Even acid rain clouds can have silver linings. The array of environmental ills the United States faces has, according to some experts, spawned a multi- billion dollar industry that is breathing life into old job categories, creating new ones and improving employment prospects across a spectrum of professions.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that in 1990 some $100 billion was spent on environmental protection and remediation (or cleanup) of hazardous waste, says Nicholas Basta, author of ”The Environmental Career Guide” (John Wiley & Sons, $14.95).
”A lot of anti-environmentalists believe (that) money is being thrown down a hole” and not necessarily stimulating the economy, says Basta, a Brooklyn journalist, chemical engineer and senior editor of Chemical Engineering magazine. However, he says a number of jobs are being created by manufacturing firms that need environmental consultants, schools with new environmental-studies departments and law firms specializing in environmental regulations.
Lee DeAngelis, regional director of the Great Lakes office of the Environmental Careers Organization, a Boston-based, national, non-profit group that places applicants in environmental internships, says more corporations are hiring full-time staffers to focus on enviromental issues, such as purchasing recyclable materials.
”It`s not just the big oil and steel operations that have to be concerned about the environment today,” he says.
Basta identifies six broad areas in which environmental jobs can be found: private industry, government, teaching, travel, non-profit and business services such as science consulting, law and advertising.
In most demand are the technical skills of scientists and engineers, he says. Salaries range from $35,000 to $50,000 for candidates with two to five years` experience.
Government and non-profit sectors provide some of the lower-paying jobs but offer excellent work experience, DeAngelis says. Starting salaries for general staff jobs range from $15,000 to $20,000, he says.
One of the hottest new jobs is that of environmental manager, a worker with a technical background who oversees a corporation`s compliance with health, safety and environmental regulations, says Basta. These managers can earn $100,000 or more, he adds.
DeAngelis says top career opportunities include environmental engineering (including protection-related jobs, such as waste-water treatment or air-pollution management), hydrogeology (including ground-water specialists), industrial hygiene (auditing and monitoring work areas for safety standards)
and toxicology (determing the health effects of chemicals).
The definition of environmental work has broadened to cover many non-technical professions in fields such as travel, in which ecotourism or environmental education tours are popular, and architecture, in which environmentally sound designs are in demand, Basta says.
Another field is advertising, in which client demand for ”green marketing,” the sale of products that have an implicit environmental benefit, is increasing, he says.
Pat Cafferata, president of Young & Rubicam Chicago, an advertising agency, says her firm has prepared three environmental marketing plans for clients in the last 18 months alone.
”I think it`s necessary for advertising agencies to be up to speed on environmental issues,” she says. ”Every company has to be environmentally responsible today. It`s not a fad, it`s a fact.”
Among ways to take advantage of environmental trends in the work force:
– To stand out as a job candidate, choose an environmental issue you believe in. Jill Riddell, director of development and communications at Open Lands Project, a private, non-profit urban conservation organization in Chicago, suggests researching groups that are working on an issue and going after the one you most want to work for. Competition is stiff, she says, and
”you have to make yourself rise to the top.”
– Volunteer to get experience and make contacts. This gets your foot in the door, especially at nonprofit environmental groups, which Riddell says often hire volunteers and people with varied experience.
– Consider returning to college for an environmental studies degree or taking a few environmental courses to boost your ecological know-how.
LIFELINES
Environmental jobs
The Job Seeker, a national newsletter published twice-monthly, includes some 200 environmental jobs in public and private sectors. Three-month
subscription: $19.50. Job Seeker, Route 2, Box 16, Warrens, Wis. 54666;
608-378-4290.
Paid internships
The national, non-profit Environmental Careers Organization places applicants with three or more years of college in paid environmental internships. It also offers national job fairs and publications. 617-426-4375. Communicators` network
The Chicago-based National Association of Professional Environmental Communicators includes workers in business, government, education and nonprofit groups. Annual dues: $25 to $75. 312-661-1721.
Volunteer placement
The New Hampshire-based Student Conservation Association places volunteers of all ages and education levels in unpaid environmental internships with government agencies. Call 603-826-4301.
Worker`s bookshelf
”The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers,” by Lee DeAngelis (Island Press, $14.95); ”Professional`s Job Finder,” by Daniel Lauber (Planning/
Communications, $15.95).
