Green Careers: Sustainability Consulting

Did you take our green career quiz on Monday? If so, did you score mostly d's? You'll probably excel as a sustainable planning consultant. Read below to learn how to launch a career helping companies both succeed and practice environmental responsibility.

Green Careers: Sustainability Consulting

You don’t need to dirty your hands reporting on an oil spill, tilling an urban vegetable garden, or monitoring Sumatran tiger populations to protect the planet. As a sustainable planning consultant, you can minimize harm to the environment from a corporate conference room. 

Sustainable planning consultants research and implement cost-saving strategies to reduce a company’s environmental impact. They help evaluate sustainable development requirements and create and implement strategies to help companies go green. To do this, a sustainable planning consultant might help a company choose an alternate form of energy, like solar panels, or start an initiative to reduce the company's carbon footprint by 25 percent in five years.

Green Careers: Wildlife Biology

Passionate about protecting animals and their habitats? Curious about different animal species and the complex relationships that make up an ecosystem? You might find your calling as a wildlife biologist. Stay tuned this week for more green career profiles. If you haven’t already, take our quiz to discover which eco-profession could offer the best fit for you.

Green Careers: Wildlife Biology

Wildlife biologists research the characteristics and habitats of animals. Some do primarily office work, but if you’d rather work outdoors, check out field biologist or research biologist positions, which involve studying species’ feeding, mating, and/or social habits in their natural habitats. Fieldwork could also include collecting specimens, which the researcher will take back to a lab. There, he or she might dissect dead animals to understand their anatomy or how parasite might be affecting a wildlife population.  Lab work could also entail data analysis using computer software.

Green Careers: Urban Farming

For Green Lifers seeking to align their career compass, we've dedicated this week to profiling different eco-professions. Yesterday we learned about environmental journalism. If you took our quiz on Monday and scored mostly b's, then read below to learn more about urban farming, your green career fit.

Green Careers: Urban Farming

Urban farmers grow, process, and distribute food in or around a city, allowing its residents easy access to fresh, seasonal produce. Some farmers raise animals, such as chickens or fish. Often found on rooftops, patios, formerly vacant lots, and even indoors, urban farms can play a crucial role in improving food access and food security in underserved neighborhoods with few grocery stores. Farms also add greenery to stark cityscapes; reduce harmful runoff; and help counteract "urban heat islands" —  metropolitan areas that, due to human activity, are significantly warmer than nearby rural communities. Community farms can provide income and build job skills for disadvantaged, at-risk youth.

An urban farmer’s day usually begins early in the morning and could include feeding animals, delivering food to restaurants and caterers, selling food at farmers’ markets, bookkeeping, marketing to potential clients — and of course, watering seedlings, fertilizing, weeding, planting, and harvesting. Some urban farmers are involved in local food justice advocacy and policy, which might involve planning and participating in meetings.

Green Careers: Environmental Journalism

Stumped on a career path? Itching to explore new job opportunities? Yesterday we posted a quiz to help you get started. Today we launch our series of green career profiles with a glimpse into environmental journalism.

Green Careers: Environmental Journalism

Environmental journalists inform and engage the public about important environmental issues. Whether it’s climate change, dirty coal plants, or genetically modified crops, the public wants to stay abreast of possible threats to their environment and their implications for human and ecological health. Reporters should be able to explain developments related to these issues clearly, fairly, objectively, and engagingly, without relying on sensationalism or jargon. Their stories should serve to improve the dialogue among journalists, scientists, policymakers, and the public.

Riding on Air: The Best Wind-Borne Gear

The wind that rushes over our play spaces—rivers, deserts, mountains, seas—is a free and inexhaustible source of fun. These tools will help you tap into nature's tempestuous power supply. 

Coolest wind toy ever. The Parrot AR Drone 2.0 is a quadricopter with two cameras: a high-def one that points forward and another with a wide-angle lens that points down—all controlled by your smartphone or tablet. No, it's not perfect, and yes, you will crash it and subsequently need spare parts. But it's your own personal drone. With live streaming video. That you can fly from your phone. $300

Stay warm and dry, even if the weather doesn't cooperate, with SLAM's Force 2 Jacket. It has seams that are reinforced with thermal tape (to keep moisture out) and is made from laminated two-layer nylon that's waterproof but breathable. Added refinements include a high collar with a roll-away hood, fleece-lined pockets, and a whistle affixed in a pocket. $195

AQUAGLIDE's Multisport 270 is a versatile, inflatable watercraft that's great for mastering the basics of sailing. When deflated, it's so compact that you can check it as standard luggage. It quickly converts from sailboat to windsurfer to (with an $80 add-on kit) kayak, and it comfortably holds two adults and one child. $800

It's best to learn the principles of harnessing wind power—which apply equally to kiteboarding, snowkiting, and landkiting—with a power-kite trainer. Power kites are much larger than conventional kites, and trainers are even bigger, effectively serving as training wheels. HQ's Hydra Trainer 350 is the only training foil designed for use on land and water. A third middle line adds stability and makes for easy relaunching, even if you dunk it into the drink. $340

Quiz: Which Green Career is Right for You?

It's never too early or too late to launch a new career. Whether you’re a student stumped about your post-grad future or a professional stuck in a mid-career rut, our green career series will help you find your path. This week, we’ll outline job requirements and highlight training programs and internships that can help you build the skills and network you need to jump-start your career.

Still not sure which professional path to pursue? Take our short quiz to learn which eco-friendly gig might be the best fit for your personality.

Quiz: Which Green Career is Right for You?

1. Close your eyes. Imagine your ideal work environment. What are you doing and how are you dressed?
   a. Backpacking through southern California’s San Jacinto mountains, in full hiking gear, chronicling your trek through a video and blog post.
   b. On a rooftop garden or greenhouse, wearing your trusty jeans, t-shirt, tennis shoes, gardening gloves, and sun hat.
   c. Bobbing on a boat out at sea in a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals, studying orca social structure.
   d. In a corporate office advising business executives, wearing a button-down shirt, skirt/slacks, and dress shoes.
   e. In your office, dressed in a smart suit as you write a legal brief for your latest case, this time involving a group of families with asthma caused by a local coal plant.
   
   
2. Quick! Classes are filling up, and you can only squeeze one elective into your schedule next term.  What do you sign up for?
   a. Journalism/communications
   b. Agriculture/botany
   c. Biology/ecology
   d. Business/marketing
   e. Law

Let it Blow: How to Harness the Wind at Home

You can't see or hold it—but you can still use wind's power to entertain and edify on a blustery day.

Flying a kite is one of life's uplifting pleasures. This MINI POWER KITE from Uncommon Goods comes in recycled packaging that encases not only the petite soarer but also string, a handle, and a drawstring pouch. UncommonGoods is a Certified B corporation, which means it operates environmentally and ethically. $15

What to do with those pieces of printed paper you set aside to reuse? Send 'em aloft! There's no one better to teach you how than John M. Collins, author of THE NEW WORLD CHAMPION PAPER AIRPLANE BOOK. The book comes with tear-out model planes, plus 20 designs to let you transform any sheet of paper into a soaring origami glider. $17

Move over, Lego. This WIND POWER KIT from Marbles comes with an array of pieces that you can assemble in various ways to learn about aerodynamics, kinetic energy, and wind-power mechanics. The resulting mini-turbines from all that tinkering generate enough energy to illuminate an LED or charge a battery. $50

In art school, Colorado wood carver Tom Larkin overheard two students talking about how to make a log whistle in the wind. Fascinated, he has tinkered with wood and breezes ever since. The result is this WIND WHISTLE (sold on Etsy), which he handcrafts from mahogany or cedar. Mount a few of these sturdy pieces around the yard, and they'll spin and produce rich musical tones. $15

Display old-fashioned country goodness (and never again wonder which way the wind blows) with Bonafide's ROOSTER WEATHERVANE, which is handcrafted in the United States from recycled aluminum. $37

--Avital Andrews

photos by Lori Eanes (4); kite photo courtesy UncommonGoods

How the Sharing Economy Can Save You Money

Fueled by a rapid rise in collaborative consumption companies, the Sharing Economy has been hailed as “the next big thing” and one of “10 ideas that will change the world”. But what the heck is it, and why should we care? Our friends at EcoSalon explain why everyone’s so excited about sharing, and how it can save you money, time, and even rejuvenate your social life.

Every day, we waste energy, space, and money, because we’re obsessed with the idea of owning things. Most of these things see about 10 minutes of use before we move on to the next “must have” item. The things we do use on a daily basis are built to break, and when they do, we toss them in the trash on our way out the door to buy replacements.

In the sharing economy, access is more important than ownership. It’s not the CD we want, it’s the joy of listening to the music. It’s not the cordless drill we need, but the hole it makes. Collaborative consumption companies make it easy to pay a little bit to gain access to what we need without the high cost of buying it or the burden of maintaining it. The sharing economy focuses our attention on connection and collaboration, turning neighbors into a support system and wasted assets into affordable solutions.

Spring Gleaning: The Best Herbs to Grow at Home

Herbs can be lovely—but if you're looking to buy the organic, locally sourced kind, prepare to leaf out a lot of green. We propose a fun, economical alternative: Grow your own, either indoors or out. These are some of the best types to harvest at home. 

MINT

Many experts recommend growing mint but warn against letting it run amok—best to keep it in pots. Elise Bauer, who runs Simply Recipes, says she prefers spearmint because it's so easy to grow and maintain. "Once it's established," Bauer says of the hardy herb, "you never have to plant it again. It keeps coming back every year." Mint is happy in shade, so she plants it along the side of her house, which also prevents bugs from coming in—they hate the stuff. And its culinary uses abound: Slice mint leaves into a chiffonade, mix sprigs with spring peas, or steep them in tea or lemonade. Also: Juleps! Mojitos!

ROSEMARY

Isaac Eliaz, an integrative doctor and herbalist at Northern California's Amitabha Clinic, appreciates rosemary for its rich folkloric history. "Its elegant, needle-like leaves impart a delightful piney flavor to complement meats and savory, garlicky dishes," he says. Eliaz adds that you can steep it in hot water for 10 minutes to make a soothing tea. Rosemary is an easy but slow grower and thrives year-round. Mature plants like full sun and well-drained soil.

INTERVIEW: Why Esperanza Spalding is an Environmentalist

For a jazz bassist to get nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy is unlikely nowadays. Even more improbable is for that musician to trump platinum names like Justin Bieber and Drake to win the thing. But in 2011, that's exactly what Esperanza Spalding did.

One person who presumably wasn't shocked at the nod is Barack Obama, who in 2009 picked Spalding as the single American musician he was allowed to invite to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring him. Through all the recognition, the singer-songwriter remains deeply committed to a variety of causes—not least of which is environmentalism.

Her most recent album, Radio Music Society (also Grammy-winning), has a track called "Endangered Species," whose proceeds benefit Earthjustice and the Amazon Aid Foundation. We caught up with her to learn a bit about her creative process, and why environmental issues are dear to her heart. 

How did you come to write a song about endangered species?

Actually, I only wrote the lyrics. The music was written in the '70s by Wayne Shorter and Joseph Vitarelli. I'm a good friend of Wayne Shorter's and a huge fan of his work, and I've always loved that song. I'm sure he had a big meaning in the title—he's very aware of the perils facing life on Earth. I asked him if it would be all right if I put lyrics to it. He said, OK, yeah, go ahead. Royalties can be very tricky, so the deal I made with him was that all the money we receive from downloads or record sales will go to environmental protection.

Its lyrics seem to refer to humans as entitled adolescents and the earth as an injured but patient mother. Can you elaborate on that?

I read a book by Marlo Morgan called Mutant Message Down Under, about aboriginal elders who are still living in ancient ways that they've inherited over 30,000 years. Their perspective of dominant Western culture is one of adolescence. I've also heard my mom talk about that a lot, that idea of getting freedom and figuring out how to get away from the rules of your parents. So the song is an analogy of a kid who becomes a teenager and thinks, "Oh, now I can do whatever I want." And the mother is saying, "Ah-ah-ahhh, don't forget whose house you live in and who feeds your butt every night."