Sustainability and careers

Many job roles in the New Zealand labour market now incorporate aspects of sustainability work.

Here are some examples from a wide range of subject backgrounds:

• Accountants need to know about ethical investment, sustainability reporting and carbon accounting.
• Office workers are being asked to operate in a ‘carbon zero’ fashion and participate in community volunteering projects.
• Planners are incorporating sustainability principles into their decision-making.
• Architects are challenged with designing sustainable buildings.
• Lawyers are involved in setting up the legislative frameworks for sustainable development, eg, the emissions trading scheme.
• Scientists and engineers are challenged with researching to find innovative solutions to the problems of climate change.
• Businesspeople are engaging with their customers and stakeholders so they know exactly what their expectations are around sustainable product development.
• Entrepreneurs are exploring opportunities in the carbon market.
• Managers are charged with reviewing and measuring business processes to reduce or eliminate their carbon footprint.

When you apply for jobs, you may be thinking about what your industry or prospective employer is doing in the field of corporate social responsibility and sustainability. 

Visit these websites for some examples:

• MAF sustainable forestry
• Sustainable winegrowing NZ
  Many NZ wineries have undergone Landcare Research’s ‘CarboNZero’ certification.
• The University of Auckland: Sustainability and the environment
  Find out what the University is doing about its carbon footprint.
• Auckland Council
  Read about the Auckland Sustainability Framework.
• Sustainable Business Network
  Provides services supporting NZ businesses to become more sustainable.
• Deloitte: Sustainability and climate change
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers: Corporate social responsibility
  See also their New Zealand site.
• Mighty River Power
  See what this energy company is doing.
  

This is a small selection of books and articles:

• Leveson, Val.  Green influence on a role. New Zealand Herald, 26 July 2008 : F1. This article reports a growth in the number of environmental jobs.
• The ECO guide to careers that make a difference : environmental work for a sustainable world. (2004) Washington : Island Press .
• Shatkin, Laurence. (2008) 150 best jobs for a better world. Indianapolis : Jist Works.
• Sainty, Rosemary. (2007) Careers in corporate responsibility and sustainability . Melbourne : Graduate Careers Australia.
• Cassio, Jim & Rush, Alice. (2009) Green careers : choosing work for a sustainable future. Gabriola Island : New Society Publishers

Check out these websites:

• CarboNZero
  Try out the calculators to see how sustainable your lifestyle is.
• Sustainability.govt.nz
  See the "25 easy steps towards sustainability" for simple tips on how to live sustainably. 
• Energywise
  Find out more about how to use energy efficiently. 

• Wikipedia 
  A good starting point for general information on sustainability, climate change and related topics.
• Climate Change 
  Find out what New Zealand is doing about climate change.
• Ministry for the Environment
  See the sections on sustainability and climate change in particular.