An initiative seeded back in 2009 by then-Mayor E. Denise Simmons is finally taking root, which could lead to more environmentally-friendly, “green collar” jobs for Cambridge residents.
The Cambridge City Council passed the Green Jobs Ordinance in 2023, a measure introduced by Councillor Quinton Zondervan to connect residents with green jobs. In July 2025, Rebecca Arellano was hired as the city’s first Green Jobs Specialist. She was introduced to City Council at its March 9 meeting, where she answered questions from councillors, including some pointed ones from Simmons about how she planned to build trust across the community.
Arellano works closely with the Office of Sustainability, but her job is part of the Office of Workforce Development, the city’s umbrella department for adult and youth job programming, which requires her to keep her finger on the pulse of the evolving nature of green jobs.
Arellano has been working on developing programs to assist Cambridge residents in training for and connecting to Green Jobs, which are “any job that protects or repairs the land, the water or air,” she said in an interview.
Many of these jobs are practical. “A lot of the big trades are actually green jobs,” Arellano said. She named electricians, HVAC workers, power line workers, construction laborers and building inspectors as the top five most in-demand green jobs across the state.
“[These green jobs] usually do not require a four-year degree, and they are extremely lucrative careers,” Arellano said.
The Green Jobs program is both a training program and a way to find work for Cambridge natives who need extra support, said Susan Mintz, the Director at the Cambridge Office of Workforce Development.
Arellano’s work spans Cambridge communities, but her primary focus is marginalized groups who may not have immediate access to pathways to green jobs.“The biggest barrier to entry into green jobs for women, people of color, youth and low income folks is simply lack of awareness” that the jobs exist and how to get them, Arellano said.
Part of Arellano’s role is to connect residents with technical training in electrical and HVAC skills, which may increase the importance of vocational training in Cambridge, notably at the Rindge School of Technical Arts, the vocational school within Cambridge Rindge and Latin, the district’s high school.
Arellano hopes to shift some of her efforts to Cambridge youth. Last month, she gave a presentation to Green Cambridge’s Canopy Crew, a paid internship where teens learn to plant trees. Future youth endeavors will target those who may not already have insight into environmental jobs, Arellano said, citing plans to “make inroads into Cambridge Public Schools.”
Her work is happening at a time that contrasts sharply with the optimism of 2009, when the state legislature had passed support for the development of green jobs. Today there is more of a sense of climate pessimism, and financially, the Trump Administration is pushing to cut the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget in half, and some state-level environmental agencies have also seen funding cuts.
Arellano said she remains hopeful about the future of Cambridge’s green efforts. “We here in Massachusetts have the will, the intellect, the money, the capital and the overall spirit to really keep this environmental green movement going,” Arellano said.
Arellano will host an April 22 webinar at 12:30 p.m. open to adults and teens 14 years or older to provide an overview on green jobs. She will also table at Cambridge Public Library’s Valente Branch on May 4 at 4 p.m. and at the Central Square Library on May 6 at 12 p.m.
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