USA Green Jobs now & USAGAPP.com Gets Technical

Gasoline and crude oil prices are sky-high, if still below the stunning, record highs of July 2008. So, what's not to like about alternative energy?

Some key differences, however, stand out this time around. Nuclear power — which some included in the clean energy category along with wind, solar, biofuels and others  — is suddenly suspect again, after the near meltdown in Japan; and turmoil through much of the oil-rich Middle East has raised worries about supply in the U.S. and elsewhere.

It was almost predictable that alternative energy stocks would benefit, and their solid gains in the past six weeks underscore the assumption that wind, solar and other energy sources are viable alternatives when fossil fuels reach such precious price levels.

The final difference is that green energy has evolved well beyond source fuels; it's also much more about efficiency and conservation, whether it is consumption, production or recycling. Resource and cost savings in this area can be achieved easier and swifter, and on a smaller scale.

Sustainability these days is very much about technology, which is why we spotlight it during our twice-yearly NBC Universal "Green Is Universal" special reports.

This one, timed as usual to coincide with Earth Day on April 22, looks at both business-to-business and business-to-consumer efforts.

Learn how companies are competing in providing oil purification technologyfor major manufacturers or recycling the rare-earth elements from old consumer electronic products. Others are adapting fiber-optic technology to make 3-D solar panels.

Go to www.USAGREENJOBSNOW.oRGor to www.USAGAPP.com