8 • The Southwest Portland Post
NEWS
Dear EarthTalk: I’m looking for the
best places to search for green jobs
but am having trouble locating them
on traditional job search sites. Where
should I look? – H. Jenkins, Biloxi, MS
With the environment now high atop
the public agenda, green jobs are more
popular than ever. Defined by eco.org
(a leading green jobs website) as any
job in any company where the primary
focus is on reducing the impacts of our
activities or products on the environ-
ment, green jobs serve to maximize effi-
cient use of resources while minimizing
degradation of the planet from pollution
and waste.
“Eco-jobs can range from engineering
a photovoltaic solar cell to designing a
building for more energy efficiency to
landscaping a yard to minimize erosion
to finding more sustainable forestry
techniques,” reports eco.org.
While you may be hard-pressed to
find environmental job opportunities
on general employment search websites,
sites like eco.org that specialize in green
job listings can make your search easy.
Also, many general environmental sites
have employment sub-sections.
Green job seekers and employers alike
use these websites to find each other
and get their work done, whether in the
non-profit or for-profit worlds.
Eco.org prides itself on hosting a wide
range of listings from colleges, envi-
ronmental and other nonprofit groups,
media outlets and government agencies.
With Google and Bing listing the site
first for the search term “eco,” the web-
site generates hundreds of thousands of
page visits per month from thousands
of green job seekers and employers, and
also keeps its audience engaged through
social networking.
Another leader in the field is the
nonprofit Green Jobs Network, which
provides online services including a
green job board and a 20,000-member
group on the professional networking
site LinkedIn.
The group also uses its GreenJobs.net
website as a platform for webinars, and
is the home of the frequently updated
Green Collar Blog, which provides ca-
reer resources and information on the
green jobs sector.
Environmental Career Opportuni-
ties (ecojobs.com) is another tried and
true source for green job listings. Some
50,000 targeted job seekers subscribe to
the company’s bi-weekly newsletter that
contains unique green job opportunities.
Still other places to look for green jobs
include EcoEmploy.com and the Envi-
ronmental Career Center.
Another site, Greenjobs.com, focuses
on job opportunities specifically in the
renewable energy sector. Jobseekers
can use the website to apply for jobs,
post their resume, obtain guidance on
finding and applying for jobs, gain back-
ground information on the renewable
energy sector, and access a directory of
relevant companies and organizations.
Employers can take advantage of the
firm’s recruitment services.
Browsing job listings at other more
general environmental websites could
also turn up that perfect opportunity.
SustainableBusiness.com and the U.S.
Green Building Council feature exten-
sive green job listings as sub-sections
of their websites.
And yet another way to find a green job
is to sniff around the website of a com-
pany, organization or institution in your
field of interest for specific job listings—
or better yet, call them on the phone
to find out if there are any openings.
CONTACTS: Eco.org, www.eco.org;
Environmental Career Opportunities,
www.ecojobs.com; EcoEmploy.com.
www.ecoemploy.com; Environmental
Career Center, www.environmen-
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talcareer.com; Green Jobs Network,
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com, www.sustainablebusiness.com;
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EarthTalk® is written and edited by
Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a
registered trademark of E - The Envi-
ronmental Magazine (www.emagazine.
com). Send questions to: earthtalk@
emagazine.com.
Ash Creek neighborhood denied on water
tank appeal to City Council
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
A majority of the Portland City Coun-
cil last month sided with the Tualatin
Valley Water District, against the Ash
Creek Neighborhood Association.
The ruling upheld Hearings Officer
Gregory Frank’s approval for a new
2-million gallon water tank for the dis-
trict at 6217 SW Garden Home Road,
and denied Ash Creek’s appeal of the
decision.
The new tank will replace two
500,000-gallon tanks that have been
on the property since 1962. The Water
District contended both that the exist-
ing tanks are unsafe, and that they
need more capacity to meet current and
future needs.
Ash Creek did not oppose a new facil-
ity on the property, but argued that the
one proposed was incompatible with
its surroundings due to its size and lot
coverage.
Planner Sylvia Cate, relaying Frank’s
decision, said that he had found that
“on balance,” the new tank “will be
compatible.” At 46 feet, it is only a foot
taller than what it will replace, she said.
The Water District is committed to
adding new landscaping on the west
side, as well as other amenities. They do
plan to cut down some of the 100-foot-
tall Sequoia trees along one side, but
will save as many as possible.
It is the trees, rather than the tank,
that account for most of the shading
of adjacent properties, Cate said. She
quoted Frank as saying that the tanks
are “not required to look like a house.”
Ash Creek chair Dean Smith argued
that the tank would nearly fill the 0.6-
acre lot and said, “Nowhere else in the
city is there such a large facility on such
a small lot.”
Smith particularly attacked one as-
pect of Frank’s decision: his interpreta-
tion of the structure’s floor area ratio.
This is a measure of density, and is usu-
ally a comparison between a structure’s
total floor area and the lot size.
In this case, Frank decided that the
tank had a single “floor” 46 feet high,
and therefore a small FAR. “This is not
the intent of the code,” Smith said.
District consultant Mark Knudson
said the agency currently serves two
million customers in Washington
County, making it the state’s second
largest water district.
Their water supply is insufficient
now, he said, and they expect signifi-
cant growth in the future. In addition,
he said, the existing tanks “are at the
end of their economic life” and do not
meet current seismic standards.
In the face of strong neighborhood
opposition at the original February 16
hearing, Knudson said, Tualatin Val-
ley asked that the record be held open
for additional written comments for
an additional 60 days to allow them to
work with the neighbors to find com-
mon ground.
Smith countered that no such meeting
occurred; the District simply held an
open house during which they showed
new plans for screening and amenities.
He added that whether the facility is
needed or not is not a standard for
whether it is compatible.
Nine Ash Creek residents testified,
all in opposition. Laura Ghonea-Smith
said, “I’ve always been proud of my
street and my neighbor’s (Dr. Charold
Baer) roses. I dread this project and
what it will do to my property values.”
In voting to deny the appeal, Com-
missioner Dan Saltzman said, “I feel
the replacement is compatible with the
neighborhood,” and Mayor Sam Ad-
ams said, “It meets the letter of the law.”
Addressing Smith’s point, Commis-
sioner Randy Leonard said, “I think
the FAR argument would have had
some weight if the existing tanks were
significantly smaller, but they’re just as
tall and almost as wide.”
Commissioner Amanda Fritz seemed
persuaded by the floor area argument.
“I believe that the (zoning code) criteria
are not met, and this is not compatible,”
she said, casting the sole dissenting
vote.
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