Start Your Green Career Today

By Melinda Toussaint

Looking for a job can be tough and during this time in the economy it’s even tougher. That’s why you have to be prepared. If you want to see yourself in a green career you need to set yourself on the green career path now, especially if you are still in school. Here are five steps to get you out there in the green community.

1. Research green jobs:
Go online and find out what green jobs interest you and what you need to do to succeed in getting that job. Find out what courses are necessary to do well in and if your school offers them. If your university does not, it may offer occasional classes or lectures on green ideas or sciences. Also, you can check out surrounding schools to see if there are any special programs. Visit www.greenlivingideas.com to check out Green Collar Jobs.
2. Offer Help:
Look into professors on campus to see if any are conducting their own research in the marketing, engineering, or science fields. Their studies can provide the tools for new green ideas to spring from. Between teaching, research, and personal lives many professors may feel overwhelmed. Offer up your services to help in whatever they may need. Even if it’s just paperwork, it will be a great experience to shadow a professor, not to mention an excellent resume builder.
3. Volunteer:
Lend a helping hand to local or national charities- especially those that give back to the environment, non-profit organizations, and/or businesses that are eco-friendly. All of which will give you direct, hands-on experience that companies are looking for. (An excellent one is Habitat for Humanity)
4. Know the Industry:
Stay on top of the latest green ideas by staying tuned in to the world around you. Read the newspaper and visit websites such as www.greendaily.com or www.treehugger.com to get tips, news, and great green ideas for the season. To find out about upcoming green events go to: www.earthdaynetwork.org or www.care2.com. You can also give back by contributing to some of these sites or starting your own blog. Knowledge is power and will put you one step ahead in the fight for a green job.
5. Know your Carbon Footprint:
The best way to get on a green career path is to ensure you are on a green life path. Try to practice green habits, especially the 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) on a daily basis. Your experience in living green will help others and help you land the right green career. Visit www.earthlab.com/carbonprofile to calculate your carbon footprint with such factors as where you live, how your work, and how you travel. Then set a goal to lower your carbon footprint. The hard part will be actually achieving it. If you do, you will have a great success story to share with prospective green companies and their clients.

To find out more about green careers to see if one is right for you, visit the Environment Defense Fund www.edf.org/cagreenjobs.

Environmental Entrepreneurs

By Kethaki Nair

If you are interested in social change, but still haven’t found a job that excites you, social entrepreneurship could be worth looking into. As a social entrepreneur you can devise your own innovative solutions to your community’s or the world’s biggest environmental issues. Here are two inspiring examples:

Rafael Cancel-Vazquez: As founder of the National Environmental Law Association (ANDA), the first environmental law center in Puerto Rico, Rafael aims empower the community with the resources to use environmental law to protect the local environment. The organization uses a combination of public awareness, training, and free legal representation to accomplish its mission. Rafael graduated from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law in 2008. He says he was inspired by, “The imagination of the citizens that ANDA will serve, since they continuously challenge traditional legal solutions and help us to forge out-of-the-box dreams.” http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellows/rafa-cancel-vazquez

Iftekhar Enayetullah and Maqsood Sinha: These residents of Dhaka were troubled by the inadequate solid waste disposal systems offered by the government. Together they started Waste Concern, an organization that promotes the composting of organic waste in Dhaka’s slums. To involve the poor residents in the project they encouraged them to look at their waste as a resource. The compost-based bio-fertilizer was sold to local nurseries and local participants got a share of the income. Waste Concern is helping clean up Dhaka’s slums while creating new jobs and income. http://www.ashoka.org/casestudies

There are many organizations out there that fund and train social entrepreneurs to help them realize their dreams. Rafael is an Echoing Green Fellow. As part of the fellowship program Echoing Green provides both funding and training. Iftekhar and Maqsood are Ashoka Fellows and part of Ashoka’s Environmental Innovations Initiative. They provide similar support as well as attempt to bring environmental leaders across the world together.

In case you’re not quite ready to be a social entrepreneur, both Ashoka and Echoing Green offer summer internships that can give you an overview of the field.