Get a green job!
Work in a job that is good for your mental and physical health, good for the environment, good for the economy and good for the world at large.
What is a green job?
A green job is a job in a business or organisation that benefits the environment or conserve natural resources. The business or organisation also tries to make their processes environmentally friendly and use fewer natural resources.
The job will have a positive and direct impact on the planet.
UNEP (United National Environmental Program) defines green jobs as "positions in agriculture, manufacturing, R&D, administrative, and service activities aimed at substantially preserving or restoring environmental quality".
The ILO (International Labour Organisation) defines green jobs as jobs that “reduce the consumption of energy and raw materials, limit greenhouse gas emissions, minimize waste and pollution, protect and restore ecosystems and enable enterprises and communities to adapt to climate change. In addition, green jobs have to be decent…” They do not give a clear definition of what they mean by decent, but decent behaviour is behaviour that conforms to generally accepted standards of moral, respectable and ethical behaviour.
Therefore, a green job is one where there is a focus on conserving and protecting the environment and natural resources.
Examples of Green Jobs
Green jobs include jobs in organisations that are environmentally conscious, such as organisations with a focus on –
- Renewable energy
- Conservation
- Sustainability
- Electric vehicles
- Waste reduction
- Waste adaptation
- Reusing/recycling
- Energy efficiency
Green jobs are not just jobs in areas such as sustainability, they can be in other areas such as –
- Administration – working for an environmental organisation
- Agricultural jobs, such as organic farming
- Energy, such as renewable energy, alternative energy, solar power, wind energy.
- Engineers and planners looking at urban planning and resources
- Manufacturers – designing and producing green packing
- Jobs in transport looking at ways to reduce the carbon footprint of deliveries, electric vehicles etc.
Why are green jobs important?
We don’t need to tell you here that we are in a climate crisis. Our environment is being damaged. Many species are endangered and going extinct.
- A United Nations Report (UN) in 2021 found that the global temperature will increase by 2.7°C by the end of the century. We need to half greenhouse gas emissions in the next eight year to have any chance of reducing global warming.
- We need to move towards a decarbonised economy, which will reduce greenhouse gases.
- We need to increase the circular economy – reuse, repair, recycle!
Also -
- The job market is changing. People need new skills, such as digital skills, transferable skills, generalist skills.
- There are skills shortages in many areas, such as agriculture, digital skills etc.
- People generally are paying more attention to the need to recycle, reuse and reduce waste.
- People’s buying decisions are influenced by the sustainability and environmental friendliness of organisations.
- The media is making people increasingly aware of greenwashing.
Businesses and organisations need to become greener. There is a lot of potential for people to work within organisations to who are making changes to future proof the planet.
Green jobs are therefore important as they are –
- Helping us to work towards saving the planet
- Providing positive and optimistic plans for young people today and future generations
There are a lot of opportunities in green careers. The UK Prince’s Trust report – Future of Work – found that many young people wanted to be “agents of sustainable change. While income remains their primary motivation for work, ethical concerns are increasingly determining their choices. But there is a significant knowledge gap relating to how they access these opportunities.”
The World Economic Forum also noted that 400 million new jobs and trillions of dollars of business value could be created by 2030 in tacking the environment crisis.
Finding a greener job can be a way of earning morning, but also doing it in a way that is ethical and promotes sustainability and social change.
Getting a Green Job
The green job market is booming –
- There are skills shortages in agriculture, horticulture and the digital skills industry as many others.
- The increasing importance of sustainability and reducing climate change has led to an increase in green jobs.
- Sales of organic foods and drinks have increased by 15% worldwide.
- There is an increase in ecodesign – developing packing and building products in an environmentally friendly way.
- Ecological tourism is increasing popular, where people visit locations that are at risk of being lost.
- Different methods of transport are being researched and developed.
- Food production in local areas to reduce the carbon footprint of products is also increasing the level of jobs in local areas.
There are obviously green jobs out there, but how do you get a green job?
- Do searches for “green jobs” on recruitment websites.
- Search for related careers, such as those we mentioned above.
- Find organisations who are promoting sustainability and see what job vacancies they have available.
- Join organisations that are invested in climate change and sustainability.
- Undertake voluntary work in relevant areas.
- Get work experience in a green job.
- Undertake further training or courses in environmentally related areas.
The important first step is to demonstrate an enthusiasm and interest for working in a green job.