Milford Gets "Capped & Traded" India gets 22,000 Green Jobs

Barack Obama and his green guru, Van Jones, have a green-collar job plan that they believe will solve the two biggest crises of our time: 5 million new green-collar jobs will directly stimulate the economy and will contribute to a more sustainable future in the face of coming climate change. But the 2009 Green Outsourcing Report, an annual industry study conducted by Brown-Wilson Group, found that green technology jobs are being created faster in India than in the US since Obama took office.

The report, which was released two weeks ago, surveyed 4,000 businesses around the world, including Xerox, Accenture, IBM Global, CSC, Capgemini, Oracle, HP/ ED S, Aramark, SITEL and Perot. Doug Brown, co-author of the Green Outsourcing Report, told The New Indian Express, “We see the (green job offshoring) trend increasing. There are few suppliers who match credentials and outcomes of Indian firms.”

Soaring energy costs and regulatory pressure have put pressure on firms in the US and Europe to embrace green technologies. 84% of companies outsourcing green jobs are doing so because of skyrocketing energy costs, compared to 12% and 18% in the past few years, respectively. Most corporations seeking to outsource a service or product require impeccable green credentials in their suppliers before handing over work, the report says.

US corporations, focusing on survival strategies during the long-lasting recession, have offshored more than 22,000 new green-collar jobs to India alone. Firms seeking stabilized energy and labor costs while trying to convince consumers of their eco-friendly practices are more often turning to Indian green-collar workers than American ones, according to Brown-Wilson Group. Indian labor suppliers have become popular with American businesses over the last few years by aggressively investing in appropriate hardware, waste disposal, recycling, eco-friendly buildings and other green technologies.

Surprisingly, just a year ago, India was remarked to be among the world’s highest polluting nations and suffering from offshore aversion and reverse outsourcing.

Post Mall Triggers Three Fire Alarms Over The Weekend

The Connecticut Post Mall triggered three fire alarms over the weekend. At the time these alarms went off I was with my kids over at the new Kidz Zone arcade located near Sears. The fear and frustration from confused patrons and the youngsters at the arcade was emblematic of the post 9/11 world we built.

When the first alarm tripped the entire arcade blacked out, every game went dead and an ominous voice came over the public announcement system broadcasting an emergency within the mall. Even more creepy the announcement was accompanied by what sounded like an emergency siren.

This went on about every thirty minutes for about an hour and a half. Finally, I was really interested in what was causing these back to back alarms. First the announcements said there was an issue of concern, and then the all clear was given every time. Perhaps I thought what could this be? The mall was filled with young kids as it was the weekend and the mall is a hot spot for the youngsters, maybe I thought some prankster was pulling the fire alarm.

Finally I did get the answer, my young daughter and I saw the Post Mall concierge on the lower level of the mall, over by the main elevator. When I asked her what was the emergency she said that "had there been an emergency she would have been out of there immediately." However that was not the case, the problem was that a construction crew working at Abercrombie and Fitch kept tripping a sensor that was connected to the fire alarm. The manager of the kids place arcade, who actively engaged in processing customer refunds was needless to say frustrated as the consequential power outages "cost him $1,600.00" in losses for the day.

Local Environmentalists Canvass Milford

Last Monday a young lady was walking my neighborhood with a petition in hand. The cause was to protect aquatic life in New England rivers and also to raise some money to support their operations. The petition, was addressed to our public leaders urging them to force New England's nuclear power plants to comply with the Clean Water Act. The closest culprit to us being the Indian River Nuclear Power plant in Westchester county, see photo and reference link below.

The Energy companies are charged (by the environmentalists) with killing thousands of fish each year. They claim that the fish get sucked into the cooling system of the power plants. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has agreed that the energy companies are in violation of the legal mandate under the the Federal Law.

The environmentalists have touted that an upgrade of more modern cooling technology is needed to protect the fish, as it stands an 80+ million dollar a year industry is at stake. The power plants have argued that the upgrades will cost in excess of 400 Million dollars, a cost that under the current conditions is prohibitive.

The case has gone to court, and is still in a litigious and hotly debated battle between the consumers of the electric who wish not to have their rates increased, the environmentalists who demand legal compliance and the energy companies who find it too challenging to meet the financial obligation of the upgrade.

Connecticut has two Nuclear Power Plants One is Connecticut Yankee (Decommissioned), the other is Millstone Nuclear, also being decommissioned.

The following link is to an article that references some historical facts on this issue. Click HERE for article.

Photo Above: Hyperspectral image showing thermal plumes from Indian Point and Lovett (Geophysical & Environmental Research Corp,1988