Sustainability Programs
Where do I Start?
Sustainability and Economic Growth Webinars
Join us for our upcoming free webinar series. The online workshops will provide an overview of green practices and career options. Join us in one or all three sessions:
BACK TO THE TOP
What Do the Experts Say about Green Careers?
Our green certificate programs were developed in partnership with advisory boards comprised of industry experts, and our instructors are working practitioners. We asked advisory board members from our green programs to share their perspectives on the future of green jobs.
Mauri Paz, P.E., C.E.M., is a Green Building Engineer. He is Project Manager for E2 Managetech, Inc., where he applies his expertise in Energy Management and Energy Management Information Systems. He is a member of the Applied Sustainability Advisory Board.
Sustainability is creating a wealth of opportunities in environmental consulting, green technologies, energy management, and building construction and upgrades. A growing number of corporations are starting to understand the value in sustainable practices, both to the community and their own bottom line.
There is a need for people who can grasp the major green concepts and execute projects involving sustainable practices at all levels and across all industries. There are green job openings for people with backgrounds in accounting, business, law, engineering, communications, construction, contracting, science, environmental studies, and more.
People who have taken formal education in sustainability related topics are going to have an edge over those who haven’t.
State universities provide students with a top-notch education through their extension programs, and employers are aware of schools that provide these types of certificate programs.
Lastly, networking is key. Many students enrolled in certificate programs have the advantage of expanding their network by keeping an active relationship with other students and professors. This can be a great means of obtaining a job in sustainability.
Mark Thiele is the Vice President of Data Center Strategy at ServiceMesh, a provider of Cloud Management and Orchestration software. He is also President and Founder of Data Center Pulse, and a member of the Green Data Center Management and Green Industry advisory boards.
The focus on sustainability brings a whole new level of importance and opportunity to many functions in a typical business. My role has focused on information technology and facilities, and both have been impacted by the new attention given to sustainability.
While sustainability is not the first item on the to-do list for every company, it will be soon.
Anyone joining this market now stands an excellent chance of creating the world the way they want it to be.
If you really believe in the field of sustainability, research companies that have a focus on sustainability. Many of the technology hardware manufacturers are leaders in sustainability. Look for and join groups that focus on supporting people in a sustainability function. Become a member of and use Linkedin.com to find some of these groups.
Consider joining a company in the IT, facilities, or corporate operations functions for a year or two. Then make a name for yourself while building your business acumen. Identify one or more mentors in the sustainability function. The beauty of this field is that in many cases, they're there because they believe in making change.
Kimberly B. Keilbach has over 20 years’ experience writing for and about innovative businesses and cutting edge technologies. She writes the “The Triple Bottom Line” sustainability column for WomenEntrepreneur.com and is the author of Global Warming I$ Good for Business.
Successful businesses have always been sustainable from an economic point of view. Successful businesses in the 21st century will be sustainable from an economic, environmental, and societal point of view—what is called the Triple Bottom Line. Anyone interested in doing business on a global or even on a national basis must first understand and appreciate this fundamental shift in business-as-usual.
Beginning a search for a green career is similar to beginning a search for any career; you have to discover where you can add value to an existing enterprise. Utilizing the tools you’ve learned in the Applied Sustainability certificate program, you can add value by showing existing enterprises how they can reduce waste, cut costs and increase their bottom line profits. This is more than just “green” business; this is good business.
BACK TO THE TOP
Pathway to Green
New to Green?
If you haven't been exposed to sustainability practices in your workplace, it might be best to start with our Applied Sustainability program - a certificate program designed to give participants an applied understanding of the concepts, practical knowledge and skills necessary for the adoption of sustainability practices.
Green Aware?
If you already work in a construction or IT related field, your best fit might be to enroll in courses related to your field of industry to continue increase your level of expertise. Choose from the following options: Green Building, Green HVAC, Commercial Building Energy Audit, Cloud Computing and Green Data Center Management.
See our career map for more information.
Green Industry and Career Resources
Associations
Marketing Tools
CSUF Center for Sustainability
The Center for Sustainability was established at CSUF in 2009 and is a campus focal point for sustainability-centered activities. These include facilitating the development and inclusion of sustainability-centered topics in the university’s curriculum, supporting external grant-getting by faculty members and other members of the university community, encouraging interaction among faculty members from different disciplines, reaching out to members of the greater community interested in sustainability, providing leadership in efforts to make the campus more sustainable, and coordinating sustain ability-related activities on campus.
BACK TO THE TOP