Van Jones, Green Jobs, and Earth Day

Green jobs are all the talk these days with the stimulus package and the emerging green economy. What are they? Why do they hold such promise? How can universities play a part? Van Jones, TIME Magazine 2008 Environmental Hero, did a pretty good job answering these questions back in November at the AASHE Conference. It long, but worth it!



On Wednesday, April 22, UNC is celebrating Earth Day by hosting a green jobs panel here on campus. Join us at 7:00 PM at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center Theatre for a fascinating panel on the future of green-collar jobs and the development of the green economy in North Carolina and beyond. Expert panelists will include Joseph James, Purpose Prize winner and CEO of Corporation for Economic Opportunity; John Hardin, Acting Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology, and Larry Shirley, Secretary of the NC State Energy Office. The panel will be moderated by Dr. James Johnson, Director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center and the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, and William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. See you there!

The economy stinks? Not if you're green!

You're about to graduate and the economy seems to be in a tailspin. With this global economic recession, the job prospects look bleak and you fear that you might have to move back in with mom & dad.

Does this situation sound familiar? Fear not! Much of the economic instability right now is a result of unsustainable business practices. So what's the fix? Sustainable business practices, of course!

"In a world beset by economic woes as well as environmental problems— from the scarcity of natural resources to climate change—sustainability represents one of the few potential bright spots in an otherwise dismal recruiting environment." - Francesca Di Meglio, MBA Programs Go Green, BusinessWeek

So how does one join the new "green economy" after graduating?

For graduate students, register for the 2009 Sustainable Business Career Fair this Friday, January 23. It will be hosted by UNC's Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Duke's Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship. Everyone from GE to Trinity Design/Build to Latino Community Credit Union will have recruiters present. For more information, visit http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/KI/cse/careerfair.cfm

For undergraduates, consider how your degree and professional skills can be used to advance sustainable practices, policies, or technologies. A few options:

• If you have been active at UNC and are interested in continuing to work towards sustainability in higher education, check out the job postings in the AASHE Bulletin (http://www.aashe.org/resources/bulletin-archives.php).
• If you are looking at persuing an MBA, check out the MBA Programs Go Green article in BusinessWeek (http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jan2009/bs20090119_936863.htm).
• If you are not a member of the UNC Sustainability listserv, join! Local, regional, and national job postings are regularly sent to our listserv members.
• Finally, just remember that almost any profession can support sustainability. Whether you are in marketing, journalism, education, chemistry, astonomy, or international studies, there are a plethora of opportunities out there.

What green job search resources would you recommend to fellow readers?

-Brian Cain, Research & Outreach Manager, UNC Sustainability Office