Comments on: Sustainability Consulting: What is it, and am I qualified? Part I

By: Elemental » Links for March 11th through March 15th

Elemental » Links for March 11th through March 15th — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:45 +0000

[...] Sustainability Consulting: What is it, and am I qualified? Part I « Bright Green Talent Musing… – And I count myself amongst those who say sustainability is NOT a discipline: "As individuals from all kinds of backgrounds and industries push into the field of sustainability consulting, it can become murky as to what that work even entails. This is especially true when considering the different perspectives and methodologies that are employed and adding even more complexity is the variability among clients and their needs. Thus, this quote sums up for me what sustainability consultants are trying to do – they help businesses address and redress the way in which they operate so that they will be better positioned for the market of the future a la decreasing their negative impact on the natural environment. Some argue that like the trends of international business and e-commerce, sustainability will at some point cease to be its own discipline and assume its rightful place within all of business practices." [...]

By: chris

chris — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:54:44 +0000

Your write-up was very helpful. I think to learn how to be a consultant is critical. The best advice I can tell people who want to move into the environmental – green areas is to really focus on what area they want to work in while they are in school ( non profit, government, a scientist role, consultant, etc) Target that area with a focus and go after the job while in school. I did that prior to my BS and it worked because I worked in environmental science jobs for a few years. Right now, many of these new green jobs cross over into standard jobs. For example, I sold software, hardware, ext with a green message ( green data center). The skill set needed was not green but IT sales. I had the green with my background but most of the people pitching the message did not. Good luck to everyone.

By: Angela

Angela — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:44:45 +0000

Nice post on sustainability consulting! I have seen two basic categories for sustainability consultants. Those who are focused on “greening” a process or organization; i.e. cost cutting, carbon footprints and process reorganization and those who focus on top-line growth through sustainability; i.e. new markets and new products. Each group is important to different areas of an organization and each necessites specific skill sets and mindsets.