On the search for that perfect green eco-job

There’s a saying I really like which is that every job should be a climate job.

It doesn’t matter what sector you’re in or what level you’re at there are things you could be doing or ideas you might have to make your work place more environmentally friendly and your job greener.

If you’re in human resources, is everyone tasked with a performance review for the environment?

If you’re a cleaner, are you making sure heating, lights and equipment are turned off when not needed?

If you’re a teacher, are you roping your class into being green monitors and making sure doors stay closed to keep classrooms warm?

If you’re a hairdresser are you using the most environmentally friendly products you can and are you washing towels at a lower temperature?

If you want to move sector completely though, there’s a lot of funding for training in low carbon technologies at colleges at the moment.

Get in touch with your local place of higher education and ask what the options are and if they have an open day or evening any time soon where you can pop along and find out some more information.

The Guardian jobs section is a great resource for environmental jobs and the Department of Work and Pensions has a page on their website dedicated entirely to environmental jobs.

The Environment Agency has jobs listed here: https://environmentagencycareers.co.uk/careers/?sType=ea_landingpage

There are plenty of environmental recruitment agencies on google too, it’s worth familiarising yourself with their areas of expertise and getting in touch,.

Try and think about a natural fit for your skill set too. If you’re an electrician, installing EV chargers on people’s driveways is a great way to channel your skillset in a green way or solar panels on roofs.

The UK government has developed a portal to help people get jobs in the environmental sector too. The link is here:

https://jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk/improve-your-chances-of-getting-a-job/green-jobs/

If you’re clear on what you want to do, it’s worth contacting companies that you’d like to work for – I know that sounds daunting but a lot of companies will appreciate the get up and go attitude of someone who is brave enough to do that.

Talk to people in the field you want to work in and ask their advice about how to move into the sector and what experience they wish they’d had too.

Trade associations have lists of renewable companies too so while they might not be able to directly help themselves, their website will havelists you can then use to your benefit.

I love my job, I know I’m incredibly fortunate to work in a sector I really feel passionate about so please do pursue it as we need to protect our one home.

Celebrity spot

Sir Paul McCartney and his daughters Mary and Stella created ‘Meat Free Monday’. The Beatles star – who’s first wife Linda was a dedicated vegetarian and environmental campaigner until her death in 1998 says: I’ve been vegetarian for over 40 years and have stayed with it because I believe that every meat free meal is a win for the animals and the planet.”

Green swap

With plenty of people opting to join the gym soon, why not get a head start and swap the car for your feet for one journey a week? Not only will you be getting healthier but reducing your vehicle use even by one journey a week will help clean up the air we breath.

Kickstart a healthy New Year with Veganuary

Veganuary seems to grow in popularity every year. It’s a 31 day challenge for the whole of January to follow a vegan lifestyle and every year more people sign up to it than the year before. You can find more details by visiting https://veganuary.com site.

Nearly ten per cent of all Brits have given it a go – which is a huge figure and 63 percent of Britain’s vegans have adopted the lifestyle in the last five years.

But not only is going vegan or plant based (where you have very limited meat and dairy products) good for the planet, it’s also much healthier for humans.

Research suggests vegans live longer than their carnivorous counterparts and we also know vegan and plant based diets are associated with better health – not least lower incidence of cancer.

What’s more, the impact on the planet if more of us went vegan would be huge. Studies suggest if we all went vegan and everyone in the world stopped eating meat, fish and dairy, we’d reduce climate emissions from food by 75 percent. I know that’s not going to happen but what a staggering figure.

Vegan food is also mostly quicker and easier to prepare than meat based meals and it keeps for longer in the fridge too. It’s incredibly easy to batch cook a lentil Bolognese or a five bean chilli too so you can save yourself time by becoming vegan too. And it’s also cheaper.

I’ve been vegetarian for decades – much to the disappointment of at the time of my farming family – but you don’t have to go the whole hog – pardon the pun and many of my relatives now choose veggie food. While Veganuary is a month long challenge, why not try meat free Monday or just ditching meat and dairy from your diet for a few days a week?

Finding what works for you will be better for wildlife, the climate and your health. We know in the areas of the world where people live the longest, they enjoy a more plant based diet rather than one that contains a lot of meat.

Research published earlier this year found vegan diets result in 75 percent less CO2 emissions than carnivorous diets, they also eliminate the destruction of wildlife by 66 per cent and use 54 per cent less water. Whether you decide to give Veganuary a go or just ditch meat one day a week, the bottom line is the planet really benefits when we reduce our meat and dairy consumption, so if you can, however you can, keeping that in mind will go a really long way.

Fact or fiction

If the goals of the Paris Agreement were met by 2050, approximately 800,000 lives a year worldwide could be saved through reductions in air pollution alone.

Fiction

If the Paris agreement goals were met, approximately one million lives a year could be saved.