While most industries are facing a huge slump during this rough economy, environmental and clean energy jobs are actually expecting growth.

In 2006, “green collar” jobs in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries created a total of 8.5 million jobs, and that number is only going to increase. According to UN data, the market for environmental products and services will double by  2020.

As many as one out of four workers in the United States will be working in those industries by 2030, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

Jobs in biofuels, wind and solar power, wave and tidal energy, and nuclear power are safe bets. As for fossil fuels, jobs in the coal mining industry have decreased steadily since 1985, and while U.S. coal output rose by almost one third during the past two decades, employment has been cut in half.

Fast Company’s predictions for the top jobs of the next decade include more traditional jobs like farmers, foresters, and energy efficiency builders, but also conservation biologists, solar power installers, wind turbine fabricators, green entrepreneurs and MBAs, urban planners and sustainability systems developers. In California, recycling of bottles and cans continues to rise, and money left over from unclaimed deposits is being used to create new jobs.

The commitment demonstrated by Congress and the Obama administration to job creation and clean energy should reinforce green career opportunities. A national Renewable Portfolio Standard requiring the production of renewable energy could boost jobs, provide nearly $25 billions to farmers and save consumers roughly $10 billion in energy bills by 2020, predicts the Union of Concerned Scientists. Similarly, a $100 billion green investment package over two years would create almost four times more jobs than spending the same amount of money within the oil industry, and would reduce our high unemployment rates to around 4 percent.

However, perhaps the easiest answer is to require automakers to meet a fleet-wide average of 35 mpg by 2018 through technology that already exists, which would create 241,000 additional jobs nationwide by 2020. It would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions, save consumers $37 billion in 2020 alone, and cut national oil use by 1.6 million barrels per day by 2020.

If you’re looking for green jobs, check out these listings on GreenJobs and Sustainable Industries. Even if something requires more education, now seems like as good a time as any to go back to school -- especially if the field promises steady income and career growth.