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Excerpt: Green Careers for Dummies
The new book for green careers is out. Here's an excerpt from Green Careers For Dummies -- Your Guide to the Green Economy by Carol McClelland, PhD.
Chapter 1 “The New World of Green Careers”
This is a very exciting time. We’re in the earliest stages of a new economic era, and the first paths into this future are just beginning to be defined. Many more paths will emerge as new industries take form over time. To risk a metaphor, it’s a bit like the Old West, with nascent opportunities beckoning those with the courage to strike out for them. Think of yourself as a pioneer in the first wave of many who will take this journey. As with any frontier situation, you must keep your wits about you as you find the right path through uncertainty to your chosen destination.
Transforming business-as-usual into a new green/clean/sustainable economy is likely to take decades, as new technologies are invented, tested, and adopted, as new policies are shaped and implemented, and as new behaviors become second nature. Each new element of the economy will become a stepping stone for the next level of innovation, just as the inventions of textile machines, steam engines, and iron-making techniques led to a series of innovations during the Industrial Revolution. The economic landscape of the green future will be defined and shaped by the goals and actions put in place now that can turn our unsustainable way of life into a sustainable one.
Welcome, then, to the new Wild West of the career world. To understand why this world is different from the one you’re familiar with, let’s look at where we’ve been and how we got to where we are.
Understanding the Green/Clean/Sustainable Economy
We’re now being called upon to take bold new actions to solve this problem that has the potential to cause catastrophic harm. The good news is that we have the technology and know-how to solve this problem. What we seem to lack is the political and personal will to make the necessary changes to bring our world back into a sustainable balance.
As this book outlines, innovative thinking and groundbreaking actions are occurring right now in many of the industries we depend on. Of course, the transformation we’re likely to experience is not going to take us back to the lifestyles of past centuries. Instead, innovations will move us forward to a new way of living that has a much lighter footprint (impact) on the planet.
Before we proceed, let’s take a look at a few key terms:
Green: You’ve no doubt noticed that it’s a word that gets thrown around a lot by the media, activists, and politicians. With the exception of companies that are green-washing (leading you to believe that their product or service is beneficial to the planet even though it’s not), the people committed to solving this problem use green as shorthand for something that improves the state of the environment in a discernable way. It might refer to a product, industry, company, job, process, or organization that conserves energy and resources, generates clean, renewable energy, minimizes waste, eliminates hazardous materials, or restores the environment and biodiversity.
As new trends take hold, it’s common for words to evolve quickly and fluidly, so keep these things in mind:
No industry, company, or job is 100 percent green, though some are making impressive strides in the right direction. Making anything greener is a process that occurs over time.
Some companies or initiatives may be described as light green (more casual, cursory, and surface attempts) or dark green (very serious, dedicated, and taking real action).
Look not only at the final product, but delve into its entire life cycle. We must review the materials and processes that went into creating the product, how the product is used, and how it’s disposed of at the end of its life.
Our definition of green will evolve with new technology and regulations. As the definition becomes more stringent, the bar will be raised, motivating us to push for better results.
As green ways become integrated and common, it’s likely that the term green will fade away. Right now the term distinguishes new innovation from traditional ways. When green policies are standard, we won’t need to call attention to them.
The green economy refers to the industries that are producing greener products, using cleaner processes, and offering more sustainable services in an effort to move us toward a new standard. Some industries are farther along the trail than others. You’ll be amazed at the activity in this new economy that some experts are already calling the New Industrial Revolution.
Chapter 1 “The New World of Green Careers”
This is a very exciting time. We’re in the earliest stages of a new economic era, and the first paths into this future are just beginning to be defined. Many more paths will emerge as new industries take form over time. To risk a metaphor, it’s a bit like the Old West, with nascent opportunities beckoning those with the courage to strike out for them. Think of yourself as a pioneer in the first wave of many who will take this journey. As with any frontier situation, you must keep your wits about you as you find the right path through uncertainty to your chosen destination.
Transforming business-as-usual into a new green/clean/sustainable economy is likely to take decades, as new technologies are invented, tested, and adopted, as new policies are shaped and implemented, and as new behaviors become second nature. Each new element of the economy will become a stepping stone for the next level of innovation, just as the inventions of textile machines, steam engines, and iron-making techniques led to a series of innovations during the Industrial Revolution. The economic landscape of the green future will be defined and shaped by the goals and actions put in place now that can turn our unsustainable way of life into a sustainable one.
Welcome, then, to the new Wild West of the career world. To understand why this world is different from the one you’re familiar with, let’s look at where we’ve been and how we got to where we are.
Understanding the Green/Clean/Sustainable Economy
We’re now being called upon to take bold new actions to solve this problem that has the potential to cause catastrophic harm. The good news is that we have the technology and know-how to solve this problem. What we seem to lack is the political and personal will to make the necessary changes to bring our world back into a sustainable balance.
As this book outlines, innovative thinking and groundbreaking actions are occurring right now in many of the industries we depend on. Of course, the transformation we’re likely to experience is not going to take us back to the lifestyles of past centuries. Instead, innovations will move us forward to a new way of living that has a much lighter footprint (impact) on the planet.
Before we proceed, let’s take a look at a few key terms:
Green: You’ve no doubt noticed that it’s a word that gets thrown around a lot by the media, activists, and politicians. With the exception of companies that are green-washing (leading you to believe that their product or service is beneficial to the planet even though it’s not), the people committed to solving this problem use green as shorthand for something that improves the state of the environment in a discernable way. It might refer to a product, industry, company, job, process, or organization that conserves energy and resources, generates clean, renewable energy, minimizes waste, eliminates hazardous materials, or restores the environment and biodiversity.
As new trends take hold, it’s common for words to evolve quickly and fluidly, so keep these things in mind:
No industry, company, or job is 100 percent green, though some are making impressive strides in the right direction. Making anything greener is a process that occurs over time.
Some companies or initiatives may be described as light green (more casual, cursory, and surface attempts) or dark green (very serious, dedicated, and taking real action).
Look not only at the final product, but delve into its entire life cycle. We must review the materials and processes that went into creating the product, how the product is used, and how it’s disposed of at the end of its life.
Our definition of green will evolve with new technology and regulations. As the definition becomes more stringent, the bar will be raised, motivating us to push for better results.
As green ways become integrated and common, it’s likely that the term green will fade away. Right now the term distinguishes new innovation from traditional ways. When green policies are standard, we won’t need to call attention to them.
The green economy refers to the industries that are producing greener products, using cleaner processes, and offering more sustainable services in an effort to move us toward a new standard. Some industries are farther along the trail than others. You’ll be amazed at the activity in this new economy that some experts are already calling the New Industrial Revolution.
Tags: carol mcclelland, greenbooks
Comment
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Comment by Carol McClelland on March 16, 2010 at 11:53am - Let me know if you have any questions about the book, the green economy, or green careers. I'll be checking back during the day to answer any questions you may have.
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