boosting communities in need of jobs, specifically for those who were unemployable in the white and blue collar economies," added Asfour. "We believe that the green technology industry is a key component of the future of America’s economy. A commitment like ours to workforce development will help keep America globally competitive."
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