Green Practices and Processes

MEMORANDUM FOR: Reviewer of 1220-0141

DATE: June 03, 2010

FROM: Kathy Downey

Research Psychologist

Office of Survey Methods Research

Bureau of Labor Statistics

SUBJECT: Cognitive Interviews and Feasibility Interviews for the Development of the BLS Green Practices and Processes Survey

In the President’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget, BLS has been tasked with collecting and publishing data on employment in the environmental sector of the United States. BLS intends to conduct a two-part study to gain a better understanding of the collection environment surrounding green or environmentally-friendly production processes at establishments. The first part will be 20 in-person cognitive interviews and the second part will be a telephone-based feasibility study of 286 establishments.

The goals of the study are for BLS to gain a better understanding of the type and availability of data related to the presence of environmentally-friendly production processes within establishments and jobs related to these practices, where these data are maintained within the establishment, who in the establishment has access to these data, and the availability of these data.

The interviews will be conducted with a sample of 20 for the cognitive interviewing and 286 for the feasibility interviews. Respondents will include establishments in a variety of geographic locations and of various business sizes. Respondents will be taken through the attached script, and the answers will help BLS better understand the collection environment and to help refine the potential questions on the final survey to minimize respondent burden. We are planning to conduct the interviews between June and September 2010.

We expect to complete 20 cognitive interviews and 200 feasibility interviews (a 70 percent response rate for the feasibility interviews) with an average response time of 23 minutes for the feasibility interviews and 30 for the cognitive interviews. The expected number of burden hours is 87 hours for all of the interviews, given the expected response rate and possibility of needing to speak to more than one person at an establishment.

If you have any questions about this request, please contact Kathy Downey at (202) 691-7382 or e-mail at [email protected].

Note to Reviewer of 1220-0141

I.Introduction and Purpose

The Occupational Employment Statistics Program (OES) program has been funded to collect and produce objective and reliable information on occupational employment and wages for green jobs at the establishment level.  This is to be accomplished through special topic surveys on the green economy. This work is necessary to meet the publication objective outlined in the President’s FY2010 budget proposal.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) approach to measuring green jobs and the proposed definition of green jobs is presented in the March 16, 2010, Federal Register.  The Federal Register Notice and information on the budget are available at www.bls.gov/green.

This project includes developing survey forms and information collection protocols to provide information on green production processes implemented by businesses across all industries; collecting information on the presence of those activities; and collecting the number, occupation, and wages paid to employees of the establishment performing those activities.  In order for BLS to develop, design, and test survey forms to produce objective and reliable information on these practices, a study of the underlying concepts and definitions related to environmentally-friendly production processes must be conducted.

For the first step of the study, we will conduct 20 cognitive interviews using personal visits conducted by BLS staff. These cognitive interviews will use a semi-structured interview script. The interviews will help BLS understand the types of data available at establishments engaged in green practices or processes, identify the individual or department at the establishment with access to the data, learn when certain data items become available for different reference periods, clarify language, and identify and eliminate areas of potential respondent confusion.

The feasibility study will be the second step leading to green practices and processes data collection forms. These will be conducted by a contractor over the telephone.

The cognitive interview script can be found in Attachment A; the associated Consent Form is Attachment B; and the introductory letter for the cognitive interviews is Attachment C. The feasibility interview script can be found in Attachment D, and the introductory letter that respondents will receive prior to the feasibility interview is Attachment E.

II.Respondents

The cognitive interviews will be conducted using a sample from the 2009 first quarter of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), but with oversampling of DOL-ETA Green Training grantees and those establishments that are believed to have green practices.

The feasibility interviews will be taken from a random sample of the 2009 first quarter of the QCEW. The sample will consist of establishments of various sizes and from five major industry groups (utilities, construction, manufacturing, trade, and professional and business services). Table 1 shows the distribution of the sample. The sample will be examined so that it does not overlap with the testing for the BLS Green Goods and Services Survey.

Table 1. Sample of Establishments for Feasibility Interviews, by size, and industry
	Small (0-19)	Medium (20-99)	Large (100+)	Total
Utilities	19	19	20	58
Construction	19	19	20	58
Manufacturing	19	19	19	57
Trade	19	20	18	57
Prof. & Bus. Services	19	18	19	56
Total	95	95	96	286

III.Research Design

For the cognitive interviews, BLS will mail out introductory letters and experienced cognitive interviewers from BLS will conduct the in-person interviews. For the feasibility study an outside contractor working under BLS confidentiality regulations will mail out the introductory letter and conduct the interviews over the telephone. Interviews will be conducted by experienced interviewers.

The cognitive interview script can be found in Attachment A; the associated Consent Form is Attachment B; and the introductory letter for the cognitive interviews is attachment C. The feasibility interview script can be found in Attachment D, and the introductory letter that respondents will receive prior to the feasibility interview is Attachment E.

The feasibility interviewing script may be modified based on the results of the cognitive interviews. For example, the definition of green practices may change slightly and the associated questions in the feasibility script will have to be changed. BLS will supply OMB with an updated version of the scripts if any changes are made.

IV.Burden hours

It is expected that each interview will take an average of 30 minutes to complete per cognitive interview respondent and 15 minutes per feasibility interview.

We expect that in approximately 40 percent of the feasibility interviews, the interviewer may need to speak with another individual from the establishment in order to complete the interview. For the cases where this occurs, it will add another 20 minutes to the total interview time per reporting unit for a total of 35 minutes. We anticipate an overall response rate of 70 percent for the interviews.

The following table shows expected workload for the interviews between June and September.

Table 2: Estimated Burden
	Cognitive Interviews	Feasibility interview - One respondent	Feasibility interview - More than one respondent
Starting sample	n/a	286
Percent of calls	n/a	60%	40%
Number of sample	n/a	172	114
Minutes per completed interview	30	15	35
Number of responses (70% response rate for feasibility interviews)	20	120	80
Total Minutes	600	1,800	2,800
Average minutes per interview	n/a	23
Total burden hours	10	77

Total Hours Response Burden is = 87 hours

The estimate of costs to respondents based on burden hours to participate in the interviews is $1,496. This estimate is based on an hourly pay rate of $17.19, which is the 2008 annual average of the median hourly earnings of "Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping" from the OES survey, and was multiplied by the 87 burden hours.

All respondents will receive an introductory letter prior to the interview informing them of the expected time burden. Attachments C and E include copies of these introductory letters.

V.Confidentiality

The consent form for the cognitive interviews can be found in Attachment B.

The following Privacy Act statement and confidentiality assurance will be relayed to the respondent through the introductory cover letter as well as in the introduction script at the beginning of the feasibility interviews. Respondents will be informed the interview is voluntary and the information collected will be used for internal research purposes only.

“Your voluntary participation is requested to help BLS understand business records and their use in designing a more effective long-term approach to collecting and publishing these new data types. The purpose of this call is for internal purposes only. Information related to this study is confidential and will not be released to the public in any way that would allow identification of individuals or establishments except as prescribed under the conditions of the Privacy Act Notice.”

VI.Payments to Respondents

There are no payments made to the respondents for this survey.

VII.Table of Contents

Attachment A. Cognitive interview script

Attachment B. Cognitive interviewing consent form

Attachment C. Cognitive interview introductory letter

Attachment D. Feasibility interview script

Attachment E. Feasibility interview introductory letter

Script for green PROCESSES & PRACTICES

cognitive interviews

Typographical conventions:

ALL CAPS FOR ITEMS NOT READ OR INSTRUCTIONS TO THE INTERVIEWER.

Instructions for the participant

1. general issues

   1. confidentiality

   2. voluntary

   3. permission to tape

   4. consent form

2. explanation of tasks

   1. evaluate questions, not you

   2. need to know how people like you answer the questions, what you think when you hear certain terms and phrases, and how easy or difficult the question is

   3. ask a question, then ask follow-up questions after to determine how you arrived at an answer

Cognitive interviewing topics

Interviewing item/topic	Purpose of interviewing item/topic
Job title of respondent	Verification of correct job title for records
“Green practices” title versus “Environmentally-friendly production processes”	Discussion of terminology
If they felt they couldn’t relate to the “green” title, would they be likely to not respond
What does the term “green” mean to you?
Have you ever heard the term “green-collar jobs”?   (If yes, what does that mean to you? Can you provide examples?)
Have you ever heard the term “environmentally sustainable”?  (If yes, what does that mean to you? Can you provide examples?)
Primary duties – what does the term mean to you?	Discussion of terminology
Within your organization, are you familiar with the various types of jobs performed, and whether they are related to “green” processes such as generating electricity from renewable resources, recycling waste products resulting from production processes, or reducing air pollution emissions?	Verification of most knowledgeable respondent
Would this person also know wages of the workers? (Check to see if we need to talk to more than one person.)
Is this person the OES respondent? (may not be the “green respondent” outside of the pre-determined “green industries”)
Does this person report for other BLS surveys?
We want to know whether or not establishments conduct the following activities. SHOW THE LIST FROM THE LETTER.	Data availability
Would you be more or less inclined to answer these survey questions if you had no environmentally-friendly activities at your establishment?
How easy is it to answer these as yes/no? Would you ever say it depends?
We would like to know whether different people define the same words differently. I’d like to get your impression of these descriptions of activities.	Terminology of definition
Renewable energy - Research on, or develop, produce, store or distribute energy (electricity, heat, and fuel) from renewable sources primarily for use within the establishment. Includes hydropower, wind, biomass (including biofuels and biogas), geothermal, solar energy, tidal energy, hydrogen fuel cells, and other renewable sources?
Energy efficiency - Research on, or develop or implement energy conservation technologies and practices during business operations?
1) What about some of these activities? Lowering the thermostat Office recycling program Motion detection lighting	Passive energy efficiency activities that could be included but have no employees devoting ½ their time.
Greenhouse gas reduction - Research on, or develop or implement technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during business operations?
Pollution reduction and cleanup - Research on, or develop or implement technologies and practices that reduce the emission of pollutants during business operations, or clean up pollution and hazardous waste created during business operations?
Recycling and waste reduction - Research on, or develop or implement technologies and practices that collect and recycle materials and waste water created during business operations?
Agriculture and natural resources conservation - Research on, or develop or implement technologies and practices that reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production and improve natural resources conservation? Includes reducing use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, soil and water conservation, sustainable forestry, land management and wildlife conservation.
Education, compliance, public awareness, and training - Participate or sponsor: activities to increase public awareness of environmental issues; activities to plan, develop, and implement environmental policies within the business; activities related to compliance with environmental regulations; staff training in the application of environmental technologies and practices
Can you find those employees that work on the activities we discussed? Can you sort out by those who work on it more than ½ time? Would some other way to define it work, such as critical tasks?	Data availability by employee
Would you be able to provide the occupations and wages of workers identified to be involved in green processes at the establishment? Would you be willing to do so?	Data availability - OES schedule information
How long do you anticipate it would take to compile this information and record it on a survey form?	General response issues
Would you be willing to spend the time reporting this information if a survey was voluntary?
Would you be more or less inclined to participate if you could report this information electronically rather than on paper?
Would you be more or less inclined to provide this information if you knew what federal, state, or local policies could be impacted by it?
Would you be more or less inclined to provide this information if you knew how this information could impact your company or organization?
Would you be willing to report this information on a survey one time, or annually over a three year period?
If this survey was attached to the Occupation Employment Statistics (OES) survey, would you think of the survey positively or negatively? Would you be more or less likely to return it?
Are you aware of the need for information on the emerging “green economy” in the United States?  Do you understand, or are you at all confused by the term “green economy?”	Explanation of purpose of data collection

Consent Form

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is conducting research to improve the quality of BLS surveys. This study is intended to suggest ways to enhance the procedures BLS uses to collect survey data.

The BLS, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent. The Privacy Act notice on the back of this form describes the conditions under which information related to this study will be used by BLS employees and agents.

During this research you may be audio and/or videotaped, or you may be observed. If you do not wish to be taped, you still may participate in this research.

We estimate it will take you an average of 30 minutes to participate in this research (ranging from 15 minutes to 45 minutes).

Your participation in this research project is voluntary, and you have the right to stop at any time. If you agree to participate, please sign below.

Persons are not required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB control number is 1220-0141 and expires February 29, 2012.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have read and understand the statements above. I consent to participate in this study.

___________________________________ ___________________________

Participant's signature Date

___________________________________

Participant's printed name

___________________________________

Researcher's signature

OMB Control Number: 1220-0141

Expiration Date: 02/29/12

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a), you are hereby notified that this study is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), under authority of 29 U.S.C. 2. Your voluntary participation is important to the success of this study and will enable the BLS to better understand the behavioral and psychological processes of individuals, as they reflect on the accuracy of BLS information collections. The BLS, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent.

[date]

Joe’s Delicatessen

3 Main Street

Alexandria, VA 33333-3333

Dear [salutation] [last name]:

As the chief source of government data on employment and occupations, BLS intends to produce data on occupational employment related to green jobs. What are green jobs? Broadly defined, green jobs are jobs in emerging environmental industries as well as conventional businesses and trades that shift to more environmentally-friendly production processes, practices, and materials. Some of these green processes and practices are defined on the reverse of this letter.

This initiative will produce regular tabulations of occupational employment and wages for green jobs within the U.S. economy. In order to collect data on green jobs, BLS needs to better understand how firms and worksites maintain information on production processes and the employees that work on them. Therefore, a member of our research team will be calling to ask questions about the following topics:

• Your firm’s green production processes and practices

• Availability of occupational data for employees by production process

• Availability of occupational wage data for employees by production process

• Where, and with whom at the firm, this information is available

Your voluntary participation is requested to help BLS understand the green production processes that employers like you use in daily business operations. We also need information on the business records you maintain that could be used to answer questions about the types of occupations at your establishment that work on green processes and their wages or salaries.

The purpose of our call is for research only. Information related to this study is confidential and will not be released to the public in any way that would allow identification of individuals or establishments except as prescribed under the conditions of the Privacy Act Notice.

It is our goal to keep the length of this interview to a minimum. A member of our research team will contact you to arrange a convenient time and day to interview you. This one-time voluntary interview should only take 30 minutes of your time. The OMB control number is 1220-0141, and expires February 29, 2012.

Please contact Kathy Downey at (202) 691-7382 ([email protected]) with any questions. Again, thank you in advance for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Dixie Sommers

Assistant Commissioner

Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections

Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics

• Practices that reduce the environmental impact of producing a good or service. Examples include:

• Redesigning product packaging to reduce the use of plastics in production

• Collecting and recycling waste created during a manufacturing process

• Researching a process to reduce air pollution during manufacturing

• Practices that reduce the natural resources impact of producing a good or service. Examples include:

• Using hybrid or electric vehicles to transport goods or employees

• Using recycled packaging for products

• Production of green goods or services for use within the establishment.
  Examples include:

• Installing or maintaining solar equipment used to generate power for use within an establishment

• Installing or maintaining low-flow water fixtures and faucet aerators at the establishment to reduce water consumption

• Use of methods, procedures, or practices during the production of goods or services that have positive environmental or natural resources conservation impacts. Examples include:

• Testing air or water pollution emission levels

• Maintaining environmentally sustainable buildings

• Designing or implementing drought-resistant landscaping

Script for green PROCESSES & PRACTICES

Feasibility interviews

Typographical conventions: italics for programmer notes, ALL CAPS FOR ITEMS NOT READ OR INSTRUCTIONS TO THE INTERVIEWER.

Introduction

Intro1. Hello. My name is ______________. I am calling on behalf of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I'm calling in reference to a new data initiative being undertaken by BLS. It would be very helpful to us if we could speak with you about your firm’s various production processes and practices. Would you be able to answer questions about your firm’s production processes and practices and the types of jobs at your establishment?

• Yes → GO TO INTRO2.

• No → Do you know who at your firm would be able to answer those questions for us?

Name:_______________________________________

Position/Department:___________________________

Phone:_______________________________________

Fax:_________________________________________

Thank you for your time. (hang up and contact name given).

Continue with correct respondent

Intro2. BLS routinely asks businesses questions that help collect the best data possible, so we are contacting a small sample of employers to discuss an important new data initiative that we are very excited about. We recently mailed you a letter about this. Did you receive our letter?

• Yes → GO TO INTRO3.

• No → Can I can fax or email you a copy of that letter now?

What is your fax number/email address?

Would you like me to call you back once I’ve sent you the fax/email or would you rather schedule for another time?

 CALL ME RIGHT BAck → CONFIRM NAME AND PHONE NUMBER, HANG UP

 RESCHEDULE

When would be a good time to call you back?

Appointment Information:

APPT DAY: _________________ TIME OF DAY: _________________

NAME:______________________ PHONE #:________________________

Intro3. I realize you are very busy, but would you have some time now to answer a few questions? The questions usually take only about 15 minutes.

• Yes, HAVE TIME→ GO TO INTRO4

• No → When would be a good time to call you back?

Appointment Information:

APPT DAY: _________________ TIME OF DAY: _________________

Intro4. I called [Phone number]. Is this the best phone number to use to reach you? Can I have your Name, Job Title, and Fax number for my records?

• Yes

• No → Correct the information here: ____________________

• Name:_______________________________________

• Position/Department:___________________________

• Phone:_______________________________________

• Fax:_________________________________________

Questionnaire Script

Before we begin, let me assure you that the purpose of this call is strictly for informational and statistical purposes. The information you provide will help BLS better understand green business processes and will aid in designing a new survey. Your participation is completely voluntary and you can decline to answer any question at any time. Information related to this study is confidential and will not be released to the public in any way that would allow identification of individuals or establishments. This interview is approved by the Office of Management and Budget, number 1220-0141, which expires on February 29, 2012.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been asked to report on occupational employment in the U.S. related to jobs associated with the use of environmentally-friendly production processes, sometimes referred to as green jobs. The letter we recently sent you explains the types of environmentally-friendly production processes and practices we are asking about. Would you like me to explain these again now, or are you already familiar with these types of activities?

• Yes

• No → GO TO Questions on Green Terminology

Environmentally-friendly production processes and practices are those that reduce the environmental or natural resources impact resulting from production of any good or service. These production processes include the production of green goods and services, and the use of methods, procedures, or practices during the production of goods and services that have a positive environmental or natural resources conservation impact. It is these methods, procedures, and practices that we need to learn more about before we can produce occupational data. The questions I will ask you today will help BLS collect the most accurate and reliable data possible.

Questions about green terminology and definitions.

1. Are you familiar with the terms “green jobs,” or “green-collar jobs?”

• Yes

• No

2. Can you tell me what these terms “green jobs,” or “green-collar jobs” mean to you?

3. Would you be more likely or less likely to answer a survey on environmentally-friendly occupations and wages if it were titled “Green Jobs Survey?”

• More likely

• less likely

4. Are you familiar with the term “environmentally sustainable”?

• Yes

• No

5. Can you tell me what this term means?

Questions about typical environmentally-friendly industrial activities

6. For each of the following industrial activities, please let me know if you are familiar with the term, and whether you can cite an example of the activity.

6.a. Renewable energy production

• Yes FAMILIAR → Example_______________________________

• NO example cited

• NoT FAMILIar

6.b. Energy efficiency implementation

• Yes FAMILIAR → Example_______________________________

• NO example cited

• Not familiar

6.c. Greenhouse gas reduction

• Yes FAMILIAR → Example_______________________________

• NO example cited

• Not familiar

6.d. Pollution reduction and cleanup

• Yes FAMILIAR → Example_______________________________

• NO example cited

• Not familiar

6.e. Recycling and waste reduction

• Yes FAMILIAR → Example_______________________________

• NO example cited

• Not familiar

6.f. Education, compliance, public awareness, and training

• Yes FAMILIAR → Example_______________________________

• NO example cited

  • Not familiar

Questions about green production processes and practices at the establishment

As mentioned earlier, in addition to the relatively familiar industries that are considered environmentally-friendly or green, we want to talk to all firms in all industries. We are interested in collecting occupational data on workers that are primarily engaged in processes and practices at the establishment that positively impact the environment.

7. Included on the back of the letter we sent you are examples of environmentally friendly production processes that would be included in the definition of green processes and practices. I have a list of seven production processes that I’d like to get your reactions to. For each of the following production processes please let me know whether the process is used at your establishment.

7.a. Does your establishment conduct produce, store, or distribute energy (electricity, heat, and fuel) from renewable sources? Renewable sources include hydropower, wind, biomass, geothermal, solar energy, tidal energy, hydrogen fuel cells, and other renewable sources?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.a.1 Does your establishment conduct research on, or develop energy (electricity, heat, and fuel) from renewable sources? Renewable sources include hydropower, wind, biomass, geothermal, solar energy, tidal energy, hydrogen fuel cells, and other renewable sources?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.b. Does your establishment conduct implement energy conservation technologies or practices during business operations?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7b1. Does your establishment conduct research on, or develop energy conservation technologies or practices during business operations?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.c. Does your establishment conduct implement technologies or practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during business operations?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7c1. Does your establishment conduct research on, or develop technologies or practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during business operations?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.d. Does your establishment conduct implement technologies or practices to reduce the emission of pollutants during business operations, or to clean up pollution and hazardous waste created during business operations?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.d1. Does your establishment conduct research on, or develop technologies or practices to reduce the emission of pollutants during business operations, or to clean up pollution and hazardous waste created during business operations?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.e. Does your establishment conduct implement technologies or practices to collect and recycle materials and waste water created during business operations?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.e1. Does your establishment conduct research on, or develop technologies or practices to collect and recycle materials and waste water created during business operations?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.f. Does your establishment conduct implement technologies or practices to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production and improve natural resources conservation? This includes reducing use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, soil and water conservation, sustainable forestry, land management and wildlife conservation.

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.f1. Does your establishment conduct research on, or develop technologies or practices to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production and improve natural resources conservation? This includes reducing use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, soil and water conservation, sustainable forestry, land management and wildlife conservation.

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

7.g. Does your establishment participate or sponsor activities to:

• increase public awareness of environmental issues;

• develop and enforce environmental regulation; or

• provide training in the application of green technologies and practices?

• Yes – used at my establishment

• NoT used at my establishment

• Don’t know if process is used at my establishment

Questions about Job Titles and Wages

The purpose of this new data initiative is to collect occupation and wage information on employees at the establishment that are primarily involved in these environmentally-friendly (green) production processes. For the purposes of this survey we define primarily involved as more than 50% of the employee’s time is spent on these activities. Again, the list of environmentally-friendly processes includes: generating energy from renewable sources, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction, pollution reduction or cleanup, recycling and waste reduction, natural resource conservation, and education and training in these areas.

8. If you were asked about jobs at your establishment that are primarily involved in these environmentally friendly processes, would you be able to tell us the job titles of these employees?

 Yes

• No → Do you know who at your firm would be able to provide job title information?

Name:_______________________________________

Position/Department:___________________________

Phone:_______________________________________

Fax:_________________________________________

9. If you were asked about jobs at your establishment that are primarily involved in these environmentally friendly processes, would you be able to tell us the wages or salaries of these employees by job title?

 Yes

• No → Do you know who at your firm would be able to provide wage information?

Name:_______________________________________

Position/Department:___________________________

Phone:_______________________________________

Fax:_________________________________________

10. How long do you think it would take you to compile the employment and wage information if asked in a survey?

 DON’T KNOW

 REFUSE

• Time estimate given: __________________

11. Would you be more likely or less likely to participate in a survey on green jobs if you were provided with an opportunity to report your data via the internet?

 More LIKely

 less likely

• NO impact on likehighood of responding

12. Do you feel that a survey collecting data on the green economy is of value to the public?

 DON’T KNOW

 REFUSE

• Time estimate given: __________________

13. Would this opinion affect your willingness to provide this type of data if requested?

 YES

 NO

14. As I’ve mentioned before, BLS is trying to find the best approach to measure the number of jobs related to green processes and practices of establishments. Do you have any suggestions as to how BLS can best capture this information in your firm?

IF ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT GREEN DEFINITIONS, PLEASE DIRECT THEM TO www.bls.gov/green WEBSITE.

Closing

Thank you for your time, the information you have provided is very useful. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I can be reached by phone at: xxx-xxx-xxxx or by e-mail at xxxxxxx.

[date]

Joe’s Delicatessen

3 Main Street

Alexandria, VA 33333-3333

Dear [salutation] [last name]:

As the chief source of government data on employment and occupations, BLS intends to produce data on occupational employment related to green jobs. What are green jobs? Broadly defined, green jobs are jobs in emerging environmental industries as well as conventional businesses and trades that shift to more environmentally-friendly production processes, practices, and materials. Some of these green processes and practices are defined on the reverse of this letter.

This initiative will produce regular tabulations of occupational employment and wages for green jobs within the U.S. economy. In order to collect data on green jobs, BLS needs to better understand how firms and worksites maintain information on production processes and the employees that work on them. Therefore, a member of our research team will be calling to ask questions about the following topics:

• Your firm’s green production processes and practices

• Availability of occupational data for employees by production process

• Availability of occupational wage data for employees by production process

• Where and with whom at the firm this information is available

Your voluntary participation is requested to help BLS understand the green production processes that employers like you use in daily business operations. We also need information on the business records you maintain that could be used to answer questions about the types of occupations at your establishment that work on green processes and their wages or salaries.

The purpose of our call is for research only. Information related to this study is confidential and will not be released to the public in any way that would allow identification of individuals or establishments.

It is our goal to keep the length of this interview to a minimum. A member of our research team will contact you to arrange a convenient time and day to interview you over the telephone. This one-time voluntary interview should only take 15 minutes of your time. The OMB control number is 1220-0141, and expires February 29, 2012.

Please contact Sharon Stang at (202) 691-5789 ([email protected]) with any questions. Again, thank you in advance for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Dixie Sommers

Assistant Commissioner

Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections

Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics

• Practices that reduce the environmental impact of producing a good or service.
  Examples include:

• Redesigning product packaging to reduce the use of plastics in production

• Collecting and recycling waste created during a manufacturing process

• Researching a process to reduce air pollution during manufacturing

• Practices that reduce the natural resources impact of producing a good or service. Examples include:

• Using hybrid or electric vehicles to transport goods or employees

• Using recycled packaging for products

• Production of green goods or services for use within the establishment.
  Examples include:

• Installing or maintaining solar equipment used to generate power for use within an establishment

• Installing or maintaining low-flow water fixtures and faucet aerators at the establishment to reduce water consumption

• Use of methods, procedures, or practices during the production of goods or services that have positive environmental or natural resources conservation impacts.
  Examples include:

• Testing air or water pollution emission levels

• Maintaining environmentally sustainable buildings

• Designing or implementing drought-resistant landscaping

The BLS, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent.

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