In an effort to inspire women to envision themselves as leaders, workers and collaborators in the new green economy, the Women’s Bureau’s San Francisco regional office recently hosted five Women and Green Job Roundtables in cities throughout the region. The first was in Flagstaff, Arizona with the Coconino County Career Center, followed by one with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce outside of Phoenix. Other roundtables were held in Reno, Nevada with the Nevada Mircroenterprise Initiative and in San Diego through the California Center for Sustainable Energy. The last one was in the Bay area with the State Building and Construction Trades Council and Tradeswomen Inc. These roundtables are part of a national effort to help create awareness of green job opportunities, identify best practices to recruit, train, hire and retain women and build strong local partnerships that will further support a green job movement. They are based on a similar event that Secretary Solis held last spring in Washington DC. More than 30 roundtables will be hosted across the nation before the end of this year.

Participants in Reno, NV explore the local options for a green economy.

The emerging green economy holds potential for good jobs, a career ladder and benefits that will help women and their families. The Women’s Bureau is encouraging women to recognize that the green economy offers a significant avenue to boost their job opportunities and wages and in turn, increase financial security in American families. According to the recently released Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything, women are now half of the workforce and mothers are the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners in close to two-thirds of American families. However, many of the green job opportunities are in industries where women are underrepresented. A specific outreach effort is needed to encourage women, businesses and the education community to work together to share information about the unique opportunities in this rapidly evolving field.

Program Analyst, Kelly Jenkins-Pultz with the Women’s Bureau discusses how to engage women in the greening of the San Diego community.

Each of the communities participating in these events sees this as a first step. Now participants are eager to work collaboratively with the event planners and community to move forward. Creating a local coalition on women in green jobs, working with the YouthBuild USA Graduate Business Initiative, developing a local resource tool, and tracking the stimulus funds for employment opportunities are just a few of the ideas that some of the local event contractors are exploring. In addition, the Women’s Bureau DC office will compile the information from the 30+ roundtables in order to develop a National Guide to Women in Green Jobs. Stay tuned to the Women’s Bureau website at www.dol.gov/wb to learn more about women and green job activities.

Participants in Flagstaff, AZ celebrate a successful discussion around green job opportunities for women.