[This is an EXCERPT: read the whole article here. -Ed.]

by Eric Mortenson

"[Columbia Gorge Community College] is churning out technicians for the booming wind farms of the mid-Columbia. Having developed a curriculum that fits the wind power companies' needs, the college has placed 50 to 55 graduates who maintain the electronic and mechanical systems of the 400-foot-tall wind turbines that have sprouted in the rolling hills of north-central Oregon and across the river in Washington."

"It's an economic and environmental success story in an area hard-pressed for family-wage jobs, an example of "green collar" employment blossoming in reaction to high energy costs and concerns about global warming. And advocates say it shows sustainable technologies don't have to mean cutting back, but can mean growth instead."

"The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has seen the lighting on the wall as well. The union operates training centers in Portland and Tangent at which journeymen and apprentice electricians learn to place, wire, install and maintain solar panels. The panels, often mounted on rooftops, generate direct-current electricity that is converted to alternating current for home or office use or for distribution to the electrical grid."

"Those changes are producing nationwide ripples. In a June 2008 report titled 'Job Opportunities for the Green Economy,' researchers with the University of Massachusetts said fighting global warming and transforming the U.S. to a green economy is the 'a massive and defining challenge for our time.'"

"The reports predicts millions of jobs for electricians, engineers, welders and other technicians as the country retrofits buildings, builds mass transit systems, produces energy-efficient cars and develops alternative energy sources."

Photo credit: Tuey