Jobpostings Magazine: March 2014 Vol. 16 No. 6 by jobpostings Magazine

MARCH 2014 | VOL. 16 No.6

CAREERS. EDUCATION. IDEAS. ALL OF IT.

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CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION IN BUSINESS; EVENINGS, WEEKENDS, ON-CAMPUS,ONLINE, ON YOUR TIME.

CONTINUING EDUCATION business.humber.ca/ce JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE FRONT PAGES THE FRONT PAGES

06 Crunchin’ Numbers

Wondering what the eco-industry looks like in Canada? Here are the facts, in numbers.

10 Interview Tips

Leighton T. Healey, vice-president of College Pro, asks and answers “Starting with your first memory, take 10–15 minutes and tell me your life story.”

12 STARTUP

Rebecca Cotter, founder of Water on Wheels, discusses finding her entrepreneurial spirit and working with green initiatives.

CAREER REPORTS 15 Greengineers

Working green isn’t just planting a tree. Green engineers are focusing on sustainable design and projects to lay environmentally friendly groundwork in companies.

16 Business in the trees

The forestry industry isn’t just for lumberjacks. Business, IT, engineering, marketing, and everything in between are involved in this complex forest.

17 The composting community

With overflowing landfills across the globe, waste management is more important than ever. Helping the green movement in this way could be your unsuspecting yet fulfilling career.

FEATURES 19 ECO-STARS

Although most companies have green initiatives, there are some that are true leaders in sustainability. Here are eight examples of eco-leaders across Canada.

26 Working in paradise

Remote work isn’t for everyone; you have to be adventurous and ready to challenge yourself. We take a look at the rewards of working on remote islands, as well as remote resorts here in Canada.

17 16

EDUCATION 29 Learning tourism

The tourism industry is changing from excessive waste to global sustainability. Find out how programs are teaching tourism professionals to be eco-friendly.

30 The greenest education

If you’re feeling especially passionate about the environment and want to help go to the green side, these postgrads are for you.

THE BACK PAGES 35 The salary report

Green careers can pay the bills. Here’s a look at a bunch of salaries in the industry, from entry-level to career average.

MARCH 2014 | JOBPOSTINGS.CA

THE FRONT PAGES

AD INDEX

INDEX WHOSHIRING Have what it takes to beco

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publisher

Nav Canada

Nathan Laurie nlaurie@jobpostings.ca

College Pro

Target

associate publisher

Home Depot

College Pro

schoolINDEX IFC Humber, The Business School, Undergrad

Mark Laurie mlaurie@jobpostings.ca

COMMUNICATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGER David Tal dtal@jobpostings.ca @DavidTalWrites

editor

James Michael McDonald jmcdonald@jobpostings.ca @mcjamdonald

Humber, The Business School, Event Management

Humber, The Business School, Advertising Management

ART DIRECTOR

St. George’s University

STAFF WRITER

Forest Products Association of Canada

St. George’s University

American University of the Caribbean

Conestoga College

Queen’s University

American University of the Caribbean

UC Berkeley Master of Engineering

Sheridan College

University of Lethbridge

Vancouver Island University

Dalhousie University

Shannon Tracey

Ross University, School of Medicine

Communications Coordinator

Conestoga College

Brock University

Humber, The Business School, Postgrad

OBC Humber, The Business School, Undergrad

GENERALADs 33

Canadian Youth Business Foundation

Insurance Institute of Canada

IBC Rogers Wireless

Anthony Capano acapano@jobpostings.ca MEGAN SANTOS msantos@jobpostings.ca @megnifisantos

DEVELOPER

Mishraz Ahmad Bhounr mbhounr@jobpostings.ca

contributors Heidi Murphy

Senior national account manager Mary Vanderpas

national account manager Mirelle Shimonov

EDUCATION ACCOUNT MANAGER

JAMIE BERTOLINI

Photos from thinkstock.com are used throughout this issue; individual artists have been credited. Jobpostings Magazine is published eight times in the school year. Copies of jobpostings are distributed to over 105 universities and colleges across Canada. Contents of this publication are protected by copyright and may not be reprinted in whole or part without permission of the publishers.

“We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.” — Margaret Mead Published by Passion Inc. 25 Imperial Street, Suite 100 Toronto, ON M5P 1B9 jobpostings.ca 1-877-900-5627 ext. 221

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THE FRONT PAGES

EDITOR’S NOTE

IT’S Our responsibility From the desk of

James Michael McDonald Climate change skeptics confuse me. Let me preface this by saying I believe that climate change is a legitimate thing. I think there’s enough evidence around us that allows us to make that educated assumption. That said, I don’t mind that people question it, just as people should question everything. Eventually (and hopefully), we’ll all come to the same conclusion, once the questions have ended. However, I don’t understand the hesitation—real climate change or not—to help each other and the planet.

We know that certain things are not good: high carbon emissions, clear-cutting without reforestation, etc. If for no other reasons, we know these things are bad for human health and that we are removing things on Earth that probably can’t be replenished. So we know there are things we do that aren’t great, but we continue to do them. Luckily, there are many of us that see the need to alter our ways and do their part to change our fate. Companies are adapting more and more to the changing times, more aware of their ecological footprint. Mediacorp even has a Canada’s Greenest Employers competition, rewarding those that are leading the way in environmental initiatives.

vironmental initiatives. We find out how companies are thriving while still being as sustainable as possible. Green startups are hot investment opportunities these days, solving problems while promoting their ecological mandates. Rebecca Cotter of Water on Wheels weighs in on the sustainable business movement and tells us why her innovative idea is growing exponentially.

Every year, we produce a green issue to showcase people and companies that are going the extra mile to do just that. Industry leaders, entrepreneurs, middle managers—all doing their part.

We also ask questions about green careers in all sorts of fields: What does it mean to be a green engineer? Are there business or technology jobs in forestry? What is composting, why is it important, and what careers are available?

In our feature, we talk to people from all levels of organizations working with en-

And the opportunities don’t end in Canada, either. For nomadic types, there are

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

possibilities on remote islands, from starting businesses to working at resorts, all the while experiencing a new environment and promoting sustainability in your own way. Take a read through our pages—made with recycled paper, by the way—and hopefully you’ll be inspired to take a step to help those around you, as well as future generations, through your career aspirations. Happy reading!

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THE FRONT PAGES

CRUNCHIN’ NUMBERS

CRUNCHIN’ NUMBERS This month, we’re thinking green. Many companies across Canada are implementing green practices and more individuals are becoming environmentally conscious. Here are some stats on the competitive edge businesses have when they go green.

Words Megan Santos // Illustrations Anthony Capano

CANADA’S CLEAN-TECHNOLOGY SECTOR IS MADE UP OF OVER 700 COMPANIES NATIONWIDE.

OVER 50% OF GLOBAL CONSUMERS PREFER TO BUY FROM COMPANIES WITH STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL REPUTATIONS.

IN A 2013 SURVEY, OF THE TOP 100 GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE COMPANIES, 10 WERE CANADIAN.

CANADA GENERATES $29 BILLION FROM GREEN JOBS AND BUSINESSES ANNUALLY. REASONS WHY COMPANIES IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS “GREEN”

17% OF CANADIAN COMPANIES HIRE ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONALS.

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

21%

17%

15%

REDUCES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

PROTECTS ENVIRONMENTAL MANDATE

HOUSES ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS

11%

10%

ENERGY MANAGEMENT BUSINESS

IS A RECYCLING BUSINESS

WASTE DISPOSAL BUSINESS

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE

FROM TRADE SHOWS TO WEDDINGS TO CULTURAL FESTIVALS, THIS PROGRAM OFFERS THE UNIQUE SKILLS YOU WILL NEED TO LAUNCH YOUR CAREER AS AN EVENT COORDINATOR, SPECIAL EVENTS ORGANIZER, ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE, CORPORATE MEETING PLANNER AND MANY OTHER EXCITING CAREER OPTIONS.

business.humber.ca/postgrad

THE FRONT PAGES

THE HOME DEPOT

Sustainability at The Home Depot Canada

How The Home Depot is running one of the biggest home improvement companies with the environment in mind. “More saving, more doing.” We’ve all heard that Home Depot slogan before, and “more saving, more doing” is precisely the company’s culture when it comes to implementing sustainability practices throughout the business. By reducing energy, emissions and waste, the company can “save more” and, by enabling their associates through training and education, the company can “do more” too. The Home Depot Canada’s sustainability strategy focuses on three key pillars: operations, products, and associates.

Sustainable Operations

The operations pillar targets the Home Depot Canada’s stores and distribution centres across the country. “We look at projects to reduce our energy consumption, projects to reduce our emissions, and projects that deal with waste,” says Jamieson Saab, one of two managers of environmental programs at The Home Depot Canada, adding that recycling is a huge component of the waste reduction practiced in stores.

“We

Options products to stores gives eco-conscious individuals the opportunity to choose from products that best represent their values. “The products change regularly as we are constantly looking to add innovative new offerings for our customers,” says Saab. Eco-Options products are energy efficient, conserve water, improve indoor air quality, or come from sustainably managed forests.

Sustainable Associates Aside from managing environmentally preferable products and utility rebate campaigns, Saab and his colleagues also contribute to associate strategies. “My colleague Joanna Caners and I work with a lot of different parts of the business from marketing to supply chain to merchandising, to help them bring an environmental lens to what they are working on,” he says. “We help them understand how their decisions today will impact tomorrow. We work very closely with those groups to develop business cases for their projects that reduce energy, waste, water, and also measure those impacts from an environmental standpoint.”

Reducing energy at look consumption at projects The Home Depot starts with light and , projects to reduce projects bulbs. “That’s a key to focus for us,” says Saab. that reduce our energ deal our “Last year, we actually switched out y emissions with 1,900 lamps across Canada.” As for cutwaste , .” ting emissions in the distribution process, the Home Depot Canada implemented turnpike double trucks in BC. The sustainability mandate “It’s a tractor-trailer that pulls two trucks instead of one. Why did The Home Depot go green? “It’s an In addition, those trucks consume liquid natural gas, a opportunity for us to do things that are innovative and to cleaner form of energy,” he says. “Turnpike doubles create reduce our impact on the environment,” answers Saab, “but approximately 45 per cent fewer emissions per shipment in many cases, the sustainability projects that we implethan a regular single-trailer truck.” ment also have a positive impact on our business.”

Sustainable Products Focusing on the products pillar, The Home Depot carries about 2,500 environmentally friendly products in its assortment. Called Eco-Options, Saab says the products “are better environmental alternatives—so products that conserve energy or water when you compare them to standard products.” With 84 per cent of consumers expressing their care for the environment and sustainability, bringing Eco-

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

Sustainability has been linked to our corporate values since The Home Depot first went into business. “I’m sure you’ve been to a Home Depot and you’ve seen the orange aprons our associates wear” says Saab. “On every apron there is what’s called a value wheel. It’s a little circle we wear over our hearts.” Two of those values, he says, are “doing the right thing” and “entrepreneurial spirit,” which, in turn, embody our approach to sustainability.

I’ve got the energy to help people.

And the power to make a difference.

Because working here is about more than helping customers choose the right product. It’s about making a difference in their lives and their homes. We call it “unleashing your inner orange” and it’s my ability to tap into my inner potential to help customers create a space worth calling home. Working at The Home Depot gives me the training and support I need to help customers plan projects from beginning to end. I take pride in knowing about all of the products and services we offer—and exactly how to suggest them to bring home improvement ideas to life. That’s the power of The Home Depot. – Anna, Home Depot Associate

We are committed to diversity as an equal opportunity employer.

Learn how tapping into your inner potential has the ability to help yourself and others.

Apply online at homedepot.ca/9174 and discover how youWecan unleash your inner orange! are committed to diversity as an equal opportunity employer.

THE FRONT PAGES

INTERVIEW TIPS

Do interviews make you sweat? Our HR connections and recruitment friends on the inside let you know what they ask and exactly what they want to hear.

Leighton T. Healey Vice-president College Pro

Our question this issue:

Starting with your first memory, take 10–15 minutes and tell me your life story. Please include all the ups and downs, pivotal and formative experiences, and how your family plays into your story. This question requires a candidate do a lot of work and reveal to me, the interviewer, a plethora of personal information. For starters, most candidates will never anticipate a question like this and I’m able to learn a great deal from their reaction to the question. A guarded response tells as much as a gushing fountain. Specifically, when this question is supported by probing questions with genuine curiosity, an interviewer can get a pulse on whether a candidate externalizes blame, takes ownership of setbacks, craves community, dislikes authority, works well with teams, and had a quality nurturing experience. This question helps me gauge how introspective the candidate is, meaning how apt they are at reflecting on their role in

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

the world around them, a key indicator of receptiveness to feedback and input from a supervisor. It also allows an interviewer to gauge the candidate’s self-confidence, ability to overcome obstacles, and whether they truly are the sum of the magnificent words they used on their resumé. An interviewer knows their company’s culture, its needs and priorities. Through active listening and getting a full sense of the candidate as a person, questions like this allow an interviewer to weigh a wealth of real information against what they know of their organization and ultimately make a decision of whether this person would be able to align with the trajectory and groove with the resonance of the organization.

An appropriate way to respond to this question is to respond honestly and fully. An interviewer asking this question is not looking for a perfect nuclear family, high school valedictorian response. The interviewer wants to get to know you—the real you. It’s not about getting a job; it’s about succeeding in a career. Trust the interviewer, show your true human colours, dive into your passions, share some real obstacles you’ve had to face, and let the interviewer do their job. If you take this advice, I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the job but I will guarantee that you will be a memorable candidate in a sea of applicants, and standing out is a great first step.

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THE FRONT PAGES

STARTUP

Water, water everywhere! Rebecca Cotter provides more environmentally sound refreshments to events with Water on Wheels. Rebecca Cotter wasn’t always an entrepreneur. In grade 11, she took a class on building your own business and said to herself “I’m never going to do this.” She left the class thinking she would never be a business owner. Rebecca worked as the outdoor event coordinator for Downsview Park in Toronto, an open space for concerts and large-scale events. Quickly, she began to see a problem that needed a solution. “I was standing outside in a field every weekend all summer producing festivals and concerts,” she says. “At the end of the night, I was standing amongst tons and tons of garbage. It only takes so long to identify that the overwhelming feature in the garbage is half-consumed plastic bottles.” She knew her staff were being paid to clean up this waste, that dumpster service was coming out of her budget, and that there had to be a better way.

drate concert goers, marathon participants, and other outdoor event participants. “Water on Wheels provides mobile water refill stations to special events both indoor and outdoor,” she says, adding that they’re at over 100 events every year. “Our stations are stainless steel stations that connect to a continuous flow water source, which means the stations themselves don’t hold any water—there’s no reservoir inside. We connect to something like a fire hydrant or a regular hose faucet to receive continuous flow water. The water goes through our stations, it’s charcoal-filtered and chilled, and then users with their reusable bottles come up to the refill faucets on the station and self-serve.”

And that’s when the entrepreneurial itch came to her.

The idea is simple enough, and is saving countless tonnes of garbage at each event. Rebecca says that businesses with an environmentally conscious mandate are important but can be more difficult to keep afloat.

Rebecca started Water on Wheels, a portable water station to hy-

“If you have a sustainable mandate like Water on Wheels, we’re

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

I launched a business inside the industry I already worked, so I knew a lot of people I could call up and say “Look, I’m not going to charge you. Take one of my water stations and put it at your event because I need the exposure.”

there to keep people hydrated but more significantly we’re there to decrease the presence of commercially packaged bottles of water,” she says. While some businesses can just focus on the bottom dollar, others have work that will cut into profits, with good reason. “Certainly Water on Wheels is not a get-rich-quick scheme and I don’t think any sustainable model of business would be,” says Rebecca. “I would suggest there are probably others, like the ones on Shark Tank or Dragons’ Den, who are more fiscally focused.” That said, this doesn’t mean environmentally focused startups can’t be successful. Water on Wheels is coming up on its fourth summer in operation and has experienced exponential growth, meaning more water stations, more trailers, more staff, more events. They’ve even invested in a new model of water station called the water table for smaller gatherings, like baseball tournaments or family fun days. Rebecca’s even been approached with the offer to franchise, but she says it’s not within her mandate of her business model. “I don’t

need to franchise in order to expand,” she says. “I believe my gross model can sustain going across provinces or even into the US, still being locally owned.” As for young people thinking of starting a business, Rebecca has some key advice, coming from her unique perspective on entrepreneurship. “I launched a business inside the industry I already worked, so I knew a lot of people I could call up and say ‘Look, I’m not going to charge you. Take one of my water stations and put it at your event because I need the exposure.’” She says this networking is helpful in moving a good idea into a sustainable business model. She also believes there’s a lot of value in doing your research. “I’ve found from my experience, in networking with other entrepreneurs, to run into something too hastily and not do the research will probably cost you a lot of money and might not get your concept off the ground in the way that becomes the most sustainable or the most viable, so there’s a lot of value on sitting on a good idea and doing the most research.”

MARCH 2014 | JOBPOSTINGS.CA

HE GAVE YOU AND JOEY AN MRI AFTER THE DOUBLE BACKFLIP INCIDENT OF ‘03.

Chances are you already know a St. George’s University doctor. There are over 11,000 SGU doctors in the US and around the world. And, SGU has put more doctors into the US health care system than two-thirds of US medical schools.* In 2013 alone, SGU graduates obtained over 800 residency positions in the US and Canada. Study medicine at SGU and join hundreds of SGU doctors from Canada.

Find out about information sessions and webinars in your area at sgu.edu/md US/Canada: 1 (800) 899-6337 ext. 9 1280 sgu.edu/md • sguenrolment@sgu.edu *From an AMA data source, distributed in February 2010 ©2014 St. George’s University

Grenada, West Indies

GREEN ENGINEERING

CAREER REPORTS

The largest role is a mechanical engineer especially in the commercial building.

Greengineering

Sustainable building design and construction is the latest green trend. If you’re city folk, you’re familiar with the 40-storey corporate buildings and residential condos that cover your city skyline. And as a suburbanite, you’re used to seeing houses—and a lot of it. With all the energy and materials needed to power and sustain these structures, the construction industry has implemented a new project: green buildings. Engineers in construction are fusing their eco-values with their design, construction, and project strategies. Less energy and electricity consumption and the use of sustainable materials are just a few categories green buildings cover. “There’s a whole category that deals with materials,” says Chris Higgins, LEED Canada for Homes program leader at the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). “It deals with everything from designing a space to collections and recyclables once the building is operating. It also deals with construction waste management, materials reused, recycled content, using regional materials, and using certified wood.” Certified green | If you go green, you might as well get certified. The CaGBC and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has created

PHOTOS © Andrey Popov

LEED building certifications nationwide in an effort to foster sustainability in the construction of today’s homes and offices. Certifying residential homes and apartments, as well as commercial buildings, LEED is a detailed rating system with a staff of raters and inspectors who test a number of categories for both new and existing buildings in green construction. Some categories that are examined include sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. “LEED buildings are buildings that are, in the very least, 20–25 per cent more efficient than an average new construction building and have reduced water use,” says Higgins. Since 2005 with LEED Canada, 2-million tonnes of construction and demolition waste was recycled and water savings equaled to over 3.3-billion litres. Aside from its rating system and certification, LEED has also created a language for people in the construction and engineering industries. “LEED Canada for Homes and LEED Commercial programs have helped to grow the green construction industry by creating a way for builders, developers, and owners to differentiate their buildings,” says Higgins. “As a

result, there’s an increase in roles for engineers in different fields in green building.” Career building | The roles for engineers in construction are endless. Some of those opportunities include electrical, civil, and structural engineers, with the biggest demand for mechanical engineers. “The largest role is a mechanical engineer especially in the commercial building,” says Higgins. “They have such a large impact on the building if they’re designed well, optimized, and commissioned.” Outside of engineering, Higgins says there are also roles for “architects, owners, interior designers, and commissioning agents” in the green construction industry. Mechanical engineers can make a salary of $53,500–$97,500, with project managers making an average of $77,000. For green construction hopefuls, Higgins encourages students to get their LEED Green Associate credential to gain a better understanding of LEED. “Green buildings are rapidly growing in the construction market,” he says, adding that through the certification, “they do a lot of the reading and studying online, so when they graduate they’ll have a base level of understanding of LEED and it can help them in their job search.”

MARCH 2014 | JOBPOSTINGS.CA

CAREER REPORTS

FORESTRY & WASTE MANAGEMENT

People who end up in our industry will stay for years because they see that there is proper work-life balance, you get to make a great living, and make a difference.

Business in the trees

The forestry industry isn’t just for lumberjacks, but business and IT professionals as well.

16 If you’re the type of person to find yourself outdoors despite the temperamental season changes the Canadian weather brings or if you’ve ever been nicknamed the “tree-hugger” by your peers, perhaps a career in the forest industry is your best fit. Aside from the mill work and environmental engineering positions associated with forestry, we take a look at roles not often discussed, but play a significant role in the industry. Let’s say that aside from your passion for the environment, you’re also studying toward your degree in business. With your itching desire to get out into the corporate world, why not fuse your two interests? The business side of forestry is much more intricate than we think, with a range of jobs that ultimately help to shape the industry. “There’s everything from HR managers to health and safety to marketing jobs, and sales,” says Jason Koivisto, manager of innovation and market development at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. “A lot of those kinds of professional jobs tend to be located wherever the corporation has its head office.” Monica Bailey, director of communications for the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), says companies within the forest products industry look for individuals who can study the trends. “They’ll look at things like ‘where’s the economy going in Canada? What’s happening in new markets? Where can we diversify our products? [And] how can we better align our systems at the mill level and develop better production?’” An Ottawa-based advocacy group, FPAC is the national voice for the Canadian pulp, paper, and lumber industry representing

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

companies like Tembec, Resolute Forest Products, West Fraser, and Miller Western Forest Products. With a number of business roles within those companies, Bailey says those individuals play an integral role in molding the vision and ensuring opportunities are met. “A lot of companies have hired business analysts to predict, check, and see what’s going on in the marketplace, what opportunities exist, and advancing our market reputation,” says Bailey. “They’re kind of like the big thinkers; they’ll sit in the corporate office and they’ll manage, run, and see what the sales team is doing. They’ll work with the business development team, the scientists, and research and developers.” FPAC introduced TheGreenestWorkforce.ca, a career resource for new grads which includes corporate positions like IT specialists and logging and forestry supervisors. The average hourly wage for an IT specialist is $50, while a supervisor’s is $38. “There’s a whole section on the careers in the forest products industry,” says Koivisto. “In the mills, you’ll see them hiring economists—so folks who can help them do risk analyses, HR, IT specialists.” Aside from the plethora of business opportunities in forestry, the industry also strives to promote a good work-life balance. “We want people to know the industry is high tech and relies a lot on research and development to take us to that next level,” says Bailey. “People who end up in our industry will stay for years because they see that there is proper work-life balance, you get to make a great living, and make a difference.”

PHOTOS © shironosov

Composting is the single most important thing that people can do that has the most impact on our environment.

The composting community

How Canadians are taking care of waste and promoting a cleaner future.

17 Many of us can say we’re guilty of disposing our leftover food or garden trimmings in the same bin as the rest of our trash without the knowledge of the harm it causes to the environment. “When you send food products to the landfill, it’ll be the only thing that’ll decompose because it’s buried in a landfill without oxygen,” says Brigitte Morin, waste diversion coordinator at the University of Ottawa. “This creates methane, which is 20 times worse than CO2 for climate change.” Waste management can be a smelly business, but communities throughout the country are promoting composting practices and ensuring their citizens are well aware of the resources available. “There is tremendous diversity in the technology and sizes of composting facilities in Alberta,” says Natasha Page, waste reduction specialist at the Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) ministry of the Government of Alberta. The ESRD currently regulates over 70 facilities across the province, with one of North America’s biggest composting facilities located in Edmonton. In an effort to reach out to Albertans, Page says the “ESRD staff often attends seminars and workshops hosted by industry and recycling groups” like the Compost Council of Canada, the Solid Waste Association of North America, to showcase their waste reduction initiatives. “ESRD staff members also sit on waste reduction committees to share information with municipalities.” The expansion of composting initiatives in Alberta has lead to jobs for news grads as facility operators, processors, haulers, and waste consultants. And individuals as waste management direc-

PHOTOS © Nicolas McComber

tors can make upwards of $90,000 a year. From a community the size of the province of Alberta to a much smaller community the size of a university, the University of Ottawa has also integrated a composting program of their own. “Composting is the single most important thing that people can do that has the most impact on our environment,” says Morin. “It’s pretty important and when you do it yourself, you’re saving all the costs and gas to send it elsewhere.” While composting initiatives at the University of Ottawa have been around since 1992, the school executes their entire composting program in-house through a large-scale composting machine that was introduced in 2008. “The machine is on our campus and our teams are the ones responsible for collecting all the foods on campus, bringing it to the location, feeding the machine, and taking it to the machine,” says Morin, adding that the composting program is executed by seven sanitary staff, two supervisors, as well as herself. To ensure students are aware of the program, Morin says there are “a lot of different promotional campaigns” throughout the campus, and by “seeing the compost signage on the recycling stations, people are aware” of the programs. She also encourages students to get involved through volunteer work. “A lot of students help us out with promotions and outreach,” say Morin. “A problem that we have is that people will see the word biodegradable on something and think that it’s compostable even though it’s not. So we need their help spread to the word for that kind of stuff.”

MARCH 2014 | JOBPOSTINGS.CA

NURTURE YOUR FUTURE. YOUR ENVIRONMENT. YOUR LIFE. If you want good pay, opportunities to learn on the job, a great lifestyle and the chance to work in Canada’s greenest workforce, then the forest products industry is right for you. Canadian forest product companies will need to hire 60,000, or more, new workers by 2020 to meet demand and you could be one of them!

FIND OUT MORE AT THEGREENESTWORKFORCE.CA /TheGreenestWorkforce

JOBS IN DEMAND SKILLED TRADES: • Industrial electricians Heavy-duty equipment • mechanics Millwrights and • industrial mechanics • Power steam engineers • Process engineers •

CORPORATE AND ONSITE OFFICES: • Accounting and related administrative clerks • Forest economists and risk analysts • Human resources and • Information technology specialists • Logging and forestry supervisors

SCIENCES: • Chemical engineers • Electrical and electronics engineers • Forestry professionals • Industrial engineers • Mechanical engineers

For a complete list visit TheGreenestWorkforce.ca

WOODLANDS OPERATIONS AND GENERAL LABOUR: • Environmental supervisors • Forestry technologists and technicians • Heavy equipment operators • Logging truck drivers • Silviculturalists

ECO-STARS

FEATURE

creating a green future

Profiling Canadian companies and businesspeople with environmentally friendly practices.

Words Megan Santos // Illustrations Anthony Capano

Green is the new black in the business world—and we’re not talking about the fashion. A green business strives to be more than just an advocate for the environment and communities, but it also develops green business strategies with a commitment to a sustainable future. More Canadian companies are focusing on bringing green initiatives to their everyday business practices, whether it’s directed at their internal teams or their target markets. From LED lighting in offices to eco-friendly consumer products, these eco-stars are tackling all angles of the environment in their businesses. Their initiatives originate from a sole source: their

values. Whether it’s corporate or personal, these values are evident in each sustainability mandate or company description, and have received nothing but positive response from employees and clients. Aside from the push to go green, these eco-conscious initiatives are opening up opportunity for new jobs and are attracting young talent who share the same values. We profile eight small and large companies in different industries across the country with unique green practices from a sustainable clothing line to a 100 per cent paperless business to a one-stop shop for energy services. MARCH 2014 | JOBPOSTINGS.CA

FEATURE

ECO-STARS

Nicole Bridger Design Nicole Bridger, President and Designer We use sustainable fabrics and ethical manufacturing—90 per cent of which is made in Vancouver and the other 10 per cent we use fair trade in Nepal.

Even the fashion world is going green. Nicole Bridger Design is a Vancouver-based fashion clothing line focused on its commitment to the earth and its people. Made only from sustainable materials, president and designer Nicole Bridger says the idea for her business stems from her values.

“To me, I can’t turn off my values when I’m creating a company,” she says. “Essentially the company’s values are an extension of my own.” And creating ethical clothing is how Bridger fuses her career

with those values. “We use sustainable fabrics and ethical manufacturing—90 per cent of which is made in Vancouver and the other 10 per cent we use fair trade in Nepal,” she says. With materials from eucalyptus plants, peach trees, and common fabrics like silk, wool, and cashmere, Bridger is able to design and manufacture her fashion line in a sustainable way. “We look for factories that have certain certifications,” she says. “It also helps me to feel good about how

the fabric is made without me having to physically go there.” The green efforts at Nicole Bridger Design don’t stop there. Along with her plans to have 20 stores by 2020, she says she’d like the company to become a closed loop business. “That means zero waste; every year we’re figuring out how to do it better and technology is really changing quickly. Every step of growth that we take is going to open new doors for us.”

PwC Canada James Temple, Director of Corporate Responsibility Most of our new recruits come in and join our green teams and we empower them to be environmental stewards in their local office.

As one of the Big Four professional services firms in the world, PwC continues to be a leader in the industry through its roots in corporate responsibility. Employing approximately 6,000 staff in 26 Cana-

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

dian offices, company leaders like James Temple, director of corporate responsibility at PwC Canada, has the pleasure of overseeing the firm’s community and environmental engagement projects.

“Part of being one of Canada’s greenest employers is also knowing that we have to reflect the needs of society, so environmental sustainability is key to that,” he says. PwC Canada has since introduced

green teams to every office.

our offices and through air travel.”

thing that relates to our values as a firm.”

“They support us in thinking about environmental issues that impact their own office,” like paper reduction, eating locally, and sustainably furnishing the offices, says Temple. “At a higher level, when we look at our environmental strategies, we focus on measuring and managing our greenhouse gas emissions that are given off through

Implementing green strategies at PwC is important because of their belief in using employee skills and relationships as a catalyst for change. “Most of our new recruits come in and join our green teams and we empower them to be environmental stewards in their local office,” says Temple. “It’s a way to engage our employees in some-

And the response has been huge. In their most recent millennials at work survey, Temple says, “approximately 60 per cent of our new recruits wanted to work for an organization that shared their values and identified specifically our corporate responsibility work and green initiatives.”

52.5%

THE INDUSTRIES THAT EMPLOY THE HIGHEST PROPORTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EMPLOYEES ARE:

ENVIRONMENTAL EMPLOYMENT IN CANADA GOVERNMENT

AGRICULTURE

FORESTRY

FISHING

HUNTING

SCIENTIFIC

ONTARIO B.C.

QUEBEC OTHER

17.6% 12.6% 17.3%

IKEA Canada

Brendan Seale, Sustainability Manager By pursuing sustainability in a genuine way, we are seeing an alignment of people’s values and the company’s values, which makes IKEA a rewarding work environment.

IKEA Canada has a long history working with sustainability. Decades ago, the company started flat-packing its products to maximize space in shipping containers, thus reducing emissions from distribution trips. “This type of common-sense thinking, along with a strong social conscience, is truly embedded in the core of IKEA,” says Brendan Seale, sustainability manager at IKEA Canada. Today, IKEA is one of Canada’s greenest employers and is focusing on a new sustainability strategy: People & Planet Positive. The strategy outlines three main change drivers: inspiring and enabling

people to live a more sustainable home life, pursuing resource and energy independence, and building a better life for communities and its people. Within these strategies, IKEA Canada has been able to offer LED lighting products to its customers. Seale says the company is also committed to producing more renewable energy than the world consumes by 2020. “We are making significant investments in wind and solar energy, and most recently purchased a 46MW wind farm in Alberta that we expect to produce enough electricity to power 32 IKEA stores.”

Lastly, IKEA’s code of conduct for suppliers IWAY, sets out the requirements for all home furnishing products in regards to social impact, working conditions, and the environment. “Every year, IKEA conducts over 1000 audits to verify that our business has a positive impact through our supply chain,” says Seale. Sustainability has always been an important practice at IKEA. “By pursuing sustainability in a genuine way, we are seeing an alignment of people’s values and the company’s values, which makes IKEA a rewarding work environment.”

MARCH 2014 | JOBPOSTINGS.CA

FEATURE

ECO-STARS

ALL Strategy Carla Wood, Founder, Speaker, and Strategist The truth is that if you’ve looked at paper six months after you’ve printed it, it’s not important anymore and it’s only important in the moment.

ALL Strategy’s green practices were in full effect ever since its debut in the market. With the plan to be 100 per cent paperless, Carla Wood, founder, speaker, and strategist, created her all-electronicbased company with an objective to advocate strategy for small- and medium-sized businesses completely online. She provides her staff with eco-friendly work gadgets such as Macbooks, iPads, and desktops, and carries out the business solely through cloud software.

“The truth is that if you’ve looked at paper six months after you’ve printed it, it’s not important anymore and it’s only important in the moment,” says Wood. “When I started this company, I just couldn’t find a good reason to use paper so I didn’t.” Wood’s dedication to the environment started well before ALL Strategy was established. “I’m pretty passionate about the green movement to begin with. When I started thinking about how to incorporate green into a service-based business so

it was a pillar, the only thing that I could think of doing was that,” she says. Wood believes the biggest obstacle for companies is not understanding the best ways to go green. “Like most change, education is the first step,” she says. “Everyone says they can’t do it; they’ve got special requirements and that it won’t work for them, but as you become educated in it and you experience it, it turns out that with a click of a button you can make an appointment wherever you are.”

Accenture Canada Carolyn Serzysko, Technical Environmental Coordinator Back in 2007 we established our global environmental responsibility policy, so this is the mantra.

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

At a large company, technical environmental coordinator Carolyn Serzysko says it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what inspired Accenture Canada to go green. “Back in 2007, we established our global environmental responsibility policy, so this is the mantra,” she says. With Accenture’s focus on management consulting, outsourcing, and technology services, they also strive to be environmentally conscious. Accenture’s environmental department focuses on three key practices: the implementation of green teams, travel smart challenges, and ecosmart games. FRESH teams—short for Focused on Responsible Environmental Sustainability for a Healthy planet—are groups of passionate employees who drive green initiatives. “They’re set up in each of our locations,” says Serzysko. “I meet with them on a monthly basis and advise them as to what’s going on across Canada and what to implement locally and create awareness to their local office.” The Travel Smart Challenge takes place between Earth Day and World Environment Day and is designed to inspire employees to challenge their methods of travel. Serzysko says staff is encouraged to “think creatively on how to reduce their travel-related carbon footprints” by holding virtual meetings or reducing ground transportation by working from home. Through the Global Eco-Challenge, employees engage in interactive games that test their eco-smarts. “What this does is it encourages our people to embrace environmental stewardship and adopt eco-smart work practices,” says Serzysko. She believes these initiatives are essential to any high-performance business. “In order for us to reduce our environmental impact, we not only need to work closely with our employees but also with our clients and suppliers so everybody is on the same page.”

GSky Plant Systems Inc. Vicki Lee, Marketing and Social Media Coordinator

People spend as much as 90 per cent of their lives indoors breathing in volatile organic compounds that are emitted from building materials. GSky Plant Systems brings a unique spin to green business practices. Providing worldwide markets with vertical green walls for spaces like corporate offices, hotels, airports, health care facilities, and malls, GSky strives to not only provide businesses with aesthetically pleasing wall art, but also to make a positive impact on the environment. “Our company focuses on plants,” says Vicki Lee, marketing and social media coordinator at GSky Plant Systems. She adds that through integrating plants into spaces, GSky seeks to improve people’s lives, as well as the quality of the environment. Giving buildings an immediate wow-factor, Lee says GSky’s green walls “have a great potential to transform a space, creating a whole new look and atmosphere that improve people’s experience.” With over 150 green walls installed and maintained worldwide, some of GSky’s high-profile

clients include Westin Hotels, Whole Foods Market, Twitter, and American Express. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the green walls provide environmental benefits. “People spend as much as 90 per cent of their lives indoors breathing in volatile organic compounds that are emitted from building materials,” says Lee. “The plants on the green walls can remove toxins in the air and capture dust,” adding that the photosynthesis process “improves the quality of air and provides more energyrich oxygen that can benefit our health.” As cities continue to transform into concrete jungles, Lee says the green walls provide people with a spiritual and physical connection to nature. “Green Walls are space efficient, making good use of vertical surface areas where space is limited. All of this explains the increasing trend towards implementing living walls inside and outside of buildings to bring nature back into our lives.”

MARCH 2014 | JOBPOSTINGS.CA

FEATURE

ECO-STARS Recognized as a one-stop shop for green energy fixes, Francis and Emma Gough of Florida-based SuperGreen Solutions decided to bring the company’s services north of the border. After opening its doors for the first time last month in their Edmonton location, Francis and Emma hope to educate Albertans on the green solutions available to them.

SuperGreen SOLUTIONS Francis Gough, President With our showroom we let people look, touch, feel, and see what it’s like to go green and I think that’s a game changer.

GREEN COLLAR JOBS

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Those that work directly with information, technologies, or materials that minimize environmental impact, and also require specialized skills, knowledge, training, or experience related to these areas.

“With our showroom we let people look, touch, feel, and see what it’s like to go green and I think that’s a game changer,” says Francis, president of SuperGreen Solutions Canada. “I think lots of people want to go green but they have to understand how easy it is.” SuperGreen Solutions provides businesspeople and homeowners with

MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION JOBS TAKE UP AT LEAST 50% OF THE JOBS FOUND IN GENERATING RENEWABLE ENERGY.

For loyalty marketing and programs provider LoyaltyOne, the importance of sustainability practices comes from their belief that companies have the ability to create healthy environments and strong communities.

LoyaltyOne Debbie Baxter, Chief Sustainability Officer and VP of Workplace Services We’ve implemented many innovative programs and strategies that are focused on driving environmental sustainability.

“We’ve implemented many innovative programs and strategies that are focused on driving environmental sustainability,” says Debbie Baxter, chief sustainability officer and VP of workplace services at LoyaltyOne. The company has implemented these strategies through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certified customer care centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Baxter says at the time of opening in 2009, the centre had “the largest rooftop solar panel installation in Canada,” with more than 800 solar panels—enough to power 16 medium-sized homes. Today, LoyaltyOne continues to push

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

products and services like LED lighting, energy efficient water, insulation, ventilation, and wind power. Catering to everyday people as well as ultra environmentalists in Western Canada, Francis describes how clients can connect. “We come and review their energy efficiency and the full envelope, gage what their needs are and then start proposing solutions like products, service, and installation.” For the couple, running a green business has been an interest for them for the last ten years. Coming from an environment management background, Emma, director of projects and operations, researched space saving and green renovation ideas. “We found SuperGreen and it brought a lot of things together that we really liked,” she says.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORKFORCE BY GENDER.

63% 37%

to LEED certify their existing Toronto head office. “This meant making changes to the building’s recycling programs, energy and water usage, exterior maintenance, and replacing key infrastructure items to allow for more sustainable options,” says Baxter. In an effort to tackle sustainable transit practices, Baxter says LoyaltyOne provides electric and hybrid cars to its associates during working hours. “LoyaltyOne offers on-site vehicles for associates to take to meetings during the day, allowing them to still travel home using their discounted public transit pass, or by walking or biking.” Baxter says it’s crucial for both the business and associates to be on board. “The drive for sustainable business practices was met by the associates’ passion to create healthier and more environmentally friendly work places and communities.”

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FEATURE

REMOTE WORK

The good and the bad of working in remote areas Working in paradise has its benefits and challenges. Here’s a look at what to expect when living and working in a remote area.

Words Jamie Bertolini // Illustrations Chinzonzag

The rays from a bright afternoon sun shine through rows upon rows of tall palm trees, bouncing off the glittering sand and sparkling water. The music of waves lapping the shoreline mixed with the songs and calls of tropical birds and wildlife is the soundtrack of the Caribbean, one that you’d probably only get to enjoy while on a relaxing vacation. But what if you could hear and experience it every day?

by the Asia Pacific Foundation, it was found that as of 2006 approximately 8.8 per cent of the Canadian population lives abroad. In the United States, that value is much lower at 1.7 per cent. Unfortunately, compared to the detailed records kept on immigrants in Canada and the US, such records do not exist for emigrants, making it difficult to determine the exact exit rate of citizens from either country.

This is the dream of many people, to be able to live and work in a vacation spot, surrounded by nature instead of concrete. To others, this lifestyle is a reality that comes with many benefits, but also a few challenges.

Whether it’s their career that takes them away or they’re in need of a drastic lifestyle change, reasons for living in remote areas like tropical islands are plentiful.

Working in paradise | According to a study conducted

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

“In many respects, it’s a simpler life because you just don’t have access to the same number of things and the same choices that you

would have in a city,” says Renée H. Kimball, one of the founders of Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge. Kimball has lived and worked in Bocas Del Toro, Panama since 2004. She, her husband, and business partners all help run the lodge year-round. “We focus on really immersing our guests in nature and letting them leave the everyday behind,” she says. Guests can access Internet from the main building, and sometimes have access to cell phone reception from the various cabanas located throughout the property. Previously to their hospitality business, Kimball lived and worked in Texas as a lawyer. At Tranquilo Bay, she now takes care of many hotel-related tasks in administration and marketing. Kimball and her husband chose to leave the United States in search of something different that they could spend the rest of their lives doing. They settled on Panama after much research and found that they “got lucky” with a number of other things such as its ideal temperature and climate. The ease of living was also the biggest benefit for Steven Brown when he left Canada to move to Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands to work as a sales associate for Colombian Emeralds. The best part was being able to slow down and enjoy life more,” he says. “Everything in Canada as far as work goes is making more, doing more, wanting more.” Brown has since returned to Canada and says he notices now that “people in stores get upset when what they are looking for is not there right then. On an island, you get used to waiting a week or two for many things.” In Grand Cayman, Brown also says he noticed a much better work-life balance. Heather Holmes lived in Singapore for a year while working as a training and physician relationship manager for Medtronic, a medical device company. For her, she says a big plus to living on the island was the tropical weather she got to experience. “I travel a ton for my work as well as personally and have had amazing experiences,” she says. “For example, staying in a little thatched-roof bungalow on the beach in Cambodia and having a great wi-fi connection and spending a week with my feet in the sand and not missing a beat.” The hardships of seclusion | Setting aside the beautiful atmosphere that

draws many to places like these, a number of challenges also come with living in extremely remote areas. Mary McCoy originally moved to the Kingdom of Tonga as a Peace Corps volunteer. “I had a decades-long desire to live and work in the Pacific,” she says. “I was particularly interested in Tonga since it’s the only country in the Pacific that has never been colonized.” McCoy decided to extend her stay in Tonga and formed the Training Group of the Pacific with a Tongan business partner. One of the difficulties she encountered with living and working in such a remote area was the availability of office supplies. “Getting supplies could not be taken for

It’s a simpler life because you just don’t have access to the same number of things and the same choices that you would have in a city. granted. If there was toner for my printer on the island, I would buy as much as I could as I would never know when it would be back.” If McCoy ran out, she says borrowing was sometimes an option. “Or we would have to figure out a different way to do what we needed to do.” The closest places she could get supplies from were Fiji or New Zealand, both of which were an expensive flight away. For Kimball, the biggest challenge was all of the logistics associated with conducting business on the remote island offshore of mainland Panama. “I’m on an island in an archipelago in a province that’s only had a road to it for the last 15 years,” she says. Whenever Kimball needs groceries and other supplies, the only point of access to her is by boat. Remote Canada | Though secluded in a different way, Canada too is home to

some fairly remote areas. “Ninety-five per cent of Canada’s land area is rural,” according to the Community Information Database of Canada. “Rural Canada is characterized by distance (like to markets and services), low population, and business density.” Much of Canada’s population is located near the border where climates are generally warmer, leaving many areas of the country sparsely populated and easily qualifying as remote areas to live and work. Workers in mining and oil and gas companies in particular are often required to relocate to very secluded work sites. Jessica Madill, director of human resources at JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort and Spa, works in one of the more remote areas of Ontario. The resort is located in Minett in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, which has a population of 6,400 year-round. “We have a corner store in Minett, which is a variety store, and that’s it,” says Madill. Muskoka is home to a few major towns but mostly “encompasses more than 2,000 sparkling lakes.” Madill says that one of the benefits of being surrounded by so much nature is that “there are tons of outdoor activities to keep you busy and lots to explore.” One of the difficulties that comes with conducting business in Muskoka is finding enough housing and, in particular, affordable housing for employees, says Madill. In 2012, the average cost of a single family home that isn’t on the water was $250,000, while the cost of a cottage in the area was closer to $700,000. Access to public transportation and city amenities like stores and gas stations are also more difficult to come by in Muskoka. Working in remote areas, no matter the country, can be a challenge. “Prepare as best you can, but be ready for it to be different than you thought it would be,” says Brown. That said, these jobs offer unique opportunities you can’t get anywhere else, so if you’re a risktaking nomad, it might be time to leave the city for something new and remote. “Just because you’re born in a given place does not always mean that it will feel like home,” he adds. “Keep looking until you find your home; when you do, no matter where it may be, you will feel better.”

MARCH 2014 | JOBPOSTINGS.CA

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HOSPITALITY

EDUCATION

Learning tourism A career in the hospitality sector that allows travel and flexibility, with global sustainability in mind. It’s an industry that’s internationally intertwined, with career opportunity in different sectors such as accommodation, food and drink, and travel and tourism. The hospitality industry opens doors for young people who are not only interested in careers in the service sector, but are also looking to make a social impact in their communities. Even universities across Canada are readying their students for the field through master’s programs in tourism and tourism management. It offers learning in business, social sciences, and also touches upon entrepreneurial subjects.

Caribbean—the master’s is a joint program offered through both the department of recreation and leisure studies and the department of geography and environmental management. “These students are undertaking research projects in diverse locations and diverse issues,” says Dr. Sanjay Nepal, director of the master’s in tourism program. “Some recently completed projects (student theses) included tourism in small rural communities in Nova Scotia, impact of tourism on coral reefs in the Caribbean, and eco-lodges in Costa Rica.”

“We feel like that provides a versatile skill set to allow people to go in a number of different directions as far as a career, but also provides a sound academic base of knowledge about tourism as both an economic and social phenomenon,” says Geoffrey Bird, associate professor and program head for the master of arts in tourism management at Royal Roads University.

With the in-depth academic schedule in the tourism program, the career opportunities after graduation are endless. “Careers in tourism are diverse, from working in the tourism and hospitality sectors to consulting, working for government agencies [like] economic development, and non-governmental organizations,” says Dr. Nepal. “The industry is constantly growing so opportunities are growing as well.”

Sustainability is a significant component to the tourism industry and is one of the subjects students focus on at Royal Roads University. “With sustainability we look at a range of angles,” says Bird. “We look at sustainable tourism products like ecotourism, lodges, or nature-based tours.” He adds that students also learn how to plan and create sustainable business operations, and address issues in relation to social and environmental impact, as well as climate change.

Oftentimes the tourism industry is faced with challenges. According to Dr. Nepal, “some of the challenges include overcoming the stereotypical image of a low-paying service-oriented job.” He ensures this isn’t true and students have opportunities to help in other areas like “developing tourism policies that work for local communities, addressing environmental and ethical concerns in tourism, [and] developing sustainable tourism master plans for destination communities.”

At the University of Waterloo, students can take on the master’s in tourism program. Drawing in students both locally and internationally—from countries like the US, China, India, and the

However, with the challenges come some of the biggest rewards. “You work with people,” says Bird, “[and] work in an industry that can influence a community’s direction in a positive way,”

MARCH 2014 | JOBPOSTINGS.CA

The greenest education Here are a few postgrad programs dedicated to sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.

We’ve all participated in green initiatives throughout high school from waste management to tree planting. And even before that, we were taught and told to memorize the “three R’s”: reuse, reduce, and recycle. For those who volunteered their time and paid close attention to those valuable lessons comes great opportunity to specialize in environmental practices through graduate school. Green management grad programs | It’s an opportunity to put your green thumb to work in the business sector. Conestoga College offers a graduate certificate in green management where students have the opportunity to focus on sustainability practices within an organization. “It’s been fantastic because our students are all high achievers and they’ve been able to give us some feedback too in terms of moving the program forward,” says Laura Matheson, program coordinator and faculty of the green management program at Conestoga College. With the program in its inaugural year, students learn all aspects of sustainability through its history, business cases, and marketing strategies, and are already starting to consider their career options. “Some students will be pursuing an educational type role, where they’d like to work with youth,” says Matheson. “There are a couple of students that would like to work with an organization as a sustainability coordinator, [and] then there are a couple students who’d like to work as a business manager with a focus on sustainability.” Amy Kendall, chair of the school of business and hospitality at Conestoga College, says students will benefit from studying green management because of its novelty. “In terms of what they’re going to learn, it’s new to businesses. As much as sustainability has been talked about for a while, organizations haven’t necessarily adapted it,” she says, adding that this opens up career opportunities for students in the future.

JOBPOSTINGS.CA | MARCH 2014

“If you’re very passionate about social and environmental issues,” says Matheson, “this can be a really good focus for you because you have the opportunity to make that change within an organization.” MASTER’S in environmental engineering | If you’re interested in being immersed in the environment and learning about topics like water treatment and waste management, as well as carrying out environmental impact assessments, then an education in environmental engineering at the OttawaCarleton Institute for Environmental Engineering might be your match. The institute offers a master’s program in environmental engineering through three joint engineering departments at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. While most lab work is done in the undergraduate level, the master’s program’s primary focus is on theory with the opportunity to work in the field. “At the graduate level, technically lab work is not a structured part of the courses, but depending on the course they tend to do term projects, some of which may involve field work,” says Deniz Karman, director of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Environmental Engineering. With a master’s, there are a variety of career opportunities in operations and emissions, and with regulatory agencies or authorities. However, the environmental consultancy industry employs a significant number of graduates that work closely with those sectors, and Karman adds, “they offer services to industries, municipalities, or regulatory industries by project basis.” While a degree will open up to careers in the field, Karman suggests that two extra years of studying a master’s degree likely leads to better jobs. “They’ll probably be more rewarding jobs in the sense that they’d have more responsibility in the job.”

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