| In the 100 or so years from 1780 - 1880, a | | | | of the world as McMansions seemingly sprouted |
| movement was taking place known as the | | | | from "seed", roadways were created and rail |
| Industrial Revolution which, although greatly | | | | travel diminished into the single car driver, one |
| responsible for a large planetary impact, paved | | | | time use products were touted as all the rage |
| the way for the introduction of the | | | | and people began to live lives of cheap and easy |
| eco-technologies of the rising Green Collar | | | | convenience. But sometimes convenience comes |
| Revolution of today. Innovations in harnessing the | | | | with a hefty price tag. The Industrial Age was in |
| power of water were used as far back as the | | | | full swing in 1824 when the French physicist |
| 1700's along fast moving rivers to run mills and | | | | Joseph Fourier discovered the greenhouse effect, |
| increase production of materials such as cotton | | | | but it took almost 150 years for an entire |
| and wool. After the Civil War many of these mills | | | | generation of people to recognize the significance |
| were switched over to run on steam power and | | | | of the impact it has on our planet. Grassroots |
| coal was the largest source of fuel for the literal | | | | organizations formed to push this issue into the |
| fires. As job creation boomed in manufacturing, | | | | forefront in the mid 1900's indicating that we had |
| mining and additional manual labor sectors, an | | | | better reduce our consumption of resources or |
| entirely new class of people began to emerge | | | | the planet would heat to the point of entire |
| known as the blue collar worker. | | | | species extinction; potentially including humans. The |
| Blue collar work was, and still is, labor intensive | | | | focus of the masses however rested in |
| and it directly impacted creation of roadways, | | | | monetary increase over the next half century |
| homes, buildings and even the machinery used to | | | | until something surprising happened that seemed |
| construct these end products. A stigma of "hard | | | | to halt the pace of production -- a movie about |
| working" was attached to this sector with good | | | | global climate change starring a former Vice |
| reason; the jobs were difficult on the body and | | | | President of the United States won the Academy |
| often required employees to get dirty so workers | | | | Award for Documentary of the year in 2007. |
| wore uniforms, which frequently included blue | | | | To the environmental activists fighting for |
| shirts, and thus a term was coined. Through | | | | increased awareness on the subject of climate |
| increases in construction came the desire for new | | | | change An Inconvenient Truth did nothing more |
| innovations to amplify production time and, with | | | | than to reaffirm their staunch beliefs, but when a |
| the advent of computers, a new era dawned | | | | tough as nails man begins to cry in a movie |
| known as the Information Age. | | | | theatre as he watches a virtual polar bear drown |
| Before the 1980's, expensive computers were | | | | due to the inevitable melting of the ice cap and |
| generally reserved for large corporations to store | | | | then leaves the theater saying "I want to do |
| data but as this decade progressed, lower cost, | | | | something", it is clear that the world has finally |
| personalized microcomputers began arriving in | | | | rallied behind saving itself. Groups, organizations |
| offices and homes world wide. The 100 year old | | | | and job markets focused on environmental |
| typewriter suddenly had some competition as | | | | protection surged in popularity as more and more |
| workers began to "word process" their | | | | people showed their desire to get involved and a |
| documents, taking advantage of innovations such | | | | new set emerged known as Green Collar. |
| as a backspace feature which removed the | | | | Unlike associations of the past where a white |
| stroke permanently as opposed to just erasing | | | | collar job meant big responsibility and big money |
| the ink but leaving the key stroke visible on the | | | | or blue collar indicated dirty work and lower |
| page. Work was streamlined, efficiency increased, | | | | wages, the Green sector is nothing more than an |
| and by the late 1980's it seemed as if every | | | | entire people coming together to contribute their |
| office worker had a computer at their desk | | | | skill, time and effort in the best way possible to |
| connected by the Internet. | | | | save the Earth from peril; these jobs do not |
| What began as a way to share files and protect | | | | define a class based on monetary status as so |
| what we now call a company network, reached a | | | | many labels have in past generations but rather |
| pinnacle in 1989 with the creation and introduction | | | | bring all people together collectively regardless of |
| of the World Wide Web. The sharing of | | | | salary, age, gender, race or creed. The engineer in |
| information, data and job functionality was | | | | a high paying position who designed solar panels is |
| completely redefined over the course of the | | | | just as vital to planetary survival as the worker |
| following decade as a community of "end users" | | | | who makes minimum wage to install that panel on |
| spawned with the introduction of a computer into | | | | the roof of the home of an organic farmer. We |
| almost every home. Other tech-terms infiltrated | | | | make our connections over a burning desire to |
| daily vocabulary, including the words | | | | maintain our planet so generations 500 years in |
| telecommuting and outsourcing, which generated a | | | | the future have a beautiful place to call home. |
| shift in thinking to where work was completed | | | | It is a wonder to marvel at the progress humans |
| and how much it would cost. The President of a | | | | have made in the past 500 years toward safer, |
| company in Canada no longer needed to pay for | | | | more secure lives of abundance but none of that |
| employee benefits to hire an in-house Assistant | | | | would have been possible without the acceptance |
| as that worker could complete all the functions of | | | | of the ideals of progressive minds. The year 2009 |
| their job from their home in Hawaii. A Customer | | | | is rapidly approaching and as we redefine what it |
| Service Representative was simply a person on | | | | means to not only make a living but make a life |
| the other end of a phone line that could ring | | | | for ourselves it is vital to shift our approach from |
| anywhere. The large world became increasingly | | | | cheap and disposable to sustainable and renewing. |
| smaller and we realized a fact that had been true | | | | The Green Collar Revolution will be the movement |
| all along -- everything is connected. | | | | that gives new meaning to forward thinking. |
| A rapid transformation occurred in many corners | | | | |