Green Options

Are you looking for a green job?  Or a job in corporate social responsibility and sustainable business?  Well, all you need to do is Twitter.  “Green” recruiters understand the best way to reach the new generation of “green” talent is via social media…Facebook, Linkedin, blogs, Flickr, YouTube and of course, Twitter.  So fire up your laptop and hop on Twitter.  Who knows?  You may find a career that aligns with your life’s passion.

There can be no greater thrill in the world than watching your hard work pay off in the form of a successful green business venture.  But how to learn about the world of running a small green business before simply launching in?  Try doing a green internship.  The connections will be tremendous, the learning opportunities varied and interesting, and the work gratifying.

Companies looking for highly skilled, motivated and energetic interns may find volunteers coming out of the woodwork if they are in a green industry and can help train the next generation of ecopreneurs.

Today NPR News aired a story about a rural Michigan school district that is pursuing green by using wind turbines to power their schools and offices. The Jr. High Principal, Kathy Dickens, took the initiative three years ago by applying for grants to pursue wind harvesting. As a result of her efforts The Lakers School District was awarded a quarter million dollar grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission.

With that money they purchased three large refurbished wind turbines which now power their elementary school and the superintendent’s office. They have since received another grant and energy smart incentives. The Lakers School District now owns a biodiesel processor in addition to their wind turbines. This spring their high school students will have a “Pressing Party”. They will gather sunflower seeds from the plants growing beneath their wind turbines, combine them with soybeans then press these seeds and beans to obtain oil to make alternative fuel.

Kevin Doyle’s recent post on GRIST offers a State of the Green Job report.

America’s 50 Greenest Cities report by Popular Science becomes a powerful resource for those looking for a green career or green business.

Editor’s note: We’re pleased to have Carol McClelland, founder of Green Career Central, join sustainablog as a weekly columnist on green careers. Carol’s columns will appear every Thursday.

As a green career consultant, one of the questions I hear most frequently is what’s hot in cleantech? In greentech? In renewable energy?

Although I can give green career changers my impression, I always encourage them to connect with experts in their fields of choice to understand the hottest trends and future directions. In my mind, those who live, breathe, and work in a field are going to know much more than someone looking at it from the outside.

Recently I clicked on a link from Inside Cleantech by the Cleantech Group to discover a gold mine of information for green job seekers who are getting up to speed on cleantech.