Careers in Sustainability

• Law- Environmental lawyers fight for environmental and social protections.
• Engineering/Architecture- Specialize in green building practices to reduce energy needs, increase green energy production, and plan for easy access to food or other resources. 
• Foreign Language- Linguists can translate sustainability research into other languages so researchers around the world can share and build upon the latest knowledge.
• Journalism- Report on the creative sustainability solutions being implemented, or normalize sustainable behaviors through your writing.
• Business- Allocate funds to support sustainability, encourage divestment from fossil fuels, perform market research on increasing consumer trends towards sustainable products, or change procurement policies to sustainable brands and companies.
• Video Game Design- Integrate environmental topics into the design.

There are some great career maps you can check out. These resources should be used as starting points for your search. Industries need people with various skills and degrees.

1. energy.gov: Check out potential careers in Clean Energy Manufacturing, Bioenergy, Green Buildings, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, Hydropower, Marine Energy, Solar, and Wind.
2. createenergy.org: Check out potential careers in Climate Control and see some of the same career maps as energy.gov.

1. View companies’ websites and see if they have a sustainability page. Many companies communicate their values, current status, and future goals.
2. Certifications can be an indication of whether a company is committed to sustainability. Each has their own focus, so make sure you understand what a certification encompasses, and if it aligns with your values and goals. 

This is called Intrapreneurship and is greening a company from within. In order to do this, the organization’s products and formal and informal power structures must be understood, and a coalition of support needs to be built within the organization to initiate change by working with those key power players.

Resources:

• How to Find Joy in Climate Action | Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | TED(opens in new window) (10 minutes) This video breaks down a simple way to find out how you can best contribute to climate action.
• Climate Solutions at Work | Project Drawdown(opens in new window)- This guide gives you information on how to leverage your skills and power as an employee to accelerate climate action and hold your company accountable.

• How to Make Your Job a Climate Job | Climate People(opens in new window) (58 minutes, 4 speakers)

1. Kristy Drutman: Founder of Brown Girl Green, co-founder of Green Jobs Board
2. Ben Lai: Software developer at LinkedIn and lead of Go Green program at LinkedIn
3. Adam Braun: Co-founder and CEO of Climate Club
4. Aiyana Bodi: Senior associate of Project Drawdown, specifically the Drawdown Labs division working on employee engagement in the private sector.

• Climate Solutions at Work | Jamie Alexander | Project Drawdown(opens in new window) (55 minutes) This webinar explains the importance of everyone working towards carbon reduction and gives a number of examples of what workers in each industry could potentially focus on. It also explains how to create a group at work to influence the power players at a company.

If you cannot find a job that aligns with your vision, you can create one! Be a trailblazer in this new era of sustainable living.

How to Become an Entrepreneur(opens in new window) (about 12 minutes) PatrickMcKenna gives tips on important skills to develop when starting out.

Utilize campus resources such as CSU Learn or LinkedIn Learning(opens in new window) and search "entrepreneurship."

Social & Environmental Sustainability

B-Corp(opens in new window): A business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency. They must demonstrate high social and environmental performance, make a legal commitment to be accountable to all stakeholders, and transparently report performance publicly.

Fair Trade(opens in new window): Certifies that farmers and workers in developing countries receive decent working conditions and fair compensation based on internationally agreed standards.

Social Sustainability

Women Owned: Validates that a business is at least 51% owned, controlled, operated, and managed by women.

Minority Business Enterprise: Required to be 51% owned, operated, capitalized, and controlled by minority group members.

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise: Must be 51% owned, capitalized, controlled, and operated by individual(s) who are socially and economically disadvantaged.

Environmental Sustainability

1% for the Planet: Companies commit a minimum of 1% of their annual revenue to vetted environmental nonprofits.

ROC: Is a collection of practices that focuses on regenerating soil health and the full farm ecosystem.

1. Talk to professors, professionals, and the Career Center to discover what opportunities exist, and think about different ideas to transform our current systems and way of life.
2. Participate in research projects that have a sustainability focus. They can be student-led like through SFAC funding(opens in new window) or Professor-led.
3. Apply for campus positions like Green Campus Student Aides or internships, AS Sustainability Coordinators or interns, Sustainability Affairs Council (SAC)
4. Shadow professionals to give you a quick look at a job. This usually lasts anywhere from a few hours to a couple days and is a great strategy to quickly experience a wide number of different careers and see what excites you.
5. Intern in a position that interests you. Working in the field for a few months will give you insight on what the day to day work is like.

1. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF(opens in new window))- Features multiple links to sustainable job searches.
2. GreenJobs(opens in new window) – Search for sustainability jobs by category or location.
3. Conservation Job Board(opens in new window) – Filter jobs by category.
4. Good Food Jobs (GFJ(opens in new window)) – Filter by category, location, job type, and compensation.
5. Green Jobs Board(opens in new window) – Explore jobs and pathways in climate, and connect with others.
6. AASHE(opens in new window) – Job postings
7. Typical career search site searches like LinkedIn, Monster, Indeed, etc., can be filtered with keywords including “sustainability” or “green”.

1. Global Guidance for Education on Green Jobs (PDF) by UNEP- This report discusses which sectors are most likely to be impacted by the transition to sustainability, both positively and negatively. It also explores green entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, green jobs, and sustainable development goals.

1. How to Build a Career in Sustainability (hbr.org)(opens in new window) This article recommends education on the three pillars of sustainability, identifying your expertise, and building the skills you need.
2. Exploring Careers in Sustainability: Choosing Your Path for Success(opens in new window) This article discusses the breakdown of pathways to a sustainable career: changing minds, changing the rules, and changing the game.
3. How to Get Started with the Best Sustainable Career Pathways in 2023(opens in new window) This article briefly covers some desired skills as well as how you can get started through volunteering, education, internships, networking, and through a job in a related field. 
4. The New Green Jobs(opens in new window) – This article talks about finding the balance between the need of getting a job, and the desire for passion and purpose in sustainability. Different approaches to finding a job are also discussed.

1. 4 Steps to a Career in Sustainability(opens in new window) | How to Build a Career in Sustainability- This video is a sustainability professional discussing their method of preparing for a career in sustainability.
2. An Employee’s Guide to Sustainability | Elizabeth Bagley(opens in new window) | LinkedIn Learning (watch)- Chico State students have unlimited, free access to LinkedIn Learning! Here’s how to access it.

1. Degrees: Real Talk About Planet Saving Careers(opens in new window) (20-30 minute episodes)
2. Creating a Green and Inclusive Workforce with Mari Nishimura and Dr. Debra Rowe(opens in new window) | Let’s Talk About Climate
3. Ted Climate(opens in new window) – Learn what others are doing (about 12 minute episodes)
4. Ted Sustainability Playlists(opens in new window) – Talks cover recycling, tech, human rights, thrifting, fashion, oil, design, and earth appreciation