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What does a typical day look like being a Sustainability Specialist

When I was younger I didn't like to litter or do damage or throw waste to the planet even if I did it on accident. I felt bad cause this is our only home and we're slowly destroying it. I want to create plans, develop goals and strategies to save waste and to slow down on pollution of the planet. What are a few important things I should know about this job? #technology #biology #college #wastemanagement #greenbuilding #business #internship #sustainability

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David’s Answer

The best option to help the planet is to get involved in the waste management field. This does not mean you have to be a sanitation specialist. There are a number of new fields emerging. In California one of the biggest changes is in ZEV's (Zero Emission Vehicles) and how they will impact/change the solid waste collection industry. The technology is so new that there are tons of opportunities for new grads to get involved, both at a manufacturer, collection company, mechanic/technician and inventor/programmer level. Beyond this there are all kinds of new roles in the industry due to ever changing climate protection goals such as CA's new Climate pollutant reduction goal through increased composting. As of January 1, 2022 CA will attempt to divert 75% of all waste. A hug role in this is in Organics. Organic Diversion Specialists are needed, almost all companies are actively pursuing new hires to help meet compliance goals.
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Rodrigo’s Answer

HI Aaron J.

is a great thing to work in I think you can develop this such as:

-Creating new energies
-Create new rules to be green
-Create new methods of garbage processing

you need to know, biology, some enginner stuff, and enviromental rules, If I can give you and advice for this, enviromental engineering will be very suitable for you!
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Maggie’s Answer

Hi. One of the growing areas of sustainability is called Circular Economy. Its is a great way for driving behavior of re-using, recycling and repurposing what is sometimes called "waste" into something else. Waste accumulating in landfills and in other parts of the world is one of the leading causes of climate change. Circular economy is a good way of reducing that behavior of people discarding things without thinking of how they can be repurposed to good use.

Another interesting area that is emerging in Sustainability is called Biomimicry. This is basically inventing solutions by looking at how nature has done it. Scientists have learned that nature has great solutions to many of our current challenges- we just need to look closely and imitate " mimic" those solutions.

Additionally, if you are interested in science and chemistry, is an area called Green Chemistry. In its simplest form, it is about looking at how to make things with the least harmful substances so that factories can remove toxic/ poisonous materials that can harm people or the planet in their manufacturing processes
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Victoria’s Answer

Hi Aaron, 
I manage sustainability efforts for a tech company (in the past I've worked at similar roles in insurance & banking). I recommend:
 
- Becoming familiar with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, called the SDGs: https://sdgs.un.org/goals. Goals 6, 7, 11 & 13 are sharply focused on sustainability. This will give you a great sense of strategies, programs & initiatives that global governments and companies are using to reach the goals. Great place to get ideas for jobs! 

-Familiarizing yourself with Environmental, Social and Governance (known as "ESG") reporting frameworks. This is what companies use to measure their ESG footprints, and determine how to be more sustainable. An increasing number of companies now need to produce public ESG reports on an annual basis, so it's forcing companies to become more sustainable and create strategies to achieve net zero carbon emissions as a result. The pressure is on for companies! So the more you know about ESG reporting, strategies to reduce carbon footprint, create alternative solutions to environmental concerns, etc. the more helpful you can be. There are several ESG frameworks geared toward different audiences (investors vs. employees, etc.). The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship has a great "Alphabet Soup of ESG reporting" I like to use: https://ccc.bc.edu/content/ccc/research/briefs/infographics.html 

Good luck! 

Victoria recommends the following next steps:

Familiarize yourself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals # 6,7,11 & 13: https://sdgs.un.org/goals 
Familiarize yourself with ESG reporting frameworks: to use: https://ccc.bc.edu/content/ccc/research/briefs/infographics.html 
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