It is not just the private sector that offers a career path. Government offers excellent opportunities in careers related to the environment. There are jobs at the federal, state and local level focused on environmental issues. For example, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides opportunities for biologists and a host of other specialists too. There are careers in forestry with the U.S. Forest Service. People can work outdoors and be involved with the environment both directly and indirectly. These positions also provide direction and help people understand and enjoy the beauty and value of the country’s forests. And do you like being around water? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are always looking for oceanographers and atmospheric scientists to map and interpret the undersea world and help to create policies and practices to benefit environmental sustainability.With almost 20,000 employees all working diligently on environmental issues, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) represents a significant commitment to environmental issues on the part of the US government. The EPA provides careers in soil science, water management, air quality inspection, waste management and compliance and for quality control agents who investigate environmental abuse and guide companies back into compliance. State and local government offer more green careers than the federal government does.Private industry has thousands of green jobs. More and more companies are working to make their production processes more eco efficient and sustainable. They are also investing in retrofitting and re-purposing machinery and facilities. This creates jobs for engineers, metal workers and others to transform the outdated technology to incorporate the latest technological advances. There are environmental careers in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, administration, research and development and a number of service professions available. No matter your skill set there are ways to utilize it within the green economy.

Many non-profit organizations offer green careers as well. Many are focused on solar, wind, biomass, thermal or water energy issues. People are needed to conceive, design and build the technology which will allow for the harnessing of energy from these renewable sources. There are exciting and lucrative careers on all levels, and offer excellent long-term prospects as oil supplies dwindle and energy demand increases. There is a need for bold, visionary leadership in addressing the present environmental issues and anticipating and preparing for what is next. There are environmental careers protecting ecosystems and biodiversity, the recycling variety of materials, eliminating waste and pollution, devising high-efficiency strategies for decarbonizing the economy and effective ways to manage precious natural resources like potable water.

The benefits of environmental careers are many and diverse. They can be fun and inspiring careers where you get to make a difference in the quality of people’s lives. You can play an important role in helping to protect and preserve the ecology of the planet. These careers can add meaning to your life and help to sustain and improve the lives of people, plants and animals. Green careers can provide opportunities to use your skills and talents in a positive, productive and proactive manner focused on creating new and innovative ways to enhance environmental sustainability. Environmental careers give you an opportunity to use your time, energy and ideas to positively impact people’s lives and make the planet more livable now and in the future. The overall benefit is the improved quality of life for everyone and everything on the planet.

The future is bright for those who choose environmental careers. The great challenge of this century is environmental sustainability. People with talent, vision and a willingness to work in harmony with others for the greater good of the planet are desperately needed. The opportunities for meaningful work through government, private industry and non-profits will continue grow. There are green jobs initiatives and workforce education programs being implemented to prepare workers for the new, exciting, essential jobs the move towards a greener world economy will create. You can help create a vision of a healthy, environmentally balanced planet and then propose steps towards making it a reality.

Through it all the goal of environmental sustainability remains paramount. Environmental careers are roles people can play to help attain that goal and fulfill the vision of a healthy, vibrant world ecology. Working in environmental careers will help by teaching others that environmental sustainability and economic self-sufficiency can go hand in hand.