Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers

It’s become clear to both hosts of Degrees that some of the most important things they can do in the climate fight are training people to work on climate and connecting people from all corners of that work together. That idea of scaling people and relationships as a climate solution was the heart of this season. In this special finale, they reflect on their own journeys as mentees and mentors, and what community and climate look like when they come together in the perfect mix.

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We all have an idea of what mentorship is, but what does a really effective relationship look like in practice? How can mentors set up their mentees for success? Barbara dos Santos joins us to explain how she approaches these relationships with intentionality and generosity. She makes it a point to mentor people, and is driven to share career knowledge with those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. She shares tips for structuring successful relationships, drops some job-hunting gold, and tells a personal story about a mentor who changed her life.

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Finding climate jobs, or groups of like minded professionals to network with, can be so challenging. But how do you get out of the networking slump, and build lasting, authentic connections that might support you in the long run? Our guest Daniel Gonzalez has become really good at both those things. Daniel is the founder of DJourneys, an organization helping build connection, mentorship and advocacy for talent working in the intersection of tech, climate and energy. He’s also a Climate Fellow at Cadence OneFive, a Climate Corps alum, and he holds a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School Of The Environment.  He’s an immigrant, a climate professional, and an expert relationship builder in the industry who had to call on his network in an emergency that left him with 9 days to find a new role - or leave the country. He’s been open and honest about his raw, real experiences going from low income Colombian immigrant to (one day) Climate CSO on his Linkedin.

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We form a lot of different kinds of relationships in our careers. Some are transactional, and others are more personal. Drew Wilkinson, founder of the Climate Leadership Collective, makes the case that understanding the various natures of these relationships – and fostering as many as possible – can help both individuals and the planet. After working his way from musician to the leader of Microsoft’s employee sustainability community, Drew now works as a consultant. He helps others grow the social ecosystems that will help us all thrive. 

Resources: 

• If you’re looking for a climate community, this list is a great place to start: https://www.climatedraft.org/resources
• Here are some of the communities Drew has been tapping into: 
  • Work on Climate: https://workonclimate.org/about-us/
  • Project Drawdown: https://drawdown.org/about
  • Employee Climate Action Network: https://employeeclimateaction.network/
• You can learn more about Drew on his website: https://www.drewwilkinson.earth/
  • And LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmartinwilkinson/
• The punk rock song you heard was Destroy All Calendars from Drew’s band, Run with The Hunted. Check them out on Bandcamp here: https://runwiththehunted.bandcamp.com/

Related episodes:

How a punk-rocking paralegal harnessed employee power to green Microsoft

Transfer your skills to a green job with Work on Climate's Eugene Kirpichov

Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more. Find climate professionals willing to connect on the #OpenDoorClimate Directory.

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Connect with Yesh Pavlik Slenk and Daniel Hill on LinkedIn

Follow up on social media:

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• @EnvDefenseFund on X
• @EnvDefenseFund on TikTok
• Environmental Defense Fund on LinkedIn

***

Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers

 is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Yesh Pavlik Slenk and Daniel Hill are our hosts. Amy Morse is EDF’s producer. Emily Shaw Creates is our production company. The Degrees production team includes executive producer Emily Shaw, producers Anna Van Dine and Gabby Bulgarelli, technical director Jacob Winik, and mixing engineer Aja Simpson. Our theme song is 

Shame, Shame, Shame

 from Yesh’s favorite band, Lake Street Dive.

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What can you do when you know you want a job in sustainability, but have no idea how to get there? When Nidhi Kaul graduated college, the pathway to her ideal career felt murky. Unsure of how to find the right job, she spent several years in consulting, developing skills and learning her strengths. After finding her way to a job in product management at LinkedIn, she joined an internal group at the company dedicated to sustainability. Her connection with that group ended up leading to her dream opportunity: now she is the Green Economy Lead at LinkedIn, and her whole job is helping others find green gigs. Along the way, Nidhi learned that conversations with others about their own pathways to green jobs can yield rich wisdom – and give a confidence boost.

Resources: 

• Follow Nidhi Kaul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhikaul/
• LinkedIn's Green Job Search Checklist: https://www.linkedin.com/smart-links/AQEJO36lYLC7KQ/a5b7983c-c5d5-4ac1-9564-029ee992ea9c
• LinkedIn Sustainability Resource Hub: https://socialimpact.linkedin.com/sustainability-hub
• Drew Wilkinson’s LinkedIn Learning course: Employee Engagement: Making Sustainability Part of Everybody’s Job https://www.linkedin.com/learning/employee-engagement-making-sustainability-part-of-everybody-s-job
   

Related episodes: If you liked this episode, you'll love these related Degrees episodes:

How to green any job with Project Drawdown's Jamie Beck Alexander

How to get a job investing millions in planet-saving tech

Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more.

Follow and rate Degrees on Apple, Spotify, CastBox, or your favorite listening app. 

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on green careers, upcoming episodes and more.

Connect with Yesh Pavlik Slenk and Daniel Hill on LinkedIn

Follow up on social media:

• @environmental_defense_fund on Instagram
• @EnvDefenseFund on X
• @EnvDefenseFund on TikTok
• Environmental Defense Fund on LinkedIn

Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Yesh Pavlik Slenk and Daniel Hill are our hosts. Amy Morse is EDF’s producer. Emily Shaw Creates is our production company. The Degrees production team includes executive producer Emily Shaw, producers Anna Van Dine and Gabby Bulgarelli, technical director Jacob Winik, and mixing engineer Aja Simpson. Our theme song is Shame, Shame, Shame from Yesh’s favorite band, Lake Street Dive.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Degrees, real talk about planet saving careers, is a production of Environmental Defense Fund. The show is hosted by Yesh Pavlik Slenk and Daniel Hill. Our producers are Gabby Bulgarelli, Anna Van Dine, and Amy Morse. Our Executive Producer is Emily Shaw. The show is mixed by Aja Simpson and Jacob Winik is our Technical Director.

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Dr. Katharine Hayhoe’s research focuses on understanding what climate change means for people and the places where we live. She is the Horn Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University. Her book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, followed her 2018 TED Talk, “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it.” The Guardian called her “a committed Christian who has gained a reputation for being able to reach across the most partisan of political divides.” ‘

Resources from this episode:

• For climate communication and advocacy trainings, check out the Science Network Workshop Series from the Union of Concerned Scientists and read Work for Climate’s tips for talking about climate change at work.
• Subscribe to Talking Climate, Dr. Hayhoe’s weekly newsletter for good news, not so good news, and things you can do about climate change.
• Follow Dr. Hayoe on TikTok @dr.katharine and watch her PBS series Global Weirding for fact-based, practical, and hopeful lessons on climate change.
• If you want to push climate solutions from “the inside” of a workplace that is not doing anything, make sure you have a support network elsewhere. Try the Action Network’s Our Climate Voices or find your local Net Impact chapter.
• To understand more about how people in the US feel about climate change, and how it influences their actions, read this study from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. It will help you think about your approach beyond a believer versus denier binary.
• Dr. Hayoe recommends finding common ground through the things you love to do or ways you identify. For instance, she started a group called Science Moms, and recommends a blog called Fossil Free Football.

Related episodes:

• How a punk-rocking paralegal harnessed employee power to green Microsoft
• How Heather McTeer Toney is redefining climate action for the next generation of leaders
• Yes, you can turn your climate anxiety into meaningful action

***

🌎 Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more.

💚 Follow and rate Degrees on Apple, Spotify, CastBox, or your favorite listening app. 

📧 Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on green careers, upcoming episodes and more.

🔗 Connect with Yesh Pavlik Slenk on LinkedIn

👉 Follow up on social media:

• @environmental_defense_fund on Instagram
• @EnvDefenseFund on X/Twitter
• @EnvDefenseFund on TikTok
• Environmental Defense Fund on LinkedIn

***

Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Yesh Pavlik Slenk is our host.  Amy Morse is EDF’s producer. Podcast Allies is our production company. Tressa Versteeg produced this episode. Mia Lobel is our story editor. Ayo Oti is our researcher. Engineering by Kevin Kline. Editing assistance on this episode from executive producer Elaine Appleton Grant. Our music is Shame, Shame, Shame from Yesh’s favorite band, Lake Street Dive.

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Betony Jones is a nationally recognized expert in labor-climate issues, with a focus on the intersection between climate jobs, clean energy, and unions. As the director of the Office of Energy Jobs, she oversees workforce development strategies and engages with organized labor and other stakeholders to ensure that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) policies and program implementation result in high-quality jobs and economic equity. Previously, Jones was a senior advisor on workforce for the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. She began her career working on climate science in the White House Office of Science and Technology policy in the Clinton Administration. From there, she spent 20 years researching the economic opportunities associated with climate action, including as associate director of the Green Economy program at the University of California Labor Center and as founder and CEO of Inclusive Economics, a national strategy firm working at the intersection of labor, workforce, and clean energy.

Resources from this episode - how to learn more and where to apply: 

• Through the Registered Apprenticeship Program, get paid to earn nationally recognized credentials and receive hands-on training and mentorship in industries like manufacturing, construction, energy, and transportation. 
• Find information about opportunities and grants that fund clean energy and infrastructure projects—and the jobs that go with them— through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law launchpad.
• Read these GreenBiz articles on how to compete for the Department of Energy’s $97 billion in funding and three grants specific to renewable energy.
• The American Climate Corps is set to get 20,000 citizens into climate jobs. One of their first available programs is Forest Corps. Apply here. 
• Want to work with Betony Jones? Here’s a fellowship at her department, the Office of Energy Jobs. 
• How the Department of Energy supports retooling automotive factories for electric vehicle manufacturing. 

Clean energy fellowships, internships and other opportunities:

• Check out Sustainable Career Pathways’ list of 18 sustainability fellowships for students and working professionals.
• Read everything you need to know about an EDF Climate Corps Fellowship and tips on the application process. 
• If you’re an undergraduate college student, consider the United Nations Academic Impact Millennium Fellowship, where you can make your campus more sustainable. 
• For recent graduates, there’s the International Council on Clean Transportation Fellowship, which supports research on transportation policy around the globe; and the Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy has fellowships in both wind and solar energy. 
• If you are working full or part time, there’s programs for you too! Check out fellowships with the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), and Climatebase. 

Must-reads on the impact of the legislation on climate jobs:

• Betony Jones’ article Good Jobs with Good Pay and Benefits are Key to Building the Clean Energy Future.
• How the Inflation Reduction Act is impacting green job creation, according to the World Economic Forum. 
• The fact sheet on how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will create, on average, 1.5 million jobs per year for ten years. 
• Confused by the acronyms? Here’s the differences between the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
• Learn how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are making historic levels of funding available for fossil fuel communities in transition to clean energy.  

Related episodes:

• How to solve the EV problem and a jobs problem at the same time
• This climate champion will upend the way you think about city government jobs
• The EDF Climate Corps alumna greening the golden arches 
• How a psychology major is on the frontlines of decarbonizing a global industry

***

🌎 Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more.

💚 Follow and rate Degrees on Apple, Spotify, CastBox, or your favorite listening app. 

📧 Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on green careers, upcoming episodes and more.

🔗 Connect with Yesh Pavlik Slenk on LinkedIn

👉 Follow up on social media:

• @environmental_defense_fund on Instagram
• @EnvDefenseFund on X/Twitter
• @EnvDefenseFund on TikTok
• Environmental Defense Fund on LinkedIn

***

Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Yesh Pavlik Slenk is our host.  Amy Morse is EDF’s producer. Podcast Allies is our production company. Tressa Versteeg produced this episode. Mia Lobel is our story editor. Ayo Oti is our researcher. Engineering by Andrew Parella and Daniel Chavez Crook. Editing assistance from executive producer Elaine Appleton Grant. Our music is Shame, Shame, Shame from Yesh’s favorite band, Lake Street Dive. Additional music from Epidemic Sound. 

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Rev. Dr. Ambrose F. Carroll, Sr., is the founder and CEO of Green The Church, a catalyst for environmentalism and sustainability built for and by the Black Church. Pastor Carroll serves on the National Environmental Justice Action Committee for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He’s also been a fellow with the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity. He earned his B.A. in psychology from Florida Memorial University in Miami, FL, a Master of Divinity from Morehouse School of Religion in Atlanta, GA, a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, CA, and a Doctor of Divinity from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. 

Resources from this episode:

• Learn more about Green the Church.
• Read Rev. Dr. Ambrose F. Carroll’s bio.
• Watch Pastor Carroll give a sermon about climate change.
• The Van Jones book that inspired Carroll so much, “The Green Collar Economy.”
• Learn more about the Catholic Climate Covenant and Dan Misleh.
• Read the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 2001 plea for dialogue and action on climate change.
• Learn more about Colorado Jewish Climate Action and Moshe Kornfeld.
• Learn more about Green Ramadan and Kori Majeed.
• Read Prof. Atul K. Shah’s bio.
• From Inside Climate News: “Religious Leaders May Be Key to Breaking Climate Action Gridlock, Poll Suggests”
• From The Tennessean: “Uneven Ground: Exceptional Black farmer and their fight to flourish in the South”

Related episodes:

• Hollywood screenwriter and producer Scott Z. Burns on making climate change central to storytelling
• From mud cakes to high stakes with Youth Climate Collaborative’s Pooja Tilvawala
• Eco-anxiety is fueling a new green career: climate psychology
• Why environmental justice is crucial for today’s climate careers

***

🌎 Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more.

💚 Follow and rate Degrees on Apple, Spotify, CastBox, or your favorite listening app. 

📧 Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on green careers, upcoming episodes and more.

🔗 Connect with Yesh Pavlik Slenk on LinkedIn

👉 Follow up on social media:

• @environmental_defense_fund on Instagram
• @EnvDefenseFund on Twitter
• @EnvDefenseFund on TikTok
• Environmental Defense Fund on LinkedIn

***

Who makes Degrees?

Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Yesh Pavlik Slenk is our host.  Amy Morse is EDF’s producer. Podcast Allies is our production company. Stephanie Wolf produced this episode. Mia Lobel is our story editor. Ayo Oti is our researcher and Audrey Nelson provided fact checking. Engineering by Matthew Simonson. Our music is Shame, Shame, Shame from Yesh’s favorite band, Lake Street Dive.

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Solitaire is a renowned sustainability expert who works with some of the world’s most influential organizations. She is co-founder and Chief Solutionist at Futerra and trustee of the Solutions Union. In 2023 she was named ‘Agency Lead of the Year’ at Adweek’s Sustainability Awards. Her popular TED Talk, Forbes column and most recent book – The Solutionists: How Businesses Can Fix the Future – are available online.

Resources from this episode:

• Learn about Futerra’s projects, including climate campaigns, sustainability training for businesses, and products incubator. 
• Watch Solitaire’s 2021 TED Talk:  Are ad agencies, PR firms and lobbyists destroying the climate?
• Check out Futerra’s web series, Solutions House. The series includes debates, presentations, and workshops — all with the motto of “Answers Only.”
• Read Solitaire’s latest book, The Solutionists: How Businesses Can Fix the Future, and her previous book, The Happy Hero: How to Change Your Life by Changing the World.
• Follow Solitaire’s column in Forbes. 

PR & Climate must reads:

• How PR companies hurt the climate
• Former PR executive Christine Arena’s 2023 congressional testimony 
• ”Clean creatives” campaign pushing PR firms to fire their fossil fuel clients
• Fossil fuel companies are paying influencers
• The House Natural Resource Committee’s hearing about the role of public relations firms in preventing climate action

Related episodes:

• Hollywood screenwriter and producer Scott Z. Burns on making climate change central to storytelling
• Lake Street Dive on music, activism, and bravery
• How to green any job with Project Drawdown’s Jamie Beck Alexander

***

🌎 Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more.

💚 Follow and rate Degrees on Apple, Spotify, CastBox, or your favorite listening app. 

📧 Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on green careers, upcoming episodes and more.

🔗 Connect with Yesh Pavlik Slenk on LinkedIn

👉 Follow up on social media:

• @environmental_defense_fund on Instagram
• @EnvDefenseFund on Twitter
• @EnvDefenseFund on TikTok
• Environmental Defense Fund on LinkedIn

***

Who makes Degrees?

Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Yesh Pavlik Slenk is our host.  Amy Morse is EDF’s producer. Podcast Allies is our production company. Tressa Versteeg produced this episode. Mia Lobel is our story editor. Ayo Oti is our researcher. Engineering by Kevin Kline. Editing assistance from executive producer Elaine Appleton Grant. Our music is Shame, Shame, Shame from Yesh’s favorite band, Lake Street Dive. Other music in this episode is from Epidemic Sound.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.