The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) defines Green Jobs as “positions in agriculture, manufacturing, research and development, administrative, and service activities aimed at substantially preserving or restoring environmental quality“.
In simpler terms, a green job aims to provide a product or service in a genuine way that contributes to a more sustainable world. For example, a green job may focus on reducing carbon emissions, restoring nature or making improvements in processes that use scarce fossil fuels.
Green jobs are also found in all types of organizations: private and public as well as government or education. Small businesses, self-employment and entrepreneurship are very much part of the new green economy. A wide variety of jobs could fall under the green job umbrella term as some green jobs require very specific education or green skills. However, not all green jobs are based on saving the earth. You could be an accountant working for a B Corp or a graphic designer that creates sustainable design while thinking about the social and economic impact.
The spectacular thing about sustainable designers is that they think about the whole life cycle of the product or service and are conscious of its impacts. Think of how they source their materials, or which ink they use to even think about how to get their product from A to B using a sustainable transportation method! Are you excited by this too? Well, then you might want to adopt this way of thinking for your future projects! The matrix below shows you what to consider when you want to design in a viable way.
Let’s backtrack to green jobs. If you are still unsure of what a green job exactly is, these examples will give you a better outlook.
The Green Sector
When thinking about a green job, you can imagine working in the following sectors:
- water conservation
- sustainable forestry
- Biofuels
- geothermal energy
- Environmental Remediation
- Sustainability
- Energy auditors
- Recycling
- Electric vehicles
- Solar power
- Wind energy
“Green” encompasses almost all sectors of society: food, energy, transportation, government, you name it! There’s probably a sustainable practice in any field or a green (niche) opening could be created. Green is so broad, finding a career in it that you really enjoy probably already exists! If you want to find out about the 5 most popular green jobs, click here.
Green Careers
More specific examples of a green job could be:
- Sustainability Manager
- Green transport officers
- Thermal heating specialists
- Solar engineer
- Environmental educator
- Organic gardener
- Chief Sustainability Officer
- Conservation Scientist
- Energy analyst
- Environmental Consultant
- And so much more!
Why are Green jobs so important?
Not only is the demand for green jobs increasing, but people are also becoming more conscious about the environment and want to sustain a healthy and regenerative planet for future generations to come. Green jobs encourage economies to become more sustainable and ensure that our natural assets are protected.
Green jobs will also act as a domino effect and make other bodies more competitive in the global economy to perform more sustainably. As a result, this will increase economic productivity and ensure long-term economic prosperity.
Green jobs help:
- Improve energy and raw materials efficiency
- Limit greenhouse gas emissions
- Minimize waste and pollution
- Protect and restore ecosystems
- Support adaptation to the effects of climate change
Here at sustainablejobs.nl we get excited about sustainability and want to motivate people to pursue their green dreams and further excel in their careers. That’s why we post green vacancies and insightful blogs to keep you on your toes about the latest green opportunities!