Paths for greening your career
The activity helps clients and students to identify green professions and evaluate existing jobs in terms of their sustainability. Through group brainstorming, participants define what constitutes a green job, categorize jobs into green, greening, neutral, and brown categories, and assess how these professions have evolved in relation to sustainability. The exercise also encourages them to explore how non-green jobs can be made more sustainable by suggesting changes that align with environmental goals.
Duration
Approx. 90 min
Inspiration for the tool
https://www.euroguidance.sk/document/publikacie/46.pdf
https://www.enelgreenpower.com/careers/green-jobs-future-sustainable-jobs
https://greenjobsfornature.org/
Objectives
By the end of the session, the participant will:
- be familiar with the definition of green jobs, learning about specific green jobs
- understand the the typology of jobs (green, greening, neutral, and non-green)
- be able to identify opportunities to “green” their own job
Resources needed
Activities
Introduction:
The career development professional explains the topic with information on labour market changes related to ecology, sustainability and green transformation.
Step 1:
Clients or students begin by brainstorming what they believe green professions are, attempting to create their own definition. Once the group reaches a shared understanding, the counsellor introduces expert definitions for comparison. Together, they explore how their ideas align with or differ from the expert perspectives.
Step 2:
The career development professional begins by explaining the four categories of jobs: green or ecological jobs, which directly contribute to environmental sustainability; yellow or greening jobs, which are in transition towards more sustainable practices; white or neutral jobs, which have little or no direct impact on the environment; and brown or harmful jobs, which negatively affect the environment.
After this explanation, clients are invited to classify occupations into these categories. They can choose from occupations listed in the handout, use a set of occupation cards, or work with occupations they are currently considering (for students) or already practicing (for clients).
The classification activity can be conducted in both face-to-face and online formats. In person, participants might write directly on a worksheet, organize cards on a flipchart, or sort them into piles. In an online setting, they can collaborate using tools such as digital whiteboards or shared mind maps.
| Ecological – green | Greening – yellow | Neutral – white | Harmful – brown |
Example of a list of occupations:
- Environmental protection officer
- Ecologist
- Sustainable development expert
- Renewable energy specialist
- Agroecologist
- Designer focused on eco-friendly materials
- Recycling specialist
- Waste sorting expert
- Beekeeper
- Climatologist
- Environmental manager
- Solar panel engineers
- Biomass experts
- Forester
- Teacher
- Lawyer
- Business analyst
- Software engineer
- Project manager
- Cameraman
- Marketing Specialist
- Fossil Fuel Transport
- Construction worker in non-green projects
- Worker in the petrochemical industry
- Miner
- Big game fisherman
- Butcher
- Baker with low quality raw materials
- Beautician (products with high ecological impact)
- Industrial pharmacist
- Chemist
- Accountant
- Banker
- Tailor
- Painter
- Nurse
Step 3:
The career development professional will introduce several ways in which an occupation can be “greened”—that is, modified or adapted to shift it toward a more environmentally sustainable category. For each approach, the group will discuss concrete examples, either drawn from participants’ own experiences or presented by the career development professional. The format of these examples is up to the career development professional’s discretion and may include verbal explanations, written texts, video demonstrations, or presentations.
Goal: To inspire reflection on how careers can be “greened”—that is, transformed into forms that have a more positive impact on the environment.
Here is a clearer and more concise version with simplified formatting, while keeping the substance and examples:
Exploring ways to green your career – pathways and examples (by Sabrina Tacchini and Slow ta carrière)
1. Training in sustainability topics
From short educational events that offer practical knowledge for your current role, to full retraining or formal studies that enable work in a green (or greener) profession.
Example: Retraining as a solar panel installer, energy advisor, environmental education officer, natural heritage project manager, or R&D engineer in renewable energy.2. Changing careers for more meaning
Moving toward roles that are more socially useful, community-oriented, or locally rooted. This can include doing the same job in a different, more value-driven context.
Example: Practicing your profession in public administration, the non-profit sector, education, or with a local producer.3. Becoming an eco-entrepreneur
Starting a business with a low environmental impact or innovating in ways that help green your sector.
Example: Launching a company that uses recycled cigarette butts in road construction.4. Intra-company sustainability initiatives / intrapreneurship
Taking action within your current role to promote sustainability in your department or company.
Example: Analyzing your team’s ecological footprint and proposing improvements.5. Slowing down or rearranging your life
Choosing part-time work, freelancing, or flexible schedules to make space for meaningful sustainability-related engagement.
Example: A former manager stepping back into a client-facing role to lead hands-on sustainability workshops.6. Becoming a green activist
Actively advocating for environmental causes, whether through education, community action, or public campaigns.
Example: A waste-sorting ambassador who promotes proper recycling at festivals and schools, both online and in person.7. Other paths
Participants may identify and explore their own unique ways of contributing to sustainability through their careers or life choices.
Step 4
Clients and students explore how an occupation could be changed or adapted to move into a greener category. They reflect on how such a shift could be applied in their own context and consider which of the examples shared might inspire them personally. Alternatively, the group can brainstorm how a given profession might become greener in the next 5 to 10 years.
Step 5
With guidance from the career development professional, participants search for real job offers related to the occupations, companies, or sectors discussed earlier. This helps connect their reflections to actual opportunities in the current labour market.
Step 6
To close the activity, participants are invited to share one new insight or piece of information they are taking away. They are also encouraged to reflect on how this has influenced the way they think about their future working life—whether something specific has inspired them, or whether they see a possible next step to take. It is important to reassure participants that not wanting to change anything right now is also a valid outcome.
Reflections/Consolidation of learning
- What is one thing you discovered today that shifted the way you think about your career or future work?
- Was there an idea or example that inspired you personally? Why did it speak to you?
- Can you imagine one small step you could take toward a greener or more meaningful career path?
- What do you want to take away from this session and keep in mind for the future?
What do you want to take away from this session and keep in mind for the future?