Recently green energy jobs have been on the rise in Lake County. The demand for these kind of jobs will only continue to increase. There are many other jobs that will connect with green energy as this industry grows. The environment is something that many students value and actively want to preserve. An example of this would be Grayslake Central’s own Environmental Club. Green jobs are future jobs for many students at Grayslake Central. There are many jobs and opportunities currently in the green energy sector. “The green energy jobs that are offering excitement in the electrical industry are wind, solar, geo-thermal, and the by-product of the electrification of the auto industry: EV charging stations,” said Jeff Schwingbeck of the Lake County Joint Apprenticeship Training Center.

The number of options will only continue to grow for people that have open minds when itcomes to the environment. “Sometimes people are afraid of change and afraid of things that are different so it’ll open some new creative avenues for them, because they have to think outside of the box and do things differently,” said Dana Otto, a career and technology education staff member at GCHS.

People often think of a green job as picking up trash or planting trees, but there are so many different options in the electric industry alone. A job is more than just a paycheck; some people want their job to support their values. “I think more and more students now compared to when I was in high school are really passionate about and they care about wanting to make a difference if their job aligns with those beliefs,” Bryan Tylkowski said, an environmental science teacher at GCHS. Students values have them interested in the green energy industry.

With a climate crisis looming it’s up to young people to answer the call. For example, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the creators of the “Doomsday Clock” have just adjusted the time to be 90 seconds from midnight, midnight marking the “point of no return” for the earth. “Students seem more interested in how to use seemingly unlimited clean energy efficiently and effectively in order to reduce the use of limited resources that have a negative impact on the world. The results will hopefully be a cleaner more sustainable environment now and in the future,” Schwingbeck said.