It’s that time again - a roundup of the latest green jobs news for everyone. Take a look at what’s happening in the green economy this month:

• Coal jobs moving to natural gas: The electricity market is in the doldrums, but the market for new generating stations that use natural gas is going strong, industry experts say. Why? Because gas is beginning to replace coal. This will create construction and operational jobs.
• Photovoltaic manufacturing in Canada: A new highly automated PV module production site based in Ontario with a capacity of 120 MW to be reached in two stages - the first 60MW will be completed by the second quarter of 2011 whereas the remaining 60 MW will be finalized by the end of next year.
• BlueChip Energy Starts Development of 10 MW Solar Farm in Florida: BlueChip Energy ™ has announced it has started stage one of the Rinehart Solar Farm, a 10 MW utility-scale solar PV facility in Central Florida. The project will create approximately 100 jobs during construction.
• Kyocera begins manufacturing solar cells in US: Kyocera has announced that it has begun manufacturing solar modules in San Diego, California to serve the U.S. market’s growing demand for clean, sustainable solar electric generating systems. Kyocera Group companies currently employ approximately 4,000 people in the United States.
• Forecast for LED lighting is bright:By 2020, nearly half (46 percent) of the $4.4 billion commercial lighting business will be given over to LED lighting, leading to more manufacturing and sales jobs.

The green economy is all over - but some places provide more fertile ground for green job seekers. In a recent report by Jim Motavalli on The Daily Green, 5 cities are singled out for their growth in green jobs.

Growth in the green sector has been strong - and as many as 1.9 million jobs are expected by 2020 from the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The stimulus bill is pumping $30 billion into the clean energy sector alone.

Without further ado, here are the top cities for green jobs:

1) New York City: The city has just launched PlaNYC, which includes 127 initiatives for greening the city - plus $1 billion retrofitting buildings to improve energy efficiency. Interestingly enough, EarthLab Foundation ranks NYC as the 2nd greenest city in the US in terms of carbon output.

2) San Francisco:   California leads the nation in clean energy jobs, and many of those are in the San Francisco area. Voters recently approved $100 million in revenue bonds to support renewable energy, and 20 big construction projects have applied for LEED certification.

3) Boston: The number three energy source in this city is wind power! The city is home to multiple universities, green companies, and R&D firms - all combining to create a steady flow of new green jobs.

4) Detroit: Despite Michigan’s 15.3% unemployment rate, Detroit has benefited from DOE funding for green tech initiatives that aim to employ skilled labor in the area. There are a cluster of companies tied to green transportation in the area, and abandoned industrial plants have been converted to new incubators for solar and wind companies.

5) Portland: The Oregon city has a lengthy environmental heritage and is ranked most friendly to bikes in the nation. The state has almost 20,000 green jobs, many of them located in Portland.

You should also take a look at Clean Edge’s list of the 15 best areas for clean tech jobs, which includes Houston, Phoenix, and Austin.

The first thing most job seekers interested in green jobs ask is “What exactly is a green job?” Honestly, this is a pretty tough question to answer - apart from obvious professions such as renewable energy and green building, many jobs fall into a gray (rather than green) area.

Perhaps a better question to ask is: “What are the top green jobs available?” Luckily, we’re not the first to ask this - so without further ado, here are a few useful lists to get you thinking about your green careers:

From Forbes: 6-figure green jobs:

1. Chief Sustainability Officer (Chief Environmental Officer/ Chief Green Officer)
2. Environmental Lawyer
3. Environmental Engineer
4. Climatologist/Environmental Meteorologist
5. Renewable Energy Manager
6. Environmental Specialist/Scientist
7. Senior Urban Planner
8. Commercial/Industrial Designer
9. Conservation Scientist
10. Senior Hydrologist

From CareerBuilder: Top 25 green gigs:

1. Hydrologist
2. Environmental Engineer
3. Pest Control Technician
4. Conservation Biologist
5. Science Teacher
6. Toxicologist
7. Pollution Control Technician
8. Fund-raising Director
9. Ecologist
10. Camp Counselor
11. Business Manager
12. Economist
13. Forester
14. Environmental Attorney
15. Community Affairs Manager
16. Environmental Health and Safety Technician
17. Landscape Architect
18. Waste Disposal Manager
19. Environmental Chemist
20. Corporate Waste Compliance Coordinator
21. Urban and Regional Planner
22. Agricultural Inspector
23. Wastewater Water Operator
24. Wildlife Biologist
25. Pollution Control Engineer

From Boston.com: Green-collar jobs:

1. Green Interior Designer
2. Eco-Friendly Furniture Builder
3. Green Landscape Architect
4. Green Fashion Designer
5. Environmental Scientist and Hydrologist
6. Protection Technician
7. Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic and Installer
8. Construction Manager
9. Farm, Ranch, and Agricultural Manager Specializing in Organic Production
10. Financial Analyst/Adviser Specializing in Socially Responsible Investing
11. Solar Installer
12. Sustainable-Design Architect
13. Environmental Lawyer
14. Fuel-Cell Entrepreneur
15. Environmental Engineer

Start searching!

Welcome to our green careers blog! We’ll be covering all aspects of the green economy with a particular focus on the types of green jobs out there and how you can find one. We’ll also talk about training resources, great informational web sites, green employers that you may not have considered, and much much more.