A group of graduates of the Wisconsin IBEW/NECA Advanced PV for Journeyman Electricians class recently took part in a 14 KW photovoltaic system installation at Options for Independent Living in Green Bay. Options for Independent Living is a organization "committed to assist people with disabilities in Northeast Wisconsin and the Fox Valley to live independently." This solar installation was an opportunity for the graduates to gain experience, as well as give back to the community.

The campus at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan got greener recently they added instruction on wind and solar technologies thanks to a federal grant.  They also added a both a solar array and a wind turbine to the campus for training purposes.

Ironworker Hugh Coward and IBEW member Lance Dougherty are working with the college on the program and we put together a short video of the two talking about the project.

Members of the Ironworkers are literally building the framework for a cleaner energy future in Minnesota at the St. John’s Solar Farm near Collegeville, Minnesota. St. John’s Solar Farm could become the largest in the upper Midwest, with an expected 1,800 solar panels producing up to 400 kilowatts per hour.

We talked to three workers who are involved in building the metal framework for the solar panels. 

Rick Nasby, a union organizer for the Ironworkers District Council of the North Central States whose father was an ironworker, says projects like this are important for him, because they will leave a cleaner world for the next generation and set a good example for other countries to move to a clean energy economy.

Ironworker Phil Aderson was asked to provide his ideas on how to erect the framework and says that ironworkers can provide new ways to speed the process up by helping with the planning and layout of solar projects like these. 

John Allen is member of Ironworkers Local 512 in the Minneapolis Saint Paul area and his father in-law was an ironworker. He  builds and erects buildings, bridges, and, he says, whatever else has metal in it. He feels that “what we are doing is a step in the right direction, but we need to do more.”

Jesse Michalski from Wisconsin is a union electrician and he says he works for the first North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) certified contractor in Wisconsin to install solar photovoltaics.  Jesse's company provides electrical installation, design, and service for a wide spectrum.  He says he feels it's important to work in the clean energy economy for conservation and to ensure his kids will have affordable energy. 

WRR Environmental Services Co., Inc. in Eau Claire, Wisconsin is a union employer that recycles organic solvents so they can be reused for paint, printing, and industrial applications.  Charles Terry, the Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, says that recycling a truckload of organic solvent can save approximately 40 tons of green house gases, and it also reduces dependency on foreign oil.  Any of the material that can't be recycled is made into an alternative fuel for cement kilns.  In addition to solvents, WRR also works with certain plastics, converting it into a chemical that can be reused instead of going to a landfill for disposal.

Terry says he feels it's important to work in a green job because he wants to do something to make the world a better place for his children and grandchildren.

Ed Stoll was searching for something more than just an everyday electrician's job, particularly after he adopted a little girl from Vietnam to be part of his family in the Milwaukee area. "I wanted to do something to make the world a better place for my daughter," said Stoll. "I was searching for something more."

He found that something: solar and wind power. After taking some classes through the Midwest Renewable Energy Association on weekends, and staying up late at night with his laptop learning about solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, and then small wind turbines, Stoll is embarked on a new career. He hopes to soon be certified through the Solar America Cities Program to teach classes on solar and wind electrical work, educating a new generation about job opportunities with renewable energy in the new green economy.

His background in union trades training gives him an advantage. "There are a lot of folks who may have the will to be in the renewable energy installation business, but they don't have the skill," he said.

The vast majority of his electrical contracting gigs are rooftop solar PV systems, though he likes the occasional small wind turbine work. "Anytime you can get power from nothing, like the wind, that intrigues me," Stoll remarked. The thrill of climbing up and down turbine towers "makes it a little more fun" than some solar PV installations, he admitted.

According to REPP, Wisconsin ranks eighth in the nation in potential new manufacturing jobs created for existing companies supplying components for solar, wind, biomass and geothermal power supplies. ‘People don't realize the range of jobs available in the renewable energy sector. These companies need engineers, accountants and CEO's, just like any other business."

The Green Jobs for America campaign and the Blue Green Alliance are working to build a file of people who are currently working in green jobs, or own/operate green businesses, and are willing to share their story with others and speak with the media about their experiences.

Sara Eagle is a worker and UAW Local 1002 President from Michigan.  She works at a production facility building solar and Energy Star water heaters.

Here's what Sara says about why she feels it's important that she works in a green job:

"As the president of my local and the mother of a 5 year old daughter, I would like to leave her and other children in the best shape I can. I want her to be able to see all of the beautiful things around us. Professionally, I would like to be competitive in all industries and I would like less pollution in the environment. As UAW members we try to make the whole world a better place not just in our own backyards."

The recent "Building the Clean Assembly Line" report by Blue Green Alliance shows that Michigan can create 34,777 clean energy manufacturing jobs if we adopt a nationwide Renewable Electricty Standard of 25 percent by 2025.  Workers like Sara Eagle will get opportunities for good paying jobs, while helping to leave a better environment for future generations.

Ronald Schoch is the President of USW Local 2-0445 in Park Falls, Wisconsin where he works as a backtender for Flambeau River Papers.  His father and grandfather both worked at the mill and he followed in their footsteps. 

Flambeau River Papers has dramatically reduced their energy usage since they reopened in 2006, striving to become fossil fuel free.  They are developing a biorefinery to produce cellusoic biofuels and they hope to produce 7.7 million gallons of biodiesel, while exporting steam to the onsite paper mill.  The plants carbon footprint has been greatly reduced in the last three years, and their goal is to become the first self-sustained pulp and paper mill in North America, according to Schoch.

Schoch says he believes the only way the working class is going to survive and be vibrant is to explore energy alternatives and that he is proud to work for a company with the foresight to see what it will take to be successful in the future.