WANTED: EARTHWORKERS
The Job: To save ourselves and the planet.
The Candidate: Anyone with commitment and passion
The Salary: Health, wealth and happiness
Some myths about Green Careers: It is only for the 'environment fanatics' or those who have no other option. There is no variety in 'environment jobs'. Opportunities are limited.
And some more: Does not offer decent salaries or other perks. You have to be specially trained to become an 'environmentalist'. It is poles apart from any other more 'traditional careers'..gif)
Pandit ji: You have known me for a decade now, right? Of course you do… it’s the 10th anniversary year of Gobar Times, remember? Time for some serious review of our relationship, huh? So readers, we have been chatting nineteen to the dozen each month, all these years.
About everything that has got anything to do with ‘environment’. It must be pretty obvious to you by now that I breathe, eat and drink environment. Did you also guess that I make a living out of it? Oh yes, environment is my read and butter.
Cecila: So it’s something you really enjoy doing, and you manage to earn money too? Tell me more...
Pandit ji: But I am hardly a unique case. Millions of people around the world have made careers out of environment. Many more are joining the league everyday. And our job profiles are not similar in anyway. In fact, the environment sector offers an astounding variety of jobs. The growth in these careers in recent years has been phenomenal.
Adarsh: Why this sudden spurt Pandit ji?
Pandit ji: You see, environment has emerged as a key issue in almost all sections of economy. Everyone is beginning to realise that developing more efficient processes, using fewer resources and producing less waste are the only options available to human beings!
There’s more. Environment now plays a vital role in policy planning. The government manages education, health, and transport . It is bound by a range of national and global regulations that demand that these services are provided in a way that is sustainable — environmentally. No wonder every employer is looking out for green experts!
Cecilia: But Pandit ji, would students really be interested in making a career in environment?
Pandit ji: Well, they are, and they should be. First of all, all jobs can be linked to this sector. You can be a journalist, a lawyer, a business executive, and still be a practicing environmentalist. At the same time, new areas of expertise are developing in this field. Universities and institutions are coming up with specialised courses on green engineering, management and auditing.
Cecilia: Frankly, I want to work in a field that would give me a lot of recognition and good money.
Pandit ji: But you can do both…earn a comfortable living, and be a responsible global citizen. The global environmental market is expected to exceed US $700 billion by 2010.
In India alone, it would rise to US $7 billion. So there is a boom. Cecilia: Well, there’s still a problem. I’m not a science student. So, I cannot take environment as a subject.
Pandit ji: Completely untrue. Environment is not just one subject per se. It is related, directly or indirectly, to all the disciplines we study. A journalist reporting on environmental issues is a green professional, just like an environmental engineer.
Where are the jobs?
Government Sector - The Regulators, The Policy-Makers, The Promoters
Business Sector - The Producers,The Regulated, The Contractors, The Advisers
Voluntary Sector - The Promoters, The Partners,The Managers, The Advisers
Education Sector – The Educators, The Trainers, The Researchers
Communications sector: The media
| Earthworkers all | ||||
| Name, Organisation, Designation | Your work profile? | Your Original Discpline? | How does it link to the environment? | You Gained Professionally or Lost out? |
|
AL. Ramanathan Associate Professor, Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) |
Teaching | A Geologist | The importance of land in lives of all living beings, including us, makes the connection obvious. | I find teaching linkages between land and us very interesting, and believe that environment is all about understanding the linkages between what is around us. |
|
Sonu Jain Senior Editor, The Indian Express |
Writing on issues that are connected with the environment, energy and agriculture. My articles track policy developments in the country as well as field reports from various parts of the people. Sometimes, they are stories about people who have been green warriors. |
MA in English Literature, Delhi University
|
There is no direct link with environment with the course I chose to do in college. But I got interested in the issue. One of the most memorable sessions was when Anil Agarwal, founder of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), came for a lecture in my college. He was among the first people in the country to focus on problems of growing pollution. He had brought with him bottles of black water –samples taken from various rivers of India. The importance of the need to address this issue got ingrained in me. | I have gained immensely from it. My entire journalistic career has been defined by my work on environment and related issues. |
|
Ajay Bedi and Vijay Bedi Wildlife Filmmakers, Bedi Films |
We specialise in making wildlife films, but we also make corporate and educational ones. |
Our original disciplines are hard work and patience because they are the key things required to become a successful filmmaker. Filming in the wild is not that easy, as one has to be patient enough to get good shots of animals. |
We are mainly into environment and wildlife filming. So, the link is quite clear.
|
We gained a lot of knowledge at each and every step. Just reading books was not enough. When we actually started filming, we got to know a lot of things that we otherwise could not have known. Also, our films have got recognition in India and abroad.We were the youngest Asians to get the Green Oscar award. |
|
Neena Singh Partner, Environmental Resources Management |
I assess environment and social impacts of projects and address them. It is challenging but very exciting. It has taken me to places in India and countries across the world. |
Geography
|
I started working with my MPhil professor on conservation, people and livelihood issues in protected areas. Thereafter, I worked on a project on participatory management of protected areas in IIPA and then in the advocacy team of CSE. | I have gained a lot professionally and personally by working in this field. I work in an environment management consultancy, where I deal with the social impact assessments within a broader Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) ambit. |
|
Ritwick Dutta Environmental Lawyer and Coordinator of Legal Initiative For Forest and Environment |
A unique mix of litigation, training, publication and travelling. Also, I train forest officers on how to protect our national parks and sanctuaries from poachers. | I am a student of Sociology, Delhi University. After that I did my law from the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. | My background in sociology helped me to understand the relationship between society and environment. | I want to protect the environment, no matter what it takes. But yes, professionally I surely have gained. In a crowd of criminal, corporate lawyers, Environmental law is unique and one enjoys having a niche for oneself. I enjoy every bit despite the extremely tough fight to save our forests. |
Wondering how you can translate your interest in ecological sustainability into a viable career? Explore how you can align your skills, interests and values with your work and find a satisfying Great Green Career
The Thinker
Curious Minds like yours are keen to dig up more information about people, places and things all the time. You are a voracious reader. While easily getting lost in your own world of fantasy, films, music...you still have a sensitivity and interest in 
contemporary affairs.
The Builder
Creating objects of use out of waste; tinkering and fixing gadgets at home; building imaginative structures was a talent that did’nt go unnoticed in your childhood.
The Communicator
Political animal is what would describe you best. Contemporary social issues attract your attention. Human behaviour fascinates you.
The Healer
Nurturing and regenerating people and the environment is what gets you motivated.
Pandit ji: So you see, all these green professionals come from all sorts of backgrounds. Some have consciously made the decision of working in the field of environment, while some have just flown with the tide. In some cases linking up with real life issues was a smooth process. Others explored unchartered territories, and created their own space. But each one of them is meaningfully engaged. With hardwork and dedication, all of them have made a difference in their lives and in the world around them. And they have not compromised in any way – financially or in relation to job satisfaction.
Cecilia: Hmm. It is surely motivating… But then, what are the options available to us after studying environment? I mean, what do these green professionals actually do?
Pandit ji: Good question. Here are some examples that would help you to understand what green professions are
all about…
Environmental Engineer
Environmental engineers apply science and engineering principles to improve the environment, to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and other organisms, and to control pollution. Few of its main concerns are water and air pollution control, recycling, waste management and disposal, public health issues, studies on the environmental impact of proposed construction projects (Environment Impact Assessment).
Bio-Engineer
Bio-engineers study both mechanical instrumentation (maths, physics) and living systems (ecology, biology, chemistry). Biophysics, Bio-chemistry, molecular biology, genetic engineering, ecological sciences are related fields of study. (Remember the story on genes and genetic engineering in Gobar Times issue dated April 2008?)
Environmental Economist
All economic activities take place within the natural environment and thus, they affect the environment in some way or the other. Environmental economists apply the 
values of economics to analyse the costs (like pollution and natural resource depletion) and the benefits (like development and increase in national wealth) of these activities and ensure that they are well-balanced. Green
economists work as researchers, analysers, policy-makers, and so on.
Carbon Trader
Carbon trading emerged as a major focus area after the Kyoto Protocol. So, it is one of the most sought-after job sectors. Researchers, carbon credit analyst, project designers, and other such professionals and experts deal with the nitty-gritty of the trade.
Environmental Journalist
There is an increasing need to understand and spread awareness about environment. Media has a major role to play in this. Green journalists, communicators and researchers have the passion and skill to convey ‘green messages’ through their writing and reports.
Environmental Educator
Environment educators tap the most vital group. The students. They may address their audience at the level of a school or college, or spread awareness among policy-makers. Designing simple and practical methods to make people understand the environmental linkages in their lives is the main task of an environment educator.
Environmental Lawer
Environmental lawyers like Ritwick Dutta, use statutes, common law, treaties, conventions, regulations and policies to protect the natural environment. They regulate the quantity and nature of impacts of human activities.
Geographer
The profession promises a lifetime of adventures and excitement. With a degree in geography, one can be a professor, cartographer, GIS specialist, researchers, or work in corporate or government enterprise or form consulting firms, and the list goes on.
Organic Farmer
Organic food has become a hot-favourite these days. Also, farmers are realising the long-term economic, health and ecological benefits of switching over to organic farming from chemical farming. Thus, there is an urgent demand for organic farmers in the job sector.
Wildlifer
There’s a lot that is and can be done as a ‘wildlifer’. The options include being a wildlife biologist (who studies wildlife biology as a subject), wild doctor or vet, wild artist, and wild activist (who fights for the cause of protecting wildlife). But remember, most famous wildlife experts were those who had no books but, only fierce passion and interest.
Earth Architect
The eco-conscious generation has brought a new wave in the field of architecture – topics like sustainable architecture, environmental construction and ecoengineering. Green architects design a rewarding career and build their own future.
Green Chef
Green chefs transform their restaurants or hotels into showplaces for environmental sustainability. They solar power their eating joints, use ‘reusable’ delivery boxes and avoid chemical cleaning products. In addition, they cook food using locally available ingredients, organic items and/or non-threatened species.
The run-up
You are still making up your mind. Yes, you are keen to explore Environment as a career option, but you are apprehensive. You wish you knew what to expect, how to make the first move. Here are some tips that may help you to stop agonising:
