If you listen to people talking about the state of the world, you know that the environment is often an important concern for them. In British Columbia, as in many other parts of Canada, jobs that are “green,” or not harmful to the environment, are careers of the future.

For many years, people used resources like water and minerals without much thought about what they were doing to the environment. Now, however, becoming involved in green jobs can help preserve the environment for the future.

British Columbia has various options for working in a green trade. The first involves locally grown food. Although this work involves farmers more than tradespeople, every farmer needs machines such as tractors, as well as electricity to light barns and greenhouses. Water pipes and hoses are also necessary. Working in many different trades can help support agricultural work for locally grown food.

Green building and design is a second area where the green trades are growing. Sustainable materials and better construction methods are key parts of this work. For example, some builders might look for ways to use sunlight or wind power instead of traditional electricity and heating fuels.

Green transportation is one of British Columbia’s major projects. Electric vehicles have been in the province for at least ten years, and the first electric airplane in BC flew in 2019. Tradespeople who can work with electric vehicles are likely to have good job prospects for many years.

Sustainability services and education are also important. Although tradespeople might not be directly involved in this work, they can provide the information that educators and others need. They need to be organized and clear about what people need to know so that others can give the public the right information. Tradespeople might even have a chance to help directly with some of the services and facts that people need.

Land and water management and environmental consulting can also be part of a tradesperson’s job. Other people are likely to do most of the work, but tradespeople can help support the initiatives with suggestions to help preserve the environment. Finding better ways of digging wells, for example, could help preserve the environment.

People in the trades can get involved in materials management and recycling. Repairing and upgrading old machines so that they run efficiently can help keep usable machines from being thrown out and help to make people aware of the possibilities of reusing even the most worn-out objects.

The area where tradespeople can have perhaps the biggest impact is in clean technology, alternative energy, and green building products. Working together with scientists and engineers, tradespeople can identify areas that require better resources and make suggestions for areas to develop, such as environmentally friendly building materials or glues. They can set up wind turbines or other forms of clean energy production where possible and help to support clean technology in whatever they do.

In the future, green trades are likely to become increasingly important. For anyone getting into one of these fields, being aware of the options is very important. If you want to work in British Columbia, you can already start to consider how you can get involved.

Bibliography

Natural Resources Canada. “Green Jobs in Natural Resources.” https://natural-resources.canada.ca/climate-change/canadas-green-future/green-jobs/87.

Province of British Columbia. “BC’s Green Transportation Innovations.” https://www.britishcolumbia.ca/news-stories/bcs-green-transportation-innovations/.

Skilled Immigrant Info Centre. “Fastest Growing Industries: Green Economy.” https://www.vpl.ca/sites/default/files/Fastest_Growing_Industries_Green_Economy.pdf.

Work BC. “Green Economy.” https://www.workbc.ca/research-labour-market/bcs-economy/green-economy.