Our goal is to ensure that those men and women who have served our country with distinction and who are now interested in civilian careers that lessen our dependence on oil, or lessen the impact of toxins in our environment, have a guiding hand to find that job - and the additional support to be successful in it.  The end result will providea competent, professional workforce for the installation, operation, maintenance and management of green products and services across the country.

Green Collar Vets is a nationwide organization that promotes operations at a grass roots level. We believe in the power of local communities to support their own veterans' needs and opportunities, as well as their local emerging Green industries.


GREEN INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

Solar & Wind Industries 
Geothermal Heat Pumps 
Radiant Heating Systems  
Rainwater Harvesting
Energy Efficiency Products & Retrofits

Green Building & Renovations 
Materials Reuse & Recycling
Cool Roof Systems
Home Energy Audits
 
Water Use Efficiency and Conservation
Organic Food Production
Structurally Insulated Panels
Green Landscaping  & Xeriscaping
Sustainable  Community & Transportation Planning    
                  

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 THE MILITARY VETERAN NEED:
According to a 2008 RAND National Defense Research Institute Study, 175,000  servicemen and women entered or reentered the civilian labor market in 2006.  The same year, 110,000 Reservists return home from periods of active-duty service and resume their civilian careers.  

Newly separating veterans face significant challenges returning to civilian life and securing meaningful employment that will support themselves and their families.  The Veterans Administration (VA) is working closely with other government partners and private-sector organizations to stem the alarming unemployment rate among young  veterans, especially those age 20-24.  Unemployment among veterans is about 15%, or roughly three times what it is overall in our economy,

VA statistics show that in the first quarter of 2005, the monthly average of unemployed veterans ages 20 to 24 was 43,000, up significantly from the 2004 monthly average of 33,000.  The 4.6% increase in veteran youth unemployment between 2003 and 2005 is worrisome since it raises the possibility that young veterans are having difficulty transitioning to civilian jobs following deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.  At the same time, nonveteran youth unemployment decreased by 1.9 percentage points.

Unemployment and underemployment were identified as the second-most critical concern among this work group, after cost-of-living increases, according to DOL statistics.  Particularly for younger veterans, many military occupational specialties during wartime are not transferable to the civilian sector – weapons specialists and munitions handlers, door gunners on helicopters, infantrymen. That last one is tricky because law enforcement is a great option for some of these veterans, but the availability of these jobs is statistically insignificant compared to the large number of combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are looking for work.  Many of those positions require college credits to be eligible for consideration.

Many of the military occupations of younger veterans that are transferable are on the lower end of the wage scale – warehousemen, clerical, food service, health care assistants, or lower level workers with limited experience. In many markets, veterans may be competing for rare employment opportunities with civilians who have more training, educational attainment or more personal contact with potential employers. 

For individuals who must rely solely on their own incomes to support themselves and their families, economic pressures are compounded by the difficulty of paying for and attending education programs to improve their earning potential.  Studies show that gainful employment, at a livable wage, with opportunities for advancement, is the foundation for maintaining economic stability. Market factors such as layoffs, plant closings, high unemployment rates, and changes in a region’s commercial base that change the nature of jobs that are available usually affect the younger, less experienced workers the most, and that includes young veterans who are attempting to re-enter the civilian work force.  

   Green Collar Vets has applied for status as a 501(c)3 Nonprofit.