Good news for all you outdoor enthusiasts: April 22nd is Earth Day! We take this time to celebrate our planet by acknowledging all of the progress that we’ve made towards protecting the environment. Earth Day is also the perfect time to reflect on the things that we could be doing to protect our natural resources.

It’s important to keep in mind that one person can have a huge impact on our planet! At home, you can save energy by using less water, turning off the lights when you leave the room, and carpooling or using public transportation to get to work.

So, what does all this environmental news mean for the average college student or job-seeker? Well, the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970—a time when cities were hidden under clouds of smoke and rivers were catching fire due to intense pollution. We’ve made a lot of progress since then:

• Average vehicle emissions are dropping about 10 percent each year due to the increasing amount of fuel-efficient cars
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued tough new standards for air quality, which would help millions of people breathe better
• The Clean Water Action Plan is currently helping to make the waterways safe for fishing and swimming
• The Food Quality Protection Act tightens standards used to grow food, helping to reduce our dependency on pesticides

Businesses and corporations are definitely noticing the fact that more and more people are becoming conscious of the effect that their actions are having on the environments. Despite the fact that people are curbing their spending during this recession, reports are showing that the growing number of “green” (or environmentally-friendly) jobs have the potential to save our economy!

There’s lots of talk in the government about creating jobs that will not only stimulate the business world, but will also help save the planet! In fact, the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) reports that green jobs are growing three times faster than the average employment sector. Here’s some more good news—most of these jobs are created for people with practical and “every day” skills, such as welding, truck driving, and construction. 36 MILLION environmentally-conscious jobs are expected to open by 2030. That’s great news for all you job-seekers!

Here are three exciting careers that are quickly “going green”:

Electrician

In order to reduce our consumption of fuel and diesel, we are quickly moving towards an all-electric society. The sale of electric motorcycles are booming in Asia, engineers are making tons of progress towards producing all-electric cars, and lots of people are talking about converting air and water transport entirely to electricity. This means that there is a huge demand for electricians, particularly those who have the technical know-how to make electricity more efficient than gas.

Plumbing

Water conservation is definitely a hot topic these days. Since water waste is a huge issue, lots of landlords and homeowners are taking notice. More people are calling a plumber at the first sight of a leaky faucet, and lots of devices are being created to help preserve water in sinks, showers, washing machines and toilets. Hydraulics—powering machines by water instead of gas—is quickly becoming a popular alternative to gas-guzzling equipment. So, we are definitely in need of some good plumbers!

Welding and Construction

Lots of people are making their homes more eco-friendly by installing fixtures in their heating, air conditioners, and other household appliances that help them to conserve energy and gas. This means that construction jobs are increasing in demand! More and more companies are investing in welding technology that has the lowest possible impact on the environment. Welding careers are one of the top “green” jobs!