Besides offering ways to preserve the earth and lessen society's dependence on oil, renewable fuel and alternative energy provide another benefit: a boost in jobs created by the industry. The "Good Jobs, Green Jobs" conference organized by Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers union and held this past week revealed a demand for employees in the green energy sector, as concepts such as wind and solar energy begin to take off.

"The idea that we are still, in 2008, surprised that good jobs and environmental quality go hand-in-hand is something that should sober us all," said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope.

Investments in green jobs grew 60 per cent in 2007 and now approximately 8 million people in the U.S. are employed in green jobs. Lois Quan, the managing director of alternative investments for Piper Jaffray, believes this growth is just in the beginning stages.

"The green economy is poised to be the mother of all markets, the economic investment opportunity of a lifetime," Quam said. "The challenge of global warming presents us all with the greatest opportunity for return on investment and growth that any of us will ever see."

» Reuters Environment