By Robert Ludvig

Green energy is taking center stage as 2010 gets underway. The Obama administration is making good on their promises that were made in 2009. There are critics who point out that the pace of these changes is too slow, and although they do make valid arguments, the pace is accelerating. When watching President Obama make speeches regarding green energy, he speaks with guarded optimism. In my mind he too realizes that the changes will be slower than he wishes, but he does believe in these changes, and that may be the single most important thing.

With the change to green energy, wind, solar and geothermal energy will create green jobs by the thousands. It will not happen over night. This transition may take decades – yes, I use the plural. The transition to these new and clean forms of energy has begun, and with it green jobs have also slowly made their way into middle America. The need for solar panel installers is growing. Did anyone truly believe that this type of job would be possible for the average American to have? Now it is, and it will only continue to be, a skill that will be in demand as time passes and clean energy becomes mainstream.

Government spoke and now they are accountable to the American people. America is not only waiting for this new energy and job opportunities, they are expecting it. Green business leaders are demanding tax incentives as a motivator from government to speed things up. Only a cynic believes that things will stay the same. The entrepreneur is the one who sees the transition to clean technologies as one of the greatest opportunities in the history of business.

The 21st century is known as the information age, but it will also be the time in history where protecting our environment pushed America through this horrible recession. It may not be the only factor that gets us through it, but it will be a very important reason. What was old will be new again and with it prosperity will come for those who embrace it fully. Don’t watch the train go by without jumping on board and joining the tens of thousands of people who will one day have a green job working in a wind turbine factory, or installing solar panels on homes throughout America.

Obtain the skills now by contacting local solar power companies that sell their products to businesses who want to transition green. Talk with like-minded individuals who care for the environment and want to help preserve it by getting a green job. The time is now.