HERE’S A LOOK AT CURRENT EVENTS THROUGH OUR SCOPE…..
There’s a great fear that jobs will be lost as California’s policies start to reflect awareness of the state’s extreme ecological deficit. As the pressure for more energy-efficient homes threaten the profits of water and energy companies (and agriculture business) the voice that cries “But these huge companies employ so many people!” grows more concerned. Referred to as the “job-killing” monster, sustainable living looks like it wants us to pay greener attention at the cost of our salaries. But as time with the drought persist, new revelations are being made; people are starting to notice the new job opportunities created in response to the water and energy waste. Between the excessive use of resources and the record-breaking lack of them, the job market shows a potential balancing out—as jobs are lost to such a disaster, new ones can be created to fix it.
In 2013 Pacific Institute’s study indicated that 136 different kinds of jobs (plumbers, landscapers, engineers, irrigation specialists) were to emerge and grow due to their association with water conservation. Today, water-saving jobs—such as drought-resistant landscape design and construction—are offering employment to able-bodied workers all over the Los Angeles County. And our Costa-Mesa based Advanced Conservation Technology business, ACT D’MAND Kontrols® System has needed a couple extra hands themselves. Our Director of Special Accounts Scott Campbell related that “There’s a several different kind of awareness that have aligned to help us get this product out there. For instance, people are starting to wake up to the fact that the drought is real. So they’re also becoming aware that their wait for hot water is a gigantic waste of time, energy, and water. And lastly, they become aware that there’s technology out there that can change that.” With new, larger orders coming in from both residential and commercial directions, the company has had to grow to match the manpower needed to get the electronic, on-demand pump to more homes. Most importantly, “I always share this with new employees, but it’s important to know that everything you do here is important” says VIP Donna-Marie Acker. “Each time an order ships out, realize that each Kontrol system that leaves building means 10,000 gallons of water, saved. It’s so encouraging, so motivating for the whole team.”
Because it’s a two-way relationship: as sustainable jobs grow, so does the communal consciousness of waste prevention. Likewise, as awareness increases, so does the newer, greener jobs. By being involved with a sustainable goal, the workers themselves are working intimately with the idea itself. As anyone who lives in the reality of scarcity knows, a wasteful lifestyle is nearly impossible to return to once you know better. The key lies in educating the masses. And what better way to educate everyone…then to employ them? Because you are what you work; working for the greener causes ends up causing greener wallets.
By: Katrina Nelson
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