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Sustainability Specialist

Overview and Key Facts

Sustainability meeting
Education
Education
Bachelor's degree
Median Pay
Median Pay
$81,270
Job Growth
Job Growth
3.00%
(US Average)
Jobs in 2034
Jobs in 2034
1,242,000

What Do They Do?

A sustainability specialist could...

 
Electric vehicle
Reduce a corporation's carbon output by ensuring that a company's fleet of cars be electric vehicles.
Ocean cleanup pair
Organize environmental volunteer activities, like a beach cleaning day, for employees company-wide.
Money
Save millions of dollars in operating costs by reducing the water and electricity needed to run a factory.
Man with recycling bin
Redesign a company's production line using recyclable materials for all of its packaging.
 
Electric vehicle Ocean cleanup pair Money Man with recycling bin

Overview Listen to this section

Are you passionate about the environment? Do you like developing and implementing new ideas? Do you enjoy talking with people about how humans impact nature? If these things are true about you, then you may be the ideal candidate for a job as a sustainability specialist. Sustainability specialists work in large and small corporations and universities to design and execute energy and resource conservation programs that reduce their employers' impact on the environment. This is a great career for people who enjoy working on teams, are socially responsible, and like to get things done!
Vanessa Lim, sustainability manager at food delivery company foodpanda, talks about the four areas of sustainability she works on, how she got started, and how customers influence sustainability efforts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlETECMAdkA

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Sustainability Specialist?


  1. Writing: ?
  2. Speaking: ?
  3. Reading Comprehension: ?
  4. Active Listening: ?
  5. Critical Thinking: ?
More skills...

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Sustainability Specialist might do:
  • Develop sustainability project goals, objectives, initiatives, or strategies in collaboration with other sustainability professionals.
  • Monitor or track sustainability indicators, such as energy usage, natural resource usage, waste generation, and recycling.
  • Assess or propose sustainability initiatives, considering factors such as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, and acceptance.
  • Provide technical or administrative support for sustainability programs or issues.
  • Review and revise sustainability proposals or policies.
  • Create or maintain plans or other documents related to sustainability projects.
  • Develop reports or presentations to communicate the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives.
  • Collect information about waste stream management or green building practices to inform decision makers.
  • Research or review regulatory, technical, or market issues related to sustainability.
  • Identify or investigate violations of natural resources, waste management, recycling, or other environmental policies.
  • Identify or create new sustainability indicators.
  • Create marketing or outreach media, such as brochures or Web sites, to communicate sustainability issues, procedures, or objectives.
  • Identify or procure needed resources to implement sustainability programs or projects.
  • Write grant applications, rebate applications, or project proposals to secure funding for sustainability projects.

Salary & Job Openings

Median Salary (Yearly Pay)

Tap or scroll over map to see median salaries for each state

Future Jobs

Blast-Off:

How Will Sustainability Specialist Jobs Grow by 2034?
Projected % Growth
Rapid growth
(10% or higher)
Much faster than average
(7% - 10%)
Faster than average
(5% - 7%)
About as fast as average
(3% - 5%)
Slower than average
(0% - 3%)
Decreasing
Average of all U.S. jobs (5.3%)
Sustainability Specialist jobs (3.00%)
Source: https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Steps to Get There: Becoming a Sustainability Specialist

High School Subjects to Study

Aim to study the yellow-shaded subjects.
Math
Algebra 1
Geometry
Algebra 2
Pre-Calculus
Calculus
Statistics
Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Environmental Science
Physiology
Bio-Medical / Biotech
IT &
Engineering
Computer Science
Applied Technology
Drafting & CAD Training
Core
English
Foreign Language
Business
Psychology / Sociology

Career Pathway Listen to this section

In addition to a scientific background in environmental science or engineering, employers sometimes look for LEED (or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation. The credentialing is administered by the Green Building Certification Institute under the supervision of the U.S. Green Building Council. There are several types of certification, depending on what students plan to do in their careers. However, credentialing involves coursework, working on green building projects, and taking an exam. To learn more, check out the U.S. Green Building Council website.

Education- Typical Degree Needed After High School Listen to this section

Degree
Post
high school credential
AA
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctoral or Professional Degree

Typical degree for an entry-level position: Bachelor's degree ? Types of Degrees and Credentials

The minimum degree required for entry-level sustainability specialists is a bachelor's degree in environmental sciences, environmental engineering, or a related field. While a graduate degree is not required for entry-level positions, many employers find it desirable, because students with graduate-school experience have the opportunity to work in-depth on sustainability projects.

Classes or work experience in marketing, finance, and business are also valuable for job placement as a sustainability specialist.

Companies That Hire Sustainability Specialists

Try it Out with an Activity or Project

STEM Activities

STEM activities are fun hands-on explorations that usually take from 10 minutes to one hour and use readily available household or classroom materials while introducing you to STEM concepts common in this career.

Science Project Ideas

Project Ideas are in-depth STEM explorations that have a strong focus on controlling variables, taking accurate measurements, and analyzing data suitable for investigating the scientific method or the engineering design process.

On the Job

Role Models

Read this interview with Fahmida Ahmed, when she directed the Stanford Office of Sustainability, in which she discusses her role at Stanford and her career highlights.
Sustainability matters because we all care about the future. We are part of the natural world and dependent on the use of natural resources to sustain our business and activities.  
Fahmida Ahmed, Director, Stanford Office of Sustainability
If sustainability issues in food systems interest you, then learn more in this interview with Tim Galarneau.
..Our global agrifood system contains such a complex set of issues that to awaken students and bring them into a deeper sense of relationship to their food system, we need to begin with where they’re situated….hence their institution. 
Tim Galarneau, Food Systems Education & Research Program Specialist

Nature of the Work

Sustainability specialists support and implement programs that focus on improving the environment, saving money for their employer, and helping their local community. They conduct research and analysis and identify opportunities for new programs as well as improvements in current programs. Sustainability programs include monitoring and improving energy and natural resource usage, waste-generation management, recycling, water-usage reduction, and assessing carbon footprint. Once enough information has been compiled from these programs, the sustainability specialist will report on progress and act on the information. As part of educating and informing their employers and clients, they must promote and advertise their environmental programs.

Sustainability specialists assist in strategic policy planning. In corporate settings they are part of the team that develops the corporate social responsibility (or CSR) document. This document describes how a company will operate in a business setting while being mindful of the social impacts of their actions. When working with clients in a corporate setting, they must prepare action plans to improve the sustainability of the clients' products and operations. They must know how to perform product and market analysis in order to understand what the clients' customers want. To do their job effectively, sustainability specialists must be familiar with relevant energy and environmental legislation.

Sustainability specialists work on a variety of projects and can manage teams where the members come from a variety of disciplines. They can be part of a team that works on greening buildings; as such, they must have experience with various "green" practices and standards, including: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (or LEED), ISO 14001 (an international standard that specifies a method for controlling and improving a company's environmental performance), or the EPA's Environmental Management System.

Work Environment

Most sustainability specialists work in office buildings, laboratories, or industrial plants. They may spend time outdoors, where they monitor or direct operations, or solve on-site problems.

More Information

Ask Questions

Do you have a specific question about a career as a Sustainability Specialist that isn't answered on this page? Post your question on the Science Buddies Ask an Expert Forum.

Additional Resources

These organizations can provide you with more information about the field of sustainability:

Sources

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