Green Career Central Blog

Green Career Trends: Top 100 Smart Grid Players, Musicians Going Green, How to Pay for a Green MBA

Being aware of the companies and the leaders who manage them is always helpful when researching an industry.  Green Tech Media has compiled a list of the top 100 people in Smart Grid and the companies that employ them.  If your research has lead you to examine utility scale solar as your industry of choice, you may want to know who the top PV solar companies in utility scale installations are.

Perhaps you are wondering if there are green careers for non-technical, highly qualified people.  Maybe you would like a career in the music business as well as being green.  The newly formed Green Music Group was organized to reduce the environmental impact of the music industry.  Key players include: Dave Matthews Band, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow among others.

Achieving a green MBA can be a daunting undertaking.  Paying for it can also be a challenge.  In this article from the Green Economy Post, you can learn about scholarships, fellowships, assitantships, grants and other types of assistance that make paying for a green MBA easier. 

Workshop: Jump Start Your Green Career Action Group

Announcing our next...

Jump Start Your Green Career Action Group

February 25th – April 6th

Shorten Your Path to Your Green Career

Bring Your Green Niche into Focus and
Create a Personalized Action Plan to
Find Your Green Career

As a result of this workshop by phone, you will:

• Be able to state your green career goal with confidence, clarity, and enthusiasm.
• Know how to use your goal to guide you as you research your career options, network with people in the field, and strengthen your resume.
  
  
• Have a personalized plan to guide your actions as you pursue your green career.
  

This 6-week action group, facilitated by Carol McClelland and her team of career coaches, helps you shorten your path to your green career. Through a collection of personal exercises, group activities, and personal coaching sessions, you gain a clear focus that guides your choices and actions regarding your green career search.

Early Bird Pricing until February 12th

Bioneers Speakers Streaming Live Today, Saturday, Sunday

Bioneers, is a Northern California organization that brings environmental, social and scientific thought leaders together in an annual conference to discuss solutions to dilemmas using nature as model and inspiration as well as human innovation. 

This year Bioneers will be live streaming two speakers each day of the conference.  On Friday Sarah James and Michael Polan will be speaking beginning at 11:30 am PT  On Saturday Jason McLennan and Lily Yeh will be speaking beginning at 9:00 am PT. On Sunday Jerome Ringo and Annie Leonard will be speaking at 11:30 am PT.

Here is the link that will enable you to view these speakers.  

The National Parks: America's Best Idea, a 6-part PBS TV Series Beginning Sunday

Noted film maker Ken Burns and PBS have teamed up to produce "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," a six episode series beginning Sunday night September 27 at 8pm ET/PT.  The show will cover the history of the National Parks, the people that played a pivotal role in shaping national parks as well as the incredible scenic wonders the National Park Service conserves and protects. 

One of the major points of the film is how a youthful democracy chose to make the country's pristine places available to all the world rather than turning them into gated communities of exclusive homes or outdoor theme parks. In so doing, they put millions of people to work, during the Great Depression, to renovate the parks we continue to enjoy today.

Be prepared to be inspired! Enjoy the series.

The Green Economy Is All About Collaboration

In last week's posting I told you about a new sustainability leadership model that’s based on nurturing a collaborative effort of those within a community or an organization.

Collaboration is a key component of the green economy and finding solutions to climate change. Anyone who desires to be in a green career must become comfortable with this way of working.

The Definition

Collaboration means to work or act together or jointly for a common purpose or benefit.
(Dictionary.com)

Why Collaboration Is So Important

As a global community, we are facing economic and environmental problems that defy traditional solutions. We must get beyond our typical thought patterns to find solutions. This takes interacting with others who have a different perspective than we do. It takes working together to blend possible solutions to find the one that has the best chance of working.

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.
--Albert Einstein

How Does Collaboration Work?

A year ago I became involved with a green community group that was based on a very collaborative model. Over a nine-month period over 100 people participated in researching and writing a report to provide our city and community with carbon cutting ideas. Although there was a coordinating group, there was no chair or leader. Everything that transpired happened through collaboration. It was an amazing process to be a part of. We all learned a lot about collaboration, working as a team, and ourselves.

Six Things You Need to Know About Sustainability

When one tugs at a single thing in nature,
he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
--John Muir

If you read any green blogs or listen to traditional media’s take on the green economy, you have no doubt heard the term “sustainability.” If you are like most, you have a general sense of what  the word means, but you may not be able to come up with a clear definition of the concept.

You are not alone! As it turns out there are many, many definitions of sustainability. In fact a brief web search gave me at least 48 different definitions!

Although this multi-faceted term is difficult to grasp, it’s a critical concept to understand if you want to have a green career.

First and Foremost—What is Sustainability?

Let’s begin our conversation with the definition that is cited most frequently.  In 1987, a UN report by the World Commission on Environment and Development made the following statement:

“Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable—
to ensure that it meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.”

In other words, we must not just look at the immediate impact of a project but at how that project will impact future generations.

Second—Sustainability Requires Us to Shift Our Perspective

No longer can we believe our personal and professional actions impact a limited number of people in a limited geographic area.

We must see that our actions and decisions impact the entire world, from what we purchase to what we discard, from how we travel to how we eat. We are part of a much larger system than we realize.

The Solid Case for Green Education

Global warming is a very complex, multi-faceted, scientific issue. We have no prior experience with this situation to know for certain how to deal with it. Even scientists, who study climate change for a living, are learning new information about this issue. (see my recent post about Global Dimming for an example.)

Solutions must be created from an interdisciplinary framework. One industry or one profession doesn't have and can't have all the answers. We must all work together to move forward.

Furthermore, we can't wait until we have the perfect solution worked out. We must begin taking action now and course correct as new data become available.

If you want to make a difference and contribute to turning this situation around, you must educate yourself on the key issues. You must understand the consequences of various actions and solutions. Even if you aren't the scientist who studies the problem first hand, you must be informed enough to be able to follow the logic and arguments and to assess the possible outcomes of different options.

Green jobs used to sit by themselves as a separate part of a company's organizational chart. Now companies are seeing green issues as a key part of their overall strategy and operations. This means, to be competitive, you must be able to take on green/sustainable issues within your job function.

Are you ready?

A Full Range of Educational Options

I know it is sometimes hard to think about going back to school, but before you think you can't add to our education, take a moment to review your options. My recent Green Career Tip of the Week provides an overview of each of these educational options.  

• Graduate degree 

• Undergraduate degree

• Certificate program 

• Courses

• On the Job Training
  

• Leadership Training