# Working for Environmentalists? As in, getting a job? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158 "2005-08-15T22:07:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/1 "2005-08-15T22:07:08Z")
My Hubby has a lifelong passion for environmental causes. He thought his Ph.D. would enable him to perfect an environmentally friendly process for cleaning certain types of polluted soil, but it turns out that it’s cheaper to burn the soil (and burning eliminates liability issues). So in an effort to explore new possibilities, he’s been contacting environmental groups at the local and national level. No dice. No replies. Not even the kind of professional courtesy he commonly receives from other people in his field. Are these groups deluged with well-intended applicants? Is there a key to “breaking in” to that field? Anybody BTDT? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/2 "2005-08-15T22:50:00Z")
From my own experience with Clearwater (Hudson River Sloop) and a little with Greenpeace, the Littoral society and Clean Ocean Action. Jobs are few and low paying. Many 18-25 year old would love a chance to spend a few years working for a good cause. I came very close to crewing on the Clearwater. So it is a bit of an application overflow. The larger national/international groups should have a few more openings. What is the Ph.D. in? ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/3 "2005-08-15T22:54:11Z")
Has he thought about working in environmental compliance? There are lots of private consulting firms out there that specialize in planning, evaluation, mitigation, etc. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/4 "2005-08-15T22:58:38Z")
I’m moving this to IMHO, as I think you’ll get better results there, and GQ is usually for questions with a specific factual answer. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/5 "2005-08-15T23:07:28Z")
> [@Ol'Gaffer](#): > > Has he thought about working in environmental compliance? There are lots of private consulting firms out there that specialize in planning, evaluation, mitigation, etc. That’s what I do. It’s not exactly a glamour job, saving sequoias and spotted owls, but I have had a major refinery have to change some of their methods on my say-so. It’s a weird situation because we mostly are working for the industries we’re policing, and the government agencies that back us up are underfunded, understaffed, and on the rare occasions they do issue fines, the fines are almost always slashed on appeal. Still, it’s a living. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/6 "2005-08-15T23:12:29Z")
> [@Ol'Gaffer](#): > > Has he thought about working in environmental compliance? There are lots of private consulting firms out there that specialize in planning, evaluation, mitigation, etc. That’s what I do. It’s not exactly a glamour job, saving sequoias and spotted owls, but I have had a major refinery have to change some of their methods on my say-so. It’s a weird situation because we mostly are working for the industries we’re policing, and the government agencies that back us up are underfunded, understaffed, and on the rare occasions they do issue fines, the fines are almost always slashed on appeal. Still, it’s a living. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/7 "2005-08-15T23:43:26Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > From my own experience with Clearwater (Hudson River Sloop) and a little with Greenpeace, the Littoral society and Clean Ocean Action. > Jobs are few and low paying. Many 18-25 year old would love a chance to spend a few years working for a good cause. I came very close to crewing on the Clearwater. So it is a bit of an application overflow. > The larger national/international groups should have a few more openings. What is the Ph.D. in? Molecular Biology. He’s got a fair amount of knowledge & experience in bioremediation, phytoremediation, treating PAHs in soil, etc. What kinds of things did you do for this group? Thanks for moving the thread, **samclem**. **sleepy2** , what’s your specific area? I keep thinking that compliance or litigation or something would be a great place to start. I think he’s caught up in some idealism himself, as if there were a perfect employer who could “save the world”. Since he’s unemployed & we’ve got twin toddlers, realism is knocking at the door. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/8 "2005-08-16T00:02:37Z")
> [@fessie](#): > > **sleepy2** , what’s your specific area? Besides double posting? My company does a wide range of environmental remediation-coordination. That is, we don’t actually do the clean up, but we represent the property owners and make sure the remediation contractors operate in compliance. We do surveys, Phase 1’s, Phase 2’s, and all kinds of monitoring (water, air, soil, asbestos, lead, mold, heavy metals, etc). I do asbestos, almost exclusively. Here in the Northeast, there’s tons of asbestos in factories, office buildings, refineries, you get the idea. Buisness X hires us, we design the asbestos removal plan, put the job out to bid, and hire removal contractors. We then do air monitoring, ensure compliance with all regs, and do final inspections. Every single removal contractor will try to cut corners every single job, it’s my job to stop them! As I said, not real idealistic, but necessary, and I’ve been to tons of cool places all over the country! ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/9 "2005-08-16T00:44:08Z")
Interesting. You say it’s not idealistic, but I think that’s what it comes down to; people deciding, on a daily basis, to do things well. Kind of like the the sage said: “Before I was enlightened, I chopped wood, carried water, and tended my garden. After I was enlightened…I chopped wood, carried water, and tended my garden.” A friend of mine was diagnosed w/mesothelyoma (sp?) at age 35. Got a nice settlement, hopefully he’ll live long enough to use it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/10 "2005-08-16T00:56:57Z")
> [@fessie](#): > > Molecular Biology. He’s got a fair amount of knowledge & experience in bioremediation, phytoremediation, treating PAHs in soil, etc. What kinds of things did you do for this group? Sailor / Environmental Educator, I still do it very part time as a volunteer only on a much small wooden sail boat. Did you try [Job Opportunities | Sierra Club](http://www.sierraclub.com/jobs/) or [Careers, Benefits, Internships | WWF](http://www.worldwildlife.org/about/jobs.cfm?searchen=google) Someone told me about this site: [http://www.ejobs.org/](http://www.ejobs.org/) Special opportunities: job postings. Find openings in federal government. Search employment listings in Canadian government. Locate environmental employers by state and province (Web sites). Specialized listings for environmental jobs and general listings. View salary surveys, résumé resources, more career resources, and friendly links. Information for military personnel and college students. Use a directory of government agencies. Use alphabetical lists of environmental companies, laboratories, law firms, non-profits, and state jobs. ---
**Author:** ![LVgeogeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b19c9b/32.png) [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/11 "2005-08-16T01:25:44Z")
I work for an environmental firm thats deals with asbestos and mold, phase I & IIs, also petroleum. I work in the petroleum department. I do the monitoring of gas stations by shallow ground water sampling. I just finished a huge project involving soil sampling, and now starting on monitor well and remediation well installation. Not glamorous, nor does it pay all that great, but I love my job. 🙂 Enviro jobs are a weird one to search for in jon search sites. Look under engineering consultants, remediation, environmental scientist, hydrologist, soil scientist etc etc. sometime they are listed in the “other” category of job types. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/12 "2005-08-16T15:22:10Z")
There’s also the possibility of working for the regulators. Not as glamorous as working for Greenpeace, nor as well-paid as working for the private contractors, but still a chance to make the world better, and leaves more family time than the alternatives. Don’t know where you are, but you could check the state agency, and EPA jobs are listed at [www.epa.gov/ezhire](http://www.epa.gov/ezhire). As usual for job searching, it never hurts to do an informational interview where you’re interested. Major environmental non-profits are completely deluged with people wanting to work for them, and there really aren’t that many jobs, so it’s difficult for them to reply to everyone. They generally list job openings, so if you do see one that is in his field of expertise, go ahead and apply, but a general inquiry probably won’t lead to much. And remember, the qualifications aren’t just technical, but also a strong political awareness and savvy, very strong communications skills, and usually a history of commitment (volunteering, etc.). Given that he has a PhD, work those connections as much as he can-- get his professors to give him contacts/introductions to anybody remotely in the field (and get those people to give him contacts, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/13 "2005-08-16T16:12:35Z")
He could try looking [here](http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/jobs/index.cfm). I managed a Conservation District for a couple of years. There was some of the idealistic environmental work (stream restoration projects, wetland creation, trail planning and construction, etc.), but that work was often contracted out. My job was focused on the behind-the-scenes stuff going on there - project funding, grant proposals, city and county legislation pushes. The pool of people who are willing and able to handle the political side of things is a lot smaller, and it often pays better than the positions that first come to mind. It can be (almost) as rewarding, too. But if you hate it, you really, _really_ hate it. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/14 "2005-08-16T16:23:17Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Given that he has a PhD, work those connections as much as he can-- get his professors to give him contacts/introductions to anybody remotely in the field (and get those people to give him contacts, etc.) That’s a big connection right there - many environmental non-profits are funded by the same grants that fund academic research. I worked pretty closely with professors in cooperative extension and the civil engineering department on a couple of projects. ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/15 "2005-08-16T17:03:31Z")
**fessie** , I work in the industry too, as a consultant. Shoot me an email (yours is not enabled) and I’ll send you a link to my company site, which has job postings on it. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/working-for-environmentalists-as-in-getting-a-job/317158/16 "2005-08-17T01:05:01Z")
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and encouragement - I just sent you an email from my hotmail account, **Cowgirl Jules** , thanks!