Of all of our sector specific sections, the Green Careers section is the broadest and hardest to describe. We all have a pretty good idea of what teachers do, or people in manufacturing, but what exactly is a “green job”?
What is a “green career”?
The United Nations Environment Programme calls the green economy “one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.”
So what is a “Green Job”?
GoodWork Canada says: “A green job is any job or self-employment that genuinely contributes to a more sustainable world. A green job is the coming together of a company or organization, with an individual motivated and capable of performing the role. The company or organization can either be in a 'green' sector (e.g. solar energy), or in a conventional sector but making genuine and substantial efforts to green its operations.”
A green job, then, can be any job that contributes towards a more sustainable, environmentally friendly outcome. In this broader context some examples could include a person writing on environmental issues, consulting organizations on reducing their carbon footprint or even a marketer focused on green organizations.
In a more focused context we often think of green jobs as being the jobs of people focused on improving sustainability, working in food, energy and transportation.
