Green Jobs
1. Environmental Outreach Coordinator
One of the most important green jobs, outreach coordinators interact with the public and the media in order to advance the issues and concerns of the environment. Communication is such an important aspect for increasing awareness of environmental issues, yet many environmental scientists do not have the time, or the social skills, to do so. Therefore, it is the job of outreach coordinators to do so in an efficient and effective way.
- All environmental organizations need outreach coordinators, so this position is common and the job prospects are good, and increasing with the emergence of more green organizations.
- Responsibilities include building external relationships with media outlets and other environmental organizations, as well as internal communications to increase efficiency within the organization. This job often requires a lot of travel.
- Educational requirements typically are a bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Environmental Science, or Political Science, as well as several years experience working in the field, and with the media.
- Salaries are based on the industry – government positions pay more, while non-profit organizations may pay less, depending on the size. Average salaries for this green job are around $34,000 annually, with benefits.
2. Environmental Protection Wildlife Biologist
Working as a research scientist is the other side of the green jobs hand. While scientists do not directly work as environmental advocates, most of their time is dedicated to providing data that supports environmental advocacy. Scientists are experts in the minute details concerning a specific field of environmental science, and this can range from aquaculture, to soil chemistry, to atmospheric science, to monitoring animal and plant populations.
- All environmental advocacy must be based on science for it to be effective, and environmental scientists are essential in supporting claims for more conservation efforts. There are a wide range of organizations for which scientists can work: within academia, for state and federal governments and government organizations, and for non-profits.
- Responsibilities include proposing research topics, writing grants for funding, monitoring research assistants and technicians, going into the field to collect data, compiling data, and writing scientific reports.
- Educational requirements vary depending on the level of involvement and which organization the research is for. In academia, research scientists must have graduate level degrees in a related scientific discipline. Masters degree levels are usually acceptable for local government environmental organizations like Wildlife Commissions, Departments of Natural Resources, and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Salaries can range widely, depending on the organization and scientific level. Average salaries are around $40,000-$70,000 annually, with benefits. Private organizations have more competitive salaries.
3. Environmental Science Technician
This green job directly supports scientific research efforts of environmental scientists. This is an entry level position, usually for college graduates that wish to pursue jobs in the field. They involve a high amount of field work, so people working as technicians must love being in the outdoors in all conditions – rain or shine, warm or cold. This green job can be exciting for those who truly love nature and want to support other green jobs.
- This green job ranges widely depending on what field the technician works in. Fields can include invasive species management, where the job of the technician is to go out and destroy invasive species in a threatened habitat. It can involve trapping of birds, mammals, or insects in order to collect data on population numbers. Technician jobs usually revolve around collecting data in the field and then compiling the data for their scientific supervisors.
- This job usually involves a lot of travel, as scientists often gather data in a distant location from where they are. It involves going into natural places like parks or wildlife refuges. Sometimes the locations are abroad, in a different country.
- Educational requirements are usually a bachelor’s degree in a scientific field. Some technician jobs accept high school diplomas, although normally with this green job, some level of previous experience in the field is required.
- Salaries for this green job are usually limited as it is an entry level position. Average hourly wages can be anywhere from $9 to $16 an hour, based on the work.
