By Sadie Kromm
We reap the fruits of Mother Earth’s labor in a variety of visible and hidden ways. Humorously, our evidence of education is even printed on her tree’s gifts. However, the quote, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are,” illustrates how simple it is to return that gratitude by choosing goodwill.
There are many unique avenues you can take when working in the environmental sector. It’s almost like how plants are multipurpose. They heal, protect, and give life to other specisis. When you think outside of the planter’s box, you might just come across a few wildflower opportunities like these that will inspire you to bloom loudly.
6 Fields of Work for Environmental Careers
Sustainable Management
Social media has played an important role in fostering conscious consumerism. It is a way of life and a mentality focused on minimalism while also ensuring that what we consume is sustainable as possible. The core value is recognizing how impactful it can be to simply vote with your dollar, which consumers are increasingly becoming more aware of.
This is why Sustainable Management is such a promising career choice. Businesses, above all, require trained personnel to not only hold companies accountable for social responsibility but to also communicate important principles and missions to their audience. For instance, ‘Who Made My Clothes’ is a campaign powered by Fashion Revolution Day that encourages consumers to question their beloved corporations’ ethics, especially with factory workers. The movement was in response to the collapse of an eight-story commercial building in the Dhaka district of Bangladesh on April 24th, 2023. It killed 1,134 textile workers and injured 2,500, making it the deadliest garment factory accident in history.
Typically, sustainable management positions are under the umbrella of marketing, public relations, and social media opportunities.
The Conscious Chef
According to two statistics that were highlighted by Move For Hunger, restaurants produce half a pound of food waste per meal. It can be from either what’s left on a consumer’s plate or the kitchen itself. This ends up translating to 15% of all the food that ends up in the landfills.
Chefs, in particular, should not be excluded when it comes to fighting climate change and food waste. During the Milano Expo in 2015, Massimo Buttura, the chef behind the documentary “Theatre of Life,” turned an abandoned theater in Milan into a soup kitchen. Chef Buttura not only served recovering drug addicts, former sex workers, the homeless, and refugees, but the project used over 15 tonnes of excess food into meals that were curated into fine dishes.
Chef Buttura also operates his own non-profit, Food For Soul, a brilliant platform that educates people on sustainable practices in the food industry.
With that in mind, sustainable chefs can apply their knowledge and ethics into food styling, menu and recipe development, and nutrition coaching.
Environmental Journalist + Reporter
Providing the wealth of knowledge to the public is such an honorable gift to give. Additionally, creating a platform that allows the everyday human to find a voice among pressing topics in a community and actions that need to be taken. It’s especially important when it comes to removing the rose-coloured glasses and uncovering truths that are deep beneath the soil.
The New York Times Reporter, Coral Davenport, is a sparkling example of how environmental journalists and reporters play an important role in keeping the ecosystem of media functioning. Coral’s investigative resume includes breaking the Volkswagen Scandal. The company installed illegal devices in nearly 600,000 diesel engine systems for the purpose of impairing emission controls, resulting in the increase of harmful air pollution. On top of that, she interviewed President Obama about his efforts to build an environmental legacy in 2016.
Outside of investigative work, environmental journalists and reporters can work as panelists, lobbyists, facilitators of workshops, and authors of books.
Filmmaker & Photographer
Imagery can provoke a faster and stronger emotional reaction than words, which makes sense as 90% of information that is transmitted to the brain is visual.
In this circumstance, conveying a message through the lens of visual storytelling can bridge a bond between an audience and the environment that can’t always be created on a daily basis.
Pacific Wild is a wildlife and habitat preservation organization founded in 2008 with a mission to provide incredible education and awareness on conservation issues in the northwest Pacific region through powerful and accessible visual storytelling. One of their campaigns, ‘Save B.C. Wolves’, is accompanied by images and short videos, as well as an engagement-based community featuring international photographers and artists. Additionally, the petition created for the movement has over 500,000 signatures and is active to this date.
Overall, filmmakers and photographers can greatly contribute to the success of a campaign.
The technical abilities that come with it are also incredibly valuable. You can also work for companies like Patagonia. They were looking for a multimedia editor to create and edit material with the goal of inciting action on behalf of our planet and encouraging people to help conserve it.
Green Designer
Designing the blueprint and laying down the foundation are not just limited to architectural careers.
The practice of sustainable graphic design employs typography, color theory, and images to assist in conveying branding or a message to the eco-consumer. It also revolves around the printing process. Sustainable graphic designers consider and answer tedious details that include the type of material, how much is needed to reduce waste, and if the project can stay strictly digital.
Little Fox is an award-winning and carbon-neutral design studio for sustainable companies, alternative proteins, and biotech startups. Their green design work is curated from years of research into climate, forestry, printing, and how it interacts with branding. Little Fox provides clients with cutting-edge and scientific recommendations for choosing the most sustainable options available.
Since a lot of graphic designers tap into the world of web development, it can be another option in the career field. When companies work with studios and designers like Little Fox that are eco-minded, they will consider the digital footprint too. Website Carbon, an online carbon calculator, states that the average web page tested produces approximately 0.5 grams of CO2 per page view. If the website reaches 10,000 monthly page views, that’s 60 kg of CO2 per year.
Eco Florist
Do you ever wonder how your flowers go from earth to table? Unfortunately, some plants do not have a colorful journey, despite the fact that they have an unmatched ability to beautify a space and make an environment more lively.
The art of slow floristry considers the emotion of each bloom, its home and caretakers, and accessories. As an example, Eco Stems, based in Toronto, Ontario, offers beautiful and locally sourced flowers and plants that are grown throughout the province and in the city for the summer. During the winter season, all international imports are fair trade, including handmade sculptures of birds and mushrooms. Plus, Eco Stem’s shop is powered by Bullfrog, a Canadian green energy source that uses wind and low-impact hydro.
All of these hints of activism assist with minimizing carbon footprints, reducing excessive packaging and waste, and guaranteeing safe and fair working conditions. Eco Florists can also take advantage of opportunities such as becoming a member of the Sustainable Floristry Network. You must complete their Foundation in Sustainability Course and adhere to their design and business principles as an affiliate.
This career can be exceptionally appealing for freelance opportunities, working alongside event planners, and participating at farmer’s markets.
Conclusion
You might be wondering where to locate the seeds of possibilities. When looking for companies that align with the conscious ethos, brand directories like The Honest Consumer is a fantastic place to start. They provide a plethora of options from marketplaces to boutiques, health and wellness, technology, decor and beyond. Additionally, keeping it local by exploring businesses who are recruiting and may be looking to better their overall approach.
About the Author
Sadie Kromm is an Ontario-based writer, poet, and earth advocate. She has produced content in the sustainability, design, and wellness sectors, as well as attended leading industry film events as a media. You find find her on Twitter @sadiespress and Instagram @sadiespress