Dear Friend,
I assert that environmental educators have a place in all facets of the workplace.
If EE didn't happen the way it usually does, what might it look like?
Let's consider the concept of "green jobs" for a moment. Can environmental educators say they have a green job?
A review of recent literature indicates there is no agreed-upon definition for "green jobs." The authors of the literature review I read explain that before 2008, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said jobs were "green" if they "produced goods and services for measuring, preventing, limiting, and minimizing damage to the environment, water, air, and soil " (Stanef-Puica et al., 2022).
In 2008, the Green Jobs Initiative defined green jobs as "any decent work that contributes to maintaining and restoring the quality of the environment" (Stanef-Puica et al., 2022). Other definitions address jobs directly and associate green jobs with jobs related to decarbonization.
There was only one definition that felt broad enough to include EE. It is a definition provided by the authors of a 2015 European Commission report. The authors of this report state that "all jobs that depend on the environment or are created, replaced, or redefined in the process of transition to a greener economy" are green jobs.
When you hear the phrase "green jobs," do you see yourself in this classification?
The paper I've referenced can be found below. It is open access, so you can add it to your library.
Wishing you a restful weekend,
