Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers

The clothing retail industry is not known for being climate friendly. The textile industry, as a whole,  emits 1.2 billion tons of carbon and uses five trillion liters of water per year.

Dawnielle Tellez, an EDF Climate Corps alum, is candid and thoughtful about the challenges of making the outdoor apparel industry more sustainable. “What's been tough for me to realize is that at the end of the day, the outdoor industry and broadly apparel industry is reliant on fossil fuels,” she  tells Yesh Pavlik Slenk. 

She finds reasons for hope, though. Tellez says the circular economy, the adoption of lower carbon materials, and scaling decarbonization are exciting, emerging ways the apparel industry will be reducing negative environmental impacts going forward.  

Tellez advises people looking to get into sustainability careers to set goals, ask for informational interviews, and explore the kinds of degrees she and other sustainability specialists have pursued. “The space is just wide open right now,” she says. “I feel like you can really carve out whatever it is that you want.”

Tellez fights social challenges as well as climate change—particularly the historical exclusion of marginalized groups from outdoor activities.  She hopes to see them become more visible and included in the outdoor imagination—some of which is modeled by high-profile outdoor apparel companies like REI.

“Looking to groups that are bringing access and knowledge of sport, [such as] Black Girls Run, Outdoor Afro, Latino Outdoors, organizations that are doing incredible work to build community amongst different BIPOC groups is, I think, hugely valuable to how we're going to be able to make the outdoors actually accessible for all people going forward.”

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• REI: A Sustainable Future, REI’s blog about their sustainability initiatives
• GRID Alternatives: GRID Alternatives. Dawnielle worked for this nonprofit, which provides affordable solar panels to low-income communities.
• EDF: Climate Corps
• GreenBiz: The 2021 GreenBiz 30 Under 30
• Black Girls Run:Black Girls Run. 
• Outdoor Afro: Outdoor Afro
• Latino Outdoors: Latino Outdoors

Additional information: 

• EDF’s Supply Chain Solution Center
• REI’s 2020 Impact Report (its corporate sustainability report) 
• Nature: The price of fast fashion
• World Resources Institute: Apparel Industry's Environmental Impact in 6 Graphics
• USC Diving: USC Dornsife Scientific Diving, Dawnielle’s 2012 blog post about scientific diving at USC

Follow EDF:

• Not yet receiving the Degrees newsletter? Join us here! 
• Twitter: EDF (@EnvDefenseFund)
• Facebook: Environmental Defense Fund
• Instagram: environmental_defense_fund
• LinkedIn: Environmental Defense Fund

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LaUra Schmidt co-founded the non-profit Good Grief Network in 2016 with her wife, Aimee Lewis-Reau, to provide a space to help people cope with climate anxiety. Passionate about saving endangered species and panic-stricken about the climate emergency, LaUra had been suffering from her own climate grief and impotence. A childhood trauma survivor, LaUra had found solace in Adult Children of Alcoholics. So she took that group’s 12-step model (an offshoot of AA) and developed a 10-step program for others like her. Today, it’s helped more than 2,500 climate anxiety sufferers from more than 14 countries—and growing.  

Schmidt describes the despair of climate anxiety as “when we wake up to how severe the climate crisis is, paralleled with our social injustice issues... our ecosite issues and our habitat destruction issues.” That wake-up call can make anyone question themselves, she says: “It really takes on a personal blend of, ‘ What can I possibly do?’” 

The Good Grief Network arrived right on time. A recent study published in the medical journal The Lancet found that of 10,000 young people, ages 16 to 25, in 10 countries, 84% are worried about the climate. 

• The same study found more than 50% feel sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless and guilty about climate change.
• Forty-five percent said climate anxiety was affecting their ability to function in daily life.

The authors wrote that this stress threatens the health and well-being of young people and there is an “urgent need” for an increase in research and governmental response to this critical issue.  

Since its founding, The Good Grief Network has served more than 2,500 participants in more than 14 countries. Schmidt, who describes herself as a “truth-seeker, cultural critic, grief-worker, and the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor” hopes to help others around the world develop the resiliency and skill set to create change.

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• IPCC: AR6 Climate Change 2021
• The Lancet: Young People's Voices on Climate Anxiety and Government Betrayal, and Moral Injury: A Global Phenomenon

Additional Information:

• Today: Climate Anxiety is Real: How to Cope When it Feels Like the World is Burning  Results of the first large-scale, global peer-reviewed study on climate anxiety in children and young adults was published in the scientific journal The Lancet on Tuesday, September 14.
• Gizmodo: The Kids Are Not Alright  In what Gizmodo called “rare candor” by scientists, the authors said that they had hoped for significant results. But they added, “We wish that these results had not been quite so devastating.”
• Washington Post: Climate disasters will strain our mental health system. It’s time to adapt
• The Atlantic: A World Without Children

Follow Good Grief Network: 

• LinkedIn: laUra schmidt
• Website: Good Grief Network
• Twitter: Good Grief Network (@GoodGriefNetwk)
• Instagram: Good Grief Network (@goodgriefnetwork)

Follow EDF:

• Not yet receiving the Degrees newsletter? Join us here! 
• Twitter: EDF (@EnvDefenseFund)
• Facebook: Environmental Defense Fund
• Instagram: environmental_defense_fund
• LinkedIn: Environmental Defense Fund

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BJ Johnson is in a hurry—and for good reason. He’s frustrated by the slow pace of change to address the climate crisis. And he’s angry about how air particle pollution endangers everyone, but especially marginalized groups. 

Black, brown, and poor communities are especially plagued by harmful health outcomes—like asthma, COPD and other lung diseases—from environmental pollutants. Regardless of their state or income, Black residents are exposed to 26% higher levels of soot from heavy-duty diesel trucks than the national average. Once exposed, they are then at a three times higher risk of dying.

BJ won’t settle for it taking another two decades to solve the problem. As he tells host Yesh Pavlik Slenk, “This notion of, oh, well it's okay, that five-year-olds in L.A. today have asthma because we'll have electric school buses in 2040—we need to reject that type of thinking and start asking, no—why can't we start making this better today?”

Which is exactly what he’s trying to do. BJ talks with Yesh about how he and ClearFlame cofounder Julie Blumreiter are working to transform the dirty fossil-fuel-based trucking industry into a clean one, affordably. Now.

But that’s not all—the two founders are also fighting for more diversity, inclusion and equity in academia and in the world of high-tech startups. Johnson is one of a small handful of Black academics who have earned doctorates in engineering. 

Sadly, that’s not surprising: women and Black people (both men and women) remain underrepresented in STEM degrees and careers, according to the Pew Research Center. Black people are especially underrepresented in engineering, where they make up only 5% of all groups in that field, despite being 11% of the workforce. 

Blumreiter and Johnson, who is half-Black, call for an end to this inequity. Writing in an open letter on their website, they reference their own experiences as being “consistently underestimated” because of their identities. In their letter, they call for acknowledgment that solving the world’s problems must come from “a diverse range of thought-leaders.”

Additional Information:

• Grist: Grist 50 2021  ClearFlame was named one of Grist’s top 50 “fixers” of issues surrounding climate change in 2021.
• Techcrunch: ClearFlame Engine Technologies takes aim at cleaning up diesel engines
• OEM Off-Highway: ClearFlame Receives DOE Grant to Support R&D of Clean Engine Technology
• New York Times: Biden Tightens Emissions Rules
• Pew Research Center: STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity
• American Lung Association: https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/who-is-at-risk/disparities

Follow BJ Johnson and ClearFlame Engine Technologies: 

• Twitter: Clear Flame Engine Technologies (@ClearFlameEng)
• LinkedIn: BJ Johnson
• Company website: ClearFlame Engine Technologies

Follow EDF:

• Not yet receiving the Degrees newsletter? Join us here! 
• Twitter: EDF (@EnvDefenseFund)
• Facebook: Environmental Defense Fund
• Instagram: environmental_defense_fund
• LinkedIn: Environmental Defense Fund

(1) https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/04/01/stem-jobs-see-uneven-progress-in-increasing-gender-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/

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Brooklyn-based Lake Street Dive is Yesh’s favorite band ever! She was so excited to talk to them about her most passionate subject, climate change, and to find out that they care about saving the world (especially for future generations) as much as she does.

Most people don’t think about how their favorite bands contribute to healing our planet. According to a study published in the academic journal Popular Music in 2019, five Scottish touring bands collectively created 19,314 kg (approx. 21 tons) of carbon emissions between the months of April and September. The average yearly carbon emissions per person globally, according to The Nature Conservancy, is four tons.

Lake Street Dive strives to make a difference. Drummer Mike Calabrese, a passionate environmentalist, has taken the lead in educating his fellow band members about climate change and inspiring them to take action. At their shows, they’ve created a culture of environmentalism by allowing only reusable water bottles and utensils—and of course by recycling. They have also partnered with Cool Effect, a carbon offsetting non-profit, to support environmental efforts that help underserved communities around the world. One beneficiary is the Los Santos Wind Power Project, which intends to provide clean energy to 50,000 people in the Los Santos region of Costa Rica. Their latest album, Obviously, includes the song “Making Do” about the effects of global warming on the lives of young people. 

Calabrese and lead singer Rachael Price discuss their experiences as an eco-conscious touring band, including their politics in their art, and how people can overcome their fears about our changing world in order to make it better for everyone. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• IPCC: AR6 Climate Change 2021

Additional Resources:

• Cambridge: Do music festivals communities address environmental sustainability and how? A Scottish case study
• The Nature Conservancy: Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
• Cool Effect: Lake Street Dive (Info about Lake Street Dive’s collaboration with carbon offset nonprofit Cool Effect)
• Ladygunn: Lake Street Dive is "Obviously" Making Do (Rachael Price talks with Ladygunn.com about the album Obviously)
• Spotify: Mother Earth Podcast  (Mike Calabrese discusses his environmentalism)
• FDA: Food loss and waste in the U.S.  (In the U.S., food waste is approx. 30-40% of the food supply)

Follow Lake Street Dive:

• Facebook: Official Lake Street Dive Facebook
• Twitter: Lake Street Dive (@lakestreetdive)
• Instagram: @lakestreetdive
• Website: Lake Street Dive Official

Follow EDF:

• Sign up for the new Degrees newsletter!
• Twitter: EDF (@EnvDefenseFund)
• Facebook: Environmental Defense Fund
• Instagram: environmental_defense_fund
• LinkedIn: Environmental Defense Fund

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Networking takes work. Sam Charner offers specific advice to help you become a more effective networker, no matter whether you’re a student, a new jobseeker, or a career changer. 

Don’t just sign up for a networking group. Get involved.

• Don’t just sign up and read the occasional newsletter. Participate in virtual and in-person events. Volunteer to help organize the next event.
• Join small projects and committees to get to know a small group of people on a deeper level. 
• Ask members to recommend job boards, events and additional networking groups and professional associations. 
• Don’t go into every interaction thinking, “How is this person going to help me get a job?” Build relationships. 

How do I choose a professional community (or more than one)? 

• Identity-specific communities can be wonderful support systems. Examples include communities for women, veterans, and people who identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ. 
• Joining geographic-specific communities helps you meet other local and regional planet savers, and also people who live where you want to move. There are sustainability-minded groups all over the globe, in neighborhoods, universities, cities and towns, states and provinces. 
• To learn more about your desired field or profession and make connections within it, join industry groups like those for wind energy, agriculture, transit and urban planning, packaging, supply chains and more. 

What else should I consider before joining?

• Make sure the topics important to the organization are also important to you. You can’t join every organization, so pick the ones you’re truly curious about. 
• What does it cost to join? If it’s expensive, this community may be more interested in recruiting experts and seasoned professionals with extensive experience than newbies. If you’re not ready for that commitment, keep looking. 
• Word of mouth counts. Know a member of the community you’re thinking about? Ask them what it's like — and if they think it’s worth it.

Learn more:

• Join your local Net Impact chapter (or start one)! There are more than 400 chapters in over 40 countries.
• Peruse more than 40 networks to join on Sustainable Career Pathways.
• Register for Net Impact’s Regenerative Economy series of events, connection and conversation. 
• To make the most of your new relationships, read Net Impact’s guide to perfecting the informational interview.

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For more guidance on making the biggest green job hunting pain points less painful, read on. 

Keep in mind: 

• An hour spent networking is more valuable than an hour spent applying for jobs you find on the internet.
• In your resume, focus on the outcomes of your work
• Learn how broaden your job search by applying specific modifications to your dream job
• For more guidance, visit Net Impact’s Six Steps to Job Search Success.

1. How do I write a resume that results in a job interview?

• Focus on what you’ve accomplished -- big or small -- rather than on your everyday responsibilities. 
• Include specific examples of outcomes, like the number of shares on a social media post or a project getting picked up by the media. Think about numbers, percentages and other metrics.
• Use these examples to demonstrate the benefits you’ll bring to a new organization or hiring manager. 

2. Why can’t I get a job interview?

• You’re not networking well. Don’t apply blind if you can help it. Find a classmate, former employer, or friend of a friend who is connected to the organization you are applying to.  
• An hour spent networking is more valuable than an hour spent applying for jobs you find on the internet. You should be networking at least triple the time you spend searching for jobs online. 
• Build a network of people you trust to offer encouragement, hold you accountable, ask you tough questions and serve as sounding boards for practice interviews. 

3. There are so many kinds of planet-saving jobs. Where do I fit?

• Consider which type of workplace is most appealing: nonprofit, government agency, foundation, B Corp (triple-bottom line company), for-profit business (large or small?) or community organization. 
• Traditional roles like accounting and marketing are vital to every organization focused on sustainability. 
• Many traditional for-profit businesses now hire “impact” roles such as sustainability analysts and reporters and policy advocates.

4. I want to help save the planet but I don’t know where to start. 

• To begin envisioning your dream job, write it out, draw it, or describe it to a friend. What are the day-to-day tasks? What type of organization? Any specific dream organizations? Are you working in front of a screen or out in the field? Do you want to work on a team or solo?
• Which parts of your dream job are you willing to modify? For example, would you still be interested if it were for a different company? What if the organization were much smaller than you’ve imagined, or in a rural area rather than a city? Modify the role in a couple of ways and open up your job hunt.
• Organize a group of friends or classmates to keep you accountable on your job search with Net Impact’s self-guided workshop, Making A Path (MAP). 

Learn more: 

• Find social impact and sustainability job listings on Net Impact’s Job Board
• Transform a traditional resume to a green one with Greenbiz’s Resume Guide
• Once you get that interview, practice! Use Net Impact’s interview toolkit to get ready. 

Visit our Green Jobs Hub for job-hunting resources and listings and more links to information about salary and diversity in green careers. 

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Sustainability certifications are a minefield. Do you have to spend time and money getting certified? How do you choose? GreenBiz’s John Davies knows which credentials are worth the effort and the cost—and when you don’t need them at all. In this episode, John gives us the scoop on:

• Gold-standard certifications specific to different industries
• Hands-on experience through internships, volunteering and other jobs is just as valuable as a certification
• You don’t need an Ivy League degree to get a green job

1. Which green certifications do I need to get hired? 

• Entry-level jobs don’t often require certifications. If you need one to do your job, the organization should offer the opportunity to get it as part of your job training. 
• Each industry comes with its own certifications, as do many different roles within industries. You don’t need the entire alphabet soup of certifications. 
• Some gold-standards are the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), GARP in finance (Global Association of Risk Professionals), LEED AP in design and APICS in supply chain management (Association of Supply Chain management).
• On their own, certifications don’t guarantee a job, a promotion or a salary increase.

2. Additional valuable experiences that can give you a leg up 

• Leading the Sustainability Transformation from WholeWorks and GreenBiz is a 10-week simulation of a triple-bottom-line company. (Companies that attend to the triple bottom line attempt to ensure that their activities benefit people, profit and the planet.)
• EDF’s Climate Corps is a fellowship that offers opportunities to implement practical sustainability solutions in real companies. 

1. A listener asks: “Do I need an Ivy League degree to get a leadership role in sustainability?” 

• Not by a long shot! An elite degree is not a prerequisite for a career in sustainability. 
• Many sustainability professionals want to mentor the next generation of purpose-driven workers, no matter their educational background. 
• Your degree doesn’t matter as much as you might think. A critical thinking degree in the humanities is just as relevant to sustainability as is engineering or biochemistry.

Learn more:

Figure out which certifications are right for you: 

• GreenBiz’ certification how-to guide
• Sustainable Career Pathways’ certification breakdown 

For links to the policy and advocacy organizations mentioned in this episode, see our Green Jobs Hub. 

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John Davies of GreenBiz shares his latest findings on compensation, pay equity and how you can increase your value — and your salary. 

1. How does my role impact the salary I earn?

Managers in sustainability careers make anywhere from $50,000 to $280,000 a year. The longer you’ve been at your job, the more you make. But what are the other factors?

• Your responsibilities, particularly the number of people and projects you manage, have an outsized impact on salary. 
• Already working in sustainability but wishing for a bigger paycheck? When people switch organizations, they often do so for a raise. (But don’t overlook your ability to use a job offer to negotiate for better pay where you already work.) 
• When it comes to compensation, most master’s degrees don’t seem to make much of a difference. But in corporate sustainability jobs, having an MBA could. About a third of managers, directors and vice presidents have MBAs. 

2.  How diverse are green jobs? How does diversity relate to compensation? 

• The number of women in sustainability leadership roles has increased close to 20 percentage points in every category since 2010.
• Corporate sustainability jobs have almost achieved gender pay equity. On average, women make a few thousand dollars less than their male counterparts. 
• Increasingly, companies are hiring from outside, not simply promoting from within. This gives organizations access to more people. For organizations that are intentional about it, access to a wider pool of candidates can increase diversity. 
• But the profession has a long way to go. When it comes to racial diversity, the numbers are stark: 77 percent of managers identify as white or Caucasian. 
• To help solve this problem, GreenBiz is launching Greenbiz.org. It’s a nonprofit designed to bring more BIPOC candidates into the profession. 

3. A listener asks: “Having a passion for sustainability used to be a unique quality that would get you over that edge for a job, but that’s not so true anymore. How do I show my unique value?” John’s advice:

• Don’t wait for a sustainability job title to take action. Work within your current role to bring sustainability to your workplace.
• Identify your organization’s sustainability “problem areas.” What are your ideas for solving them?  Where can you improve circularity? Share your strategies with management and get to work where you are. 
• Then, when you are ready to switch organizations, you’ll be able to show off your real-work outcomes.  

Learn more:

Stay up-to-date with the latest news in sustainability and business with GreenBiz:

• Read the latest State of the Profession Report
• Watch webcasts on Women in Sustainability
• For more in increasing diversity in green jobs, visit GreenBiz.org 

Visit our Green Jobs Hub for job-hunting resources and listings and more links to information about salary and diversity in green careers. 

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Sustainability jobs are growing fast. From industry hot spots to the most-needed skills, Episode 2 is full of insider tips for jobseekers from John Davies of GreenBiz, the go-to hub for the latest in business and sustainability. For all of the guidance and resources mentioned in this episode, visit Land a Green Job 101 online. 

1. Which industries are growing planet-saving jobs?

After years of sputtering along, sustainability job postings on LinkedIn grew about 10% in 2019. 

• Some roles are part of small corporate sustainability teams. But sustainability skills are needed in more traditional positions as well. 
• Download the GreenBiz State of the Profession report.

These jobs are growing across industries:

• Manufacturing
• Supply chain management
• Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Companies
• Finance
• Fashion
• Energy
• Technology
• Medical devices
• Transportation

2. Which skills are in greatest demand?

More and more industries are seeking people who understand circularity. For information about new jobs in the circular economy, read this GreenBiz column.

• Companies are greening their systems. Skills needed are specific to companies and industries.
• Industries moving quickly on circularity include medical devices, tech companies, and fashion. 
• For in-depth information, read corporate sustainability reports. Look for their problem areas. Which skills do you have, or can you learn, that can solve these problems? 

Learn how to build business cases for sustainability:

• Become a translator between different departments — for example, supply chain, purchasing and manufacturing.
• Building a business case takes communication, presentation, skill in interpreting and reporting sustainability metrics and collaboration.
• Be a constant learner. Stay current on new innovations and the latest research in your target industries and organizations.

Learn more

• Find new sustainability job posts daily. Visit our Green Jobs Hub.
• For dozens of job boards in energy, sustainability and the nonprofit sector, visit Sustainable Career Pathways. 
• Search for sustainability jobs on LinkedIn. 
• 18 million jobs will result from the Paris Agreement, reports The International Labor Organization. Read more about the growth of the green economy globally. 
• Read the Weinreb Group’s report on the rise of the Chief Sustainability Officer.  
• Read about how Chipotle and other companies are incentivizing executives to improve ESG goals through financial bonuses.

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