Green Technology Home

By Racquel Palmese

Illustrating the breadth and scope of clean tech companies in California, a newly updated map from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) contains 3,500 green businesses, academic institutions and organizations throughout California.

When the map is paired with a recent report from the California Employment Development Department showing nearly 500,000 jobs in the state’s clean tech sector, a picture emerges of a vibrant and growing green economy.

The EDD report is the first-ever tally of green jobs in California and contains information from 15,000 employers. EDD developed a “GREEN” model to determine its scope of green jobs, the acronym evolving from five main categories of clean tech companies: Generating and storing renewable energy; Recycling existing materials; Energy efficient product manufacturing, distribution, construction, installation, and maintenance; Education, compliance, and awareness and Natural and sustainable product manufacturing.

Of the top employers, 25 percent are in recycling, 24 percent are in energy efficiency and 22 percent are in sustainable products. Manufacturing and construction industries have the most green jobs – a bright spot in a struggling construction industry.

The regional leader in green jobs is Southern California, accounting for nearly half of green employment, followed by the San Francisco area. According to the report, 75 percent of the companies train their own employees for new green jobs. Other types of training programs, including those at community colleges, account for the rest.

A Searchable Database of the Green Economy

EDF's groundbreaking green economy map is a searchable database of clean tech entities throughout the state that allows users to search by county, state legislative district and industry sector. Confirming the EDD green employment figures, the EDF map shows that Southern California has the highest concentration of clean tech companies, with 489 in Los Angeles and 275 in Orange. Santa Clara is the runner up with 265 green workplaces. The EDF research is also broken down into five key sectors: low-carbon energy, energy efficiency, transportation, green buildings and carbon markets. Examples of business types in the green practices listing include: hospitality, food services, printing and media, vehicle repair and business services.

The mapping tool is the largest free listing of green companies, but Derek Walker, EDF’s state climate director, is careful to point out that it does not include all green businesses in the state. “This is the tip of the iceberg,” he said, “but it is a pretty good reflection in certain categories. There are lots of green building professionals who are individual operators, or who own small, two or three-person companies, who are hard to find. There are no publicly available databases of these entrepreneurs, but we hope to link up with organizations that could provide us listings.” The map features an online form that non-listed companies and work places can use to submit their information for review and inclusion.

Solving the Puzzle

Definitions of the clean tech sector are expanding exponentially, lending great significance to both the EDD and EDF resources. Walker explains: “The thing about the green economy is that it’s like a puzzle. Take for example a wind turbine. There are probably 80 – 100 individual parts to the turbine. In a lot of instances, a different company or service provider is responsible for the manufacture, installation or service for each particular part. So you’re talking about a lot of new technologies. There’s not a single source of job growth, there are a lot of sources. From manufacturing to retrofitting to auditors and all the rest, there are so many different roles you can play, and so many different products you can attribute to those roles; there are a lot of different places you can plug in.”

Community Colleges Link Companies with a Trained Workforce

The proliferation of clean tech companies bodes well for those who are getting training and seeking jobs in these areas, and the map sheds light on the types of businesses and organizations that are expanding within the green economy.

Community colleges have a primary role in this economy, according to Walker. “We feel strongly that community colleges are really a vehicle for local communities and individuals from diverse backgrounds and diverse parts of the state to get the skills and training they need to be part of the next big wave of green companies. It’s clear from this map that the wave has already hit.

“The fact that the community college network in California has been so active, both on its own and in partnership with others,” Walker continued, “to provide training and outreach is just a sign that there is a need to facilitate the transition between the jobs that people might have had 10 or 15 years ago and new green jobs.”

While the map does not attempt to capture information on the types or numbers of jobs at these organizations, Walker says it does show that there are lots of different jobs within these categories, many of which are located in the less populated parts of the state.

“Community colleges are pretty well spread throughout the state, and they are the connector to the community and to the jobs themselves,” he says. “Businesses know that community colleges not only provide infrastructure for education, they also provide people with skills and practical knowledge.”

To expand on its green economy projects, EDF will be launching a new website, GreenJobsCalifornia sometime in September, which will profile green companies and individuals working in the clean tech sector. The website will also include a digitized version of the Green Jobs Guidebook, which contains listings of green jobs, training required, what these positions pay and other information.

Copyright © 2009, Green Technology. All rights reserved.