Heavy Equipment Going Green In More Ways Than One

Heavy equipment have long had a reputation for being gas-guzzling machinery that belched huge quantities of noxious black smoke into the air. That reputation is a little unfair in this day and age, especially when you consider emission controls that have been placed on all vehicles over the years. Manufacturers have gone further, making new heavy equipment more fuel efficient and capable of running on blended renewable fuels. The very latest equipment runs totally on renewable energies.

However, I said that heavy equipment is going green in more ways than one – and it is. Reducing carbon emissions is one half of the equation. The other half is rebuilding our landscape so that it can grow native vegetation – the lungs that help to clear our air of carbon and other pollutants. Heavy equipment, particularly equipment that is itself environmentally friendly, is being used more and more to help rebuild that landscape.

Add to this President Obama’s Green Job’s Initiative, an initiative designed to fund green projects in the construction industry, and you have a future career that’s going green. This green initiative will go beyond just heavy equipment – we are already starting to see environmentally friendly trucks being used in some green projects – this is opening the way for new truck drivers to enter the trade (which makes it a good time to investigate truck driver training).

Cranes, in particular mobile cranes, are also being used, both in green construction projections, and as part of clean-up crews – especially when old wrecked cars are found in environmentally sensitive locations. Cranes can lift heavy material out of these areas rather than dragging them through and creating more damage. Undertaking crane operator training, or the broader-based heavy equipment operator training provides graduates with the skills necessary to become a part of the greening of our country. So who wants a well-paid environmentally friendly job?