Sustainability & Green Business Careers
How to Become a Sustainability and Green Business Leader
Are you an environmentalist who really wants to make a difference? You can support yourself and your ecosystem at the same time if you have the business skills to plan, promote, and manage sustainability and green initiatives. Private companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations all need leaders to implement programs for environmentally sound products, services, and operations. You might be responsible for reducing the carbon footprint for a large organization or you might manage the development of a product or service that benefits the environment.
The career ladder in a green business is much the same as in any other organization. Management positions include office managers, project managers, operations managers, administrative managers, and top executives. Like any other manager, you may be responsible for accounting, finance, operations, and marketing functions. But, you'll also need specialized knowledge about the economic and technical aspects of the sustainable/green measures you implement.
Degree Programs and Training for the Sustainability and Green Business Management Career
Sustainability and green business managers may have backgrounds in technical or scientific fields such as environmental engineering, geology, or the life sciences. If you're already a technical expert with a bachelor's degree, an MBA in sustainable enterprise can help you step up to a management career. Non-technical professionals can move into management with a bachelor's degree or MBA in sustainable enterprise or a similar field.
Sustainability and Green Business Management Career Certification and Licensing
There is no specific certification or licensing requirement for sustainability or green business. However, you should be informed about any government regulations pertaining to your products, services, or operations.
Sustainability and Green Business Managers' Earnings
Sustainability and green business managers' salaries are comparable to those of other managers. Top executives often receive over $100,000 in compensation. The median salary for office managers and administrative support supervisors was $41,000 in 2004. Administrative services managers made $61,000. The salaries of environmental scientists ranged from $43,000 to $74,000 in 2006.
Sustainability and Green Business Managers' Employment Outlook
Growing concerns about global warming and the environment in general are increasing the demand for managers who understand environmental issues and know how to implement sustainability and green business measures.