In Good Company: Vault's CSR Blog

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Today's Green Jobs in Your Area

Here is a sampling of today's green jobs in your area. Today, executive director, internet media specialist, market planning manager, and director of solar energy development topped the lists, all roles that build on your collective professional skills. Proof once again that sustainability can fit every professional background! All you need is the willingness and an active interest the sustainability field. Click on the respective position to learn more about the job(s) and the employer(s).

Executive Director—Colorado Renewable Energy Society
Denver, CO
Develops CRES as the "go-to" organization in its mission space; Develops an operating plan in alignment with the Strategic Plan developed by the CRES Board; With the CRES treasurer and finance committee, develops and manages the CRES annual operating budget. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree  and at least five years experience in management.

Internet Media Specialist—Fresh Energy
St. Paul, MN
The evolution and operation of a web-based news site designed to provide current news and commentary on energy issues to an interested public; The development and deployment of new tools and techniques utilizing social media and  internet channels such as blogs and viral video. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree and at least five years relevant experience.

Manager, Market Planning—Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Portland, OR
Strategic planning of market initiatives, analytical support for initiative design and the development/maintenance of models of cost effectiveness; Also acts as a critical link to regional organizations for the purpose of planning, coordinating, monitoring and analyzing market based initiatives. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree and at least five years experience in strategic market planning.

Director of Solar Energy Development—Citizens Enterprises
Boston, MA
Responsible for managing all aspects of the business including strategic planning, business development and site prospecting, deal structure and negotiation, project management, budgeting, and value realization. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree and at least five years relevant experience.

Profession in Focus: Sustainability Expert

For months, we have been featured Green Jobs that mention sustainability experience and/or the willingness to learn. But what does working in the field really involve? With everything green being so new, here's an in-depth look at what it really means to become a Sustainability Expert, courtesy CSE.

The Sustainability Expert, reporting to the Sustainability Manager, supports the corporate sustainability goals for the company. Broadly, the position can entail all or any of the following responsibilities:

- Sustainability experts act as consultants to their clients, which may be governments, cities, corporations, small businesses, organizations or individuals seeking to reduce their ecological footprint.

Sustainability experts assist in an organization’s planning in order to solve or prevent problems relating to energy and climate change.

A sustainability expert considers a business’s energy use and creates a plan for the use of renewable energy, and assists in the planning to allow more effective use of energy consumption.

Continue reading by visiting our Professions section, where you will find in-depth job duties, uppers and downers and much more.

Green Initiatives in the Workplace: Vault's Guide to Green Programs Released!

Vault.com's Green Initiatives in the Workplace Survey was launched last year to begin discussing environmental initiatives in place at companies and to gauge the level of awareness. However, the downturn was beginning to dawn on everyone and companies were much busier keeping their profit margins high. While we had many companies discuss their strategies, for the most part, 2008 was the "We Don't Care Enough" year.

2009 changed all that though. Along with President Obama's Recovery Act that promised billions in stimulus dollars to the creation of green jobs, clean technologies and energy efficiency projects, the downturn has forced companies to reconstruct their responsibility stage and re-strategize on how to jump into the green game. Recognition of a necessary climate change bill is increasing and media is starting to do its bit to educate everyone. Some of the large corporations are taking their infant steps toward creating annual CSR reports and setting up employee teams to discuss how to make their operations more sustainable.

Amid all this, the ruckus of layoffs and a distinct recognition that if we are to save our environment, corporate America will have to lead, Vault.com presents its Green Initiatives in the Workplace Survey Results 2009. With over a 100 companies participating this year, it is clear that acknowledgment of work to be done is on the rise and the executive suite is starting to see greening their workplace as a necessity more than fulfilling a requirement.

Some of the interesting findings include:

• Since 1990, Walt Disney World Resort’s water conservation initiatives have enabled net aquifer withdrawals to remain at the same level as 22 years ago.
• 100% of Pepsi Bottling Company’s U.S. electricity needs are offset through the purchase of renewable energy credits.
• Intel Corporation tied a portion of each employee’s variable compensation to the achievement of corporate-wide sustainability goals.
• In 2008, General Electric invested more than $1.4 billion in cleaner technologies, up from $750 million in 2005.
• Seventh Generation employees can be reimbursed for up to $500 per year for home initiatives to reduce their personal carbon footprint and are eligible for up to three $5,000 loans for longer term carbon footprints reduction efforts.

The survey also shows some interesting trends with 94.5% of those questioned practice waste reduction programs while 92.7% take part in energy conservation endeavors. In addition, 61.8% of those surveyed have environmental teams comprised of employees that are accountable for meeting green-related goals, and 69.8% answered that they consciously prefer to do business with suppliers or third-party vendors that are eco-friendly.

Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword. Copenhagen notwithstanding, it is these measures by corporate America and the need for new environmental careers that can ultimately lead change across the country. These 110 companies have taken the lead in their industries by taking the initiative to discuss their efforts in becoming sustainable and serve as inspirations for other companies to follow. To download the 2010 edition of the Vault's Guide to Green Programs, click here.

Today's Green Jobs in Your Area

Here is a sampling of today's green jobs in your area. Today, research director, director of marketing, web development and marketing specialist, and project development associate topped the lists, all roles that build on your collective professional skills. Proof once again that sustainability can fit every professional background! All you need is the willingness and an active interest the sustainability field. Click on the respective position to learn more about the job(s) and the employer(s).

Director, Research—Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Washington, DC
Maintain cutting-edge understanding of existing research on active transportation and identify leveraged opportunities to catalyze or conduct new research that will fill priority information gaps relative to RTC's mission; Support the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse, a program sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and RTC, which tracks spending patterns under the nation's top source of funding for trail, bicycle and pedestrian projects. Candidates should have a Master’s degree and at least three years relevant experience.

Director of Marketing, Green—Zep Inc
Atlanta, GA
Manage the brand strategy for the Zep Inc green chemical and products portfolio; Develop and launch segment specific go-to-market strategies for the I&I customer segments of Industrial / Manufacturing, Food Processing, Vehicle Wash, Contract Services (BSC), Education, Government, Healthcare, Retail and Hospitality segments. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree and at least eight years experience.

Web Development & Marketing Specialist—Carbonfund.org
Silver Spring, MD
Developing and implementing new site features, such as for transactions and site performance; Monitoring, recommending and making site improvements to meet visitor & conversion targets; Optimizing site and meta tags for search engines. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree and experience in web design/web development and graphic design.

Project Development Associate—Fotowatio Renewable Ventures
Bakersfield, CA; San Francisco, CA
Project site screening, identification, and acquisition, including contacting and working with landowners and real estate brokers; Developing a strong understanding of relevant zoning and planning codes and ordinances and working with county and state permitting officials to obtain necessary land entitlements and permits to operate solar facilities. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree and one to two years of experience in real estate development.

What Does a Green Job Really Involve? Find Out With Vault's Guide to Environmental Careers

In conjunction with our Green Initiatives in the Workplace Survey Results, Vault also released the Vault Guide to Environmental Careers today. Why? Because if you are constantly surrounded by news about green jobs, their increasing potential and the promise of a stable career for a long time to come, you might want to know what these jobs exactly involve. We figured, if its all in place, it makes a better reading, a quicker grasp and a comprehensive understanding of whether it is right for you and what aspect of environmental and green initiatives you might want to pursue.

Some of the highlights of this e-book include:

• Information on the $4.3 billion set aside for smart grid technology, as part of the Economic Stimulus Package and the $7.22 billion in projects and programs managed by the Environmental Protection Agency that makes up a fraction of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
• An in-depth examination of the different environmental organizations, from government to the non-profit and private sectors, and the roles they play in the environment. The section includes information on what companies do within each industry, websites that might be helpful in a job search and the types of jobs that have been available.
• A breakdown of what environmentalists do on a daily basis, offering a brief glimpse of the varying fields job seekers have to choose from.
• An extensive list of environmental jobs to choose from, including information on each position, websites that offer these environmental jobs and in some cases an informative look into what the future might hold for a particular environmental jobs (i.e., the need for hydrologists is that is expected to grow in the next decade, in response to the environmental goals of the Recovery Act of 2009).
• A rare glimpse into the day in the life of various environmental workers including the schedules of a policy analyst at the EPA, an ecology professor, a national park ranger and a regional planner at a nonprofit.
• The guide also offers tips on laying the groundwork for a future job in the environment and succeeding in the hiring process, complete with examples of resumes and cover letters.

Click here to download it in PDF.

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