Want a green job? How about becoming a carbon expert?

Green jobs, cash for caulkers and so on – we hear of a lot of them. But, have you felt left out, or do you seem to lack enthusiasm for the “coming revolution” that you want to be an integral part of?

You are probably not alone. Well, here is something that might interest you. I came across this article that summarizes a speech by Suzanne Kiraly, President of CSA Standards. I immediately felt duty bound to plagiarize the article and report back to you. Okay, maybe nothing so dramatic, but I still thought it interesting that there will be this new field of “carbon expertise”.

Expertise in Carbon Management

Unfortunately, as humans, we tend to complicate things and we love to confound things by dealing with euphemisms rather than the real thing. So, when we talk about carbon footprints, we are actually discussing CO2 emissions. While the current standards may not hold, as of now, regulation will proceed based on the current standards. Regulation is not there yet, but it will start sooner or later.

With new regulations, there will be new accounting and reporting standards. Most organizations will have to report their carbon footprint, and here is where new opportunities lie. Of course, unlike the world of financial accounting, we do not have a well defined program for someone to be called a carbon footprint expert, yet.

Change is in the air

Of course, there are always people smelling new opportunity in everything they see. Several training organizations, small and large have cropped up to help people learn about renewable energy, solar installations, the environment in general and what not. It would not be too surprising to see “Carbon” studies become part of the norm.

This will be an interesting and welcome turn. When I was an undergraduate student, I was fascinated to find a call for students to exchange ideas on “eco friendly refrigerants”  through a contest. However, I found out that those being the nascent days of the internet, information was not readily available.

It was quite an effort to develop a full understanding of the Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and the Global Warming Potential (GWP) for our own internalization. It was quite another task to explain it to people. I am hoping that with the advent of a good demand for folks with knowledge on carbon emission management and so on, things will become easier to learn, understand and explain.

What to do if you are at the cross-roads?

Okay, now you know. There will be tens of hundreds of companies wanting to do a good job of reporting their emissions, the projects they are initiating to reduce and manage their emissions, their compliance reporting and so on. You want a piece of the pie. Where should you start?

Here are some quick tips:

1. Read, read and then read some more. Understand the whole concept of carbon footprint assessment, life cycle assessment and the various clever techniques that are being adopted around the world.

2. Brainstorm – create your own ideas for how you would help reduce the footprint in an industry of your choosing. Try to identify potential customers who might want to implement this. Try to see if you can consult for them, or exchange ideas, and/or develop a reputation in any form. Can’t get someone to do that? No problem – blog about, write a white paper, or publish this somewhere else. Let people know of your skills. Start your own consulting business while you are at it!

3. Take classes - Of course, you need to worry about the fact that not all classes offered in new areas will add value. I know of a really sad story of someone taking advantage of hundreds of folks on false promises of “clean tech jobs” (lawsuits and all that, post will come later). So, be sure to find out more about the specifics of what the classes teach, how they are unique, find out if they truly fill a knowledge gap specifically for you. Take a look at the cost structure of these classes and also identify if the people presenting you with these classes are serious about tying this to some form of professional future for you.

4. Educate – Write a blog, talk to someone, conduct a workshop or teach a class. Teaching someone about what you know, not only reinforces your own skill set, but it will also help you realize gaps in your knowledge, network with future collaborators and give you high quality exposure.

Reference:

http://dcnonl.com/article/id36819

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December 23, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Emission Control Policy, Employment in Clean Technologies, Sustainable Opportunities, Uncategorized

3 Responses

  1. Антон Павлович - March 23, 2010

    Это мне совсем не подходит….

    . Green jobs, cash for caulkers and so on – we hear of a lot of them…..

  2. Kylie Batt - April 20, 2010

    Я могу проконсультировать Вас по этому вопросу. Вместе мы сможем прийти к правильному ответу….

    You are probably not alone. Well, here is something that might interest you. I [...] Related posts:…

  3. Kylie Batt1 - June 14, 2010

    Может быть…