While professionals in green careers specifically support environmental responsibility and sustainability, you don’t have to change jobs to have a positive environmental impact at work. Everyone, regardless of title or industry, can make their working life more sustainable by adopting a sustainable mindset, pursuing new skills, taking action, and encouraging colleagues to do the same. The steps below will help you get started:
- Adopt a sustainable mindset. The first step to any sustainability journey is to adopt a sustainable mindset, which encourages you to view all aspects of your daily life, including your career, through a lens of sustainability. By turning this lens on your job, you’ll begin to understand the role of you, your organization, and your broader industry in the fight against climate change. With this information, you can then identify existing gaps, areas of opportunity, and interconnections with other industries and movements.
- Upskill & learn continuously. Sustainability is an ever-evolving goal, so ongoing learning is essential. Consider attending webinars, taking a course, or pursuing a certification to update and expand your knowledge and skills. Keep an eye out for opportunities that are specific to sustainability in your field. For example, finance professionals can learn to calculate financed emissions (learn more about financed emissions from the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials).
- Take action & advocate. The next step is to leverage your sustainable mindset and updated knowledge to create positive change in your workplace. It may be beneficial to start with a small change, such as personally using less paper, which will help build your momentum when advocating for larger changes. When advocating for large changes, be sure to come prepared with relevant data, maintain a constructive attitude, and coordinate your advocacy with like-minded colleagues. For specific recommended actions based on your specific job function, visit Project Drawdown’s Job Function Action Guides at the “Action” link below.
- Encourage/empower others. Beyond your individual efforts, you can have an even larger impact by collaborating with colleagues. Consider creating or joining a sustainability group or “green team,” which brings together team members from across the organization to brainstorm potential improvements. In addition, when someone proposes a sustainable change, be sure to support their recommendation.
Making a positive environmental impact in the workplace doesn’t require a career change — just a change in perspective and action. By adopting a mindset of sustainability, continuously expanding your skills, and advocating for sustainable practices in increasingly wider circles, you can have a meaningful impact on both your company and the planet. Collaborating with colleagues will further amplify these efforts as you help build a more sustainable future for all.