For Week Seven of Green Boot Camp, I’m focusing on helping you identify phantom energy suckers or vampire power suckers in your home–and then driving a wooden stake through their heart. OK, that’s a bit graphic. In reality, I offer advice on setting up a charging station in the home to cut down on energy use.

Every time there is a national election, there is some kind of buzzword or buzz phrase that catches Americans’ attention, and often lives on infamy long after the election is over. I’m thinking of things like “It’s the economy, stupid,” (Bill Clinton, 1996) and “Read my lips: no new taxes” (George H.W. Bush, 1988).

In 2008 it seems that “green-collar workers” or “green-collar jobs” may be this election’s catchphrases. Both democratic candidates have been talking about creating jobs in clean energy, thus the verdant color of those workers’ collars. (Gee, will they all wear the army green Dickies that my grandfather wore as a Maine apple farmer, so that their clothes match their title?)

Fashion jokes aside I think it’s awesome that these candidates are thinking outside the power plant or glass tower when talking about ways to stimulate the economy. If green isn’t America’s new red, white and blue, I don’t know what is.

An article in Environmental Protection magazine lists some of the hottest green-collar industries and provides stats to support our growing green economy. For example, in some places, green job opportunities are forecast to grow up to 40 percent in the next year. And there are even job sites now dedicated to eco-friendly jobs, such as Green Match Maker (where you can not only find jobs but learn about things like carbon-offset options, this decades version of stock options, I guess).

If I were looking for a new job, I would be focusing my job hunting in the green area for sure. In the meantime, this gives me hope that people will continue to be interested in reading about green topics–and that I’ve got a strong future as a green-collar magazine writer.