When Lithonia native Tracey Watson graduated from Wake Forest University in 2010, she knew she’d face a tough job market. She took full advantage of her school’s career placement office in her job search.
“It was really difficult. I kept an Excel spreadsheet of all my applications and the career fairs I attended. I got maybe one or two interviews for every 20 applications I sent,” said Watson, who has a bachelor's degree in communications with a journalism minor.
Her opportunity came from an unexpected source -- the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).
“An alumni sent me the flier about an ORISE fellowship to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Sustainability. It wasn’t the type of position I would have looked for, but I did have some background in sustainability, so I applied and got it,” said Watson, whose contract was just renewed for a second year.
The CDC’s Office of Sustainability is the division that monitors and seeks to reduce the agency’s carbon footprint, greenhouse emissions and waste, as well as promote more sustainable business practices. It's a concept that's drawing more attention in the business world and in higher education.
“I work in the green meeting sector, and we educate our employees, meeting planners and the community on ways to plan green and healthy conferences,” she said. She also works with the communications team to write intranet articles and draft brochures.
While it wasn’t a straightforward communications job, Watson is happy to be using her skills and working in a growing field where there is constant innovation. “It was my internship with Wake’s Office of Sustainability and the practical experience I got there that gave me extra points in the interview process,” said Watson.
Recruited to Wake Forest two years ago to build a sustainability program, Dedee DeLongpré Johnston has been part of a growing sustainability movement in higher education. More colleges and universities are interested in more socially and environmentally sustainable ways of operating, she said.
“The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education has grown to almost 1,100 members in just six years,” said DeLongpré Johnston, director of sustainability. “Sustainability [thinking] has the capacity to work across disciplinary boundaries. It addresses the most pressing challenges facing society today and asks what can we pull together to find answers.”
Of course, Georgia universities are a part of that movement. For example, Georgia Tech has had an office dedicated to sustainability since 1992, and its Office of Environmental Stewardship was established in 2007. Also, Emory University, which has an Office of Sustainability Initiatives, will serve as host for an Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education workshop in January.
She’s seen more companies and organizations begin to address their triple bottom line of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social justice based on John Elkington’s “Cannibals With Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business (New Society Publishers, 1998). “Sustainability is a way of thinking, and opportunities are often embedded in functional areas such as marketing, research and development and even accounting.”
In the first year, DeLongpré Johnston hired 10 student interns to help her research and carry out sustainability projects on campus. Involved in institutional change management, they learned valuable workplace skills such as critical thinking, creative problem-solving and project management.
“Internships in sustainability demonstrate to employers that students know how to think critically, navigate the system and solve problems. Being a self-starter and demonstrating results-driven leadership is a good way to stand out from the competition,” she said.
She encourages college students to focus and get involved in something they are passionate about and good at by their senior year; to engage in learning by doing, either through an internship or leading a club or community initiative. “You can be so much more authentic in an interview when you can speak from experience,” she said.
The sustainability movement is growing in momentum, as are green jobs, said Carol McClelland, author of “Green Careers for Dummies” (For Dummies Publisher, 2010) and founder of www.GreenCareerCentral.com.
“Professionals are now discussing the definitions for sustainability and ‘green,’ which tells me that we’re in the early phases of a pretty considerable shift in how we do business,” said McClelland.
Solar energy installers, alternative fuel manufacturers and environmental engineers are obvious "green" jobs. But in the broader picture, any organization that has buildings, uses energy and natural resources, and buys good and services will be addressing sustainability issues. The market is showing a steady increase in sustainability manager and support team positions.
“Companies are looking for people with in-depth knowledge of their industry, who have the skills needed to rethink processes, operations, finances and marketing, and the leadership qualities to guide organizational change,” McClelland said. That spells job opportunity.
Resources on green, clean and sustainable jobs
www.greenbiz.com
www.stateofgreenbusiness.com
www.greencareercentral.com/map
International Society of Sustainability Professionals: www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education: www.aashe.org
Bureau of Labor Statistics: www.bls.gov/green
Sources: Carol McClelland and Dedee DeLongpré Johnston
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