Degrees: Real talk about jobs saving the planet, a podcast from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), is launching a new mini-series dedicated to helping Gen Z and Millennials find and secure climate jobs. While green jobs are some of the The fastest growing around the worldJob seekers face major obstacles finding jobs in emerging fields. The Year of the Climate Job features leading voices on green jobs to help job seekers overcome key challenges.
it was there Announcing 100,000 new clean energy jobs Since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law last year; With an estimated 9 million green jobs projected over the next decade in the United States alone. The LinkedIn 2024 Report found just that The demand for green jobs outweighs the talent pool. However, many frustrated green job seekers would disagree.
a New analysis of thousands Job seekers on the LinkedIn platform found that green job seekers face four major vulnerabilities:
- lack of personal contacts in the industry;
- uncertainty about how skills will be assigned to roles;
- concerns about being overlooked due to a lack of direct experience in the field;
- Difficulty finding organizations that align with areas of interest.
While many people are trying to get climate jobs, they feel stuck. This new series is designed to distance people from themselves. Ultimately, we want as many people as possible to innovate and accelerate a just energy transition. We all have responsibilities to make it easier for the brightest minds to work on solving the climate crisis.” Daniel HillDirector of Business and Innovation at EDF + Business. Hill is the host of the Degrees podcast miniseries, “The Year of the Climate Function.”
To meet the growing demand for one-on-one mentorship for green jobs, Hill started a grassroots project called OpenDoorClimate. Thousands of job seekers have held conversations with volunteers from dozens of NGOs and public and private sector organizations, and gained valuable career advice from these expert volunteers.
“The race to match skills with new and emerging roles is on – and it’s more important than ever. Green jobs today will determine our success in fighting the climate crisis over the next decade. Yesh Pavlik Slink, EDF Climate Corps Program Director, OpenDoorClimate Mentor, and Regular Degrees host said: “We are seeing unprecedented innovations and supportive policies leading to new green jobs every day.”
The new five-part podcast series features a narrative format. The trailer was released on April 19, 2023; The first episode will be released on April 26, 2023. Among the scheduled guests are green jobs experts:
- Kristi Drotman, founder of Brown Girl and the Green Jobs Board
- Nick Martin, CEO at TechChange
- Eugene Kirpichev, who left Google to found climate action
- Inchman Babna, TedX Speaker and founder of Terra.do
For more information about the Degrees podcast, visit www.edf.org/degrees-green-jobs-podcast.
Grades: Real Talk About Saving the Planet Jobs is in its fifth season, with more than 40 episodes of inspiring stories about growing green jobs, in every sector. The podcast has listeners in 171 countries, multiple rankings in Apple’s Top 25 Career Podcasts, and Spotify features. The podcast is produced by Podcast Allies, LLC. The music is from the eco-friendly and lovable Lake Street Dive band.
Daniel Hill is the Director of Business and Innovation for the Environmental Defense Fund and founder of #OpenDoorClimate. Daniel manages EDF’s Innovation Fund and works with companies to amplify climate innovation in business. Prior to joining EDF, he co-founded the Green Impact Campaign, a national nonprofit organization that trains students to help small businesses save energy. He has also served as a sustainability consultant to several companies, helping them reduce energy use in commercial real estate buildings. Hill has been honored as an Echoing Green Fellow, a Halcyon Incubator Fellow, a Clean Energy Leadership Institute Fellow, and a recipient of the Alliance to Save Energy’s Rising Star Award for Energy Efficiency and Net Impact’s Force for Change Award.