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ELECTRIFYING OFFER: In an attention-grabbing sales tactic, the owners of a La Crosse, Wis., home are throwing in a two-seat electric car free with the $295,000 property.
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Boom seen in ‘green collar’ jobs
Companies are stepping up their environmental initiatives, and that could mean one thing - a boom in "green collar" jobs.
A recent forecast by the American Solar Energy Society found that renewable energy and energy-efficient industries were responsible for the creation of nearly 8.5 million jobs in 2006, and by 2030 that number is expected to reach 40 million.
Colleges and universities are taking notice, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., a job-placement consulting group. Many have introduced specialized degree programs in eco-commerce, environmental accounting, green and social marketing, and ecological economics.
"The demand for 'green collar' jobs is really exploding, especially as the cost of energy continues to climb," said John Challenger, the group's chief executive. "Students need to start thinking about developing skills that will give them an edge for these types of careers that did not even exist until recently."
Popular jobs include urban planners, forest tree professionals and environmental lawyers, Challenger said. There is also a growing demand for architects and engineers with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit.
For those seeking ecologically focused careers, Challenger suggests checking state and federal employment Web sites.
Subprime lender tells his side
Richard Bitner used to brag about his job - that is, before subprime lenders were viewed less favorably amid the credit crisis and mortgage meltdown.
Bitner, author of the recently published "Confessions of a Subprime Lender: An Insider's Tale of Greed, Fraud & Ignorance," has chronicled the rise and fall of the industry, and says that three out of every four subprime mortgages originated by brokers were misleading or fraudulent.
"I was one of those guys who actually felt good about being a subprime lender, because I could see that we managed the risk relatively effectively," said Bitner, who did business with mortgage brokers from 2000 to 2005. "Now that the entire thing has crashed, every subprime lender is viewed as a scumsucker."
Bitner said once he began to question the risk associated with loans he and his partners were funding, he decided he wanted out of the business.
"If you're passing up loans, there are a hundred people behind you willing to do it, and that's essentially where the industry gets to - a race to the bottom," Bitner said. "When you are only as competitive as the dumbest lender in the sandbox, you know you have a real problem."
His motivation to write the book? Lenders' ethics may have been compromised, but they are not entirely to blame.
"The industry has always been largely unregulated, and the government still hasn't done everything that needs to be done to fix it," he said.
Teens upbeat about their futures
WASHINGTON - American teens have become much less hopeful about the country's future, but they are incredibly optimistic when it comes to their own prospects, even as they confront high fuel prices, global warming and other challenges, a survey released last week found.
The nationwide survey of 1,600 high schoolers showed that teens have similar concerns about the world as their parents. But while young people are feeling the weight of the world and worry most about the economy and jobs, the increasingly Web-savvy and entrepreneurial bunch are also confident they can still achieve life goals, the survey showed.
"This just shows that a lot of my peers think if they don't make a difference, nobody is going to," said 18-year-old Thomas Maranges of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., one of six teen panelists invited by the Horatio Alger Association to discuss results of the study.
The Virginia-based nonprofit educational organization facilitated the survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates of Distinguished Americans, a Washington, D.C.-based research firm.
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