planted city

From USA Today:

The green economy lost fewer jobs than did the overall economy during the height of the United States’ recent recession, finds a study out today on California’s experiences.

The state’s overall economy lost 7% of jobs from January 2009 to January 2010 while its “core green economy” lost 3%, according to the study released by San Francisco-based Next 10, a non-partisan research group focused on innovation. The time period did not cover the collapse of California-based solar manufacturer Solyndra, which filed for bankruptcy protection in September 2011 after receiving a half-billion federal loan guarantee.

Longer term, from 1995-2010, the study found that job growth in the wider economy grew 12% but jumped 53% in businesses devoted to clean energy, recycling, reusing materials, conserving natural resources and reducing pollution.

Check out the rest of the article here and full report here. You might also want to check out Fast Company’s profile of the ‘10 Best Green Jobs for the Next Decade’.

(Graphic credits: Next 10 via Grist; Fast Company)