Green Jobs in the Mid-South and Mississippi Delta

Green jobs are ones which are good for the environment and for people and which generate a profit for ecologically and socially responsible employers. Jobs in the green economy prioritize hiring local workers and providing economically self-sufficient wages. The following are some of the potential green jobs in the Mid-South.

Weatherization, retrofitting and upgrading infrastructure. Weatherizing buildings means making them more weathertight and energy efficient, reducing home and business utility expenses through simple infrastructure upgrades like caulking cracks and installing weatherstripping, or more involved projects like installing double-pane windows or insulation. An energy audit will determine what specific work needs to be done on the particular structure. Jobs in this field: construction, electrical, HVAC.

Brownfield remediation. The Mid-South is home to many toxic areas, including superfund sites and vacant lots which need to be cleaned up. Many areas throughout the United States have received stimulus funding for cleanup of these hazardous sites. While Shelby County has not received new funding for Superfund site cleanup, there are still many opportunities for employing local workers to clean up industrial lots, paving the way for future usage and urban infill using existing infrastructure while ridding the community of toxic pollution. Jobs in this field: hazmat crews.

Green small businesses. Entrepreneurialism is the backbone of the Memphis economy. Businesses like restaurants can become greener by participating in Project Green Fork’s six-step process, including recycling and composting. Local enterprises like Clovernook, which makes biodegradable paper products and hires local workers with vision impairment and blindness and which pays a living wage. Landscaping businesses, urban foresters and gardeners, cleaning businesses using non-toxic products and sustainable architecture and construction are all examples of green industries, many of which currently exist in Shelby County. Jobs in this field: managers, servers, housekeepers.

Transitional manufacturing. Using existing urban infrastructure in the Mid-South, a vibrant transitional manufacturing sector for making biobased products will create employment for skilled workers. Biobased products range from sporks to car parts to plastics. Essentially, anything that can be made with petrochemical materials can also be made from biobased materials. Jobs in this field: manufacturing.

Urban and rural agriculture. The Mississippi Delta is one of the most fertile regions of the country capable of growing a diverse range of plants for many uses, including dedicated energy crops that do not displace the food supply chain. Plants can capture the sun’s energy, and after harvesting their by-products can be used as food, or be stored as liquid, shipped throughout the country, converted into fuel or products. Jobs in this field: chemical engineers, transportation, bioprocessing.