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The Canadian Environmental Education Directory
Across Canada, students are flocking to environmental courses in record numbers. In a report released this June, the Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) found that enrolment in environment-related university programs increased by over 40 per cent between 2000 and 2007, which was roughly 15 per cent higher than the average enrolment increase in all other programs over the same time period.
“The stigma toward environmental education has changed,” says ECO’s marketing director Chris Stewart. “It’s not just about cleaning up garbage – there are opportunities for environmental grads throughout all levels of society.”
While some students choose the environmental industry to “save the world,” others are simply reacting to a greater demand for employment in the expanding green-jobs sector. Still others may be attracted by the interdisciplinary nature of environmental programs; it reflects the interconnected world of study before us, and can be a favourable alternative to what many perceive as an overly specialized academia.
Whatever the underlying factors, aspiring environmental students now have an unprecedented array of choices before them – whether they are destined for the headier realm of environmental studies or to more practical areas such as natural resource management. (The ECO report, for example, saw some of the greatest growth in enrolment within “emerging” programs such as land-use planning.)
Alternatives’ fourth annual environmental directory provides university-bound students with the information they need to head in a greener direction.
Our new, user-friendly format allows readers to easily compare environmental programs offered by universities across the country. Featuring updates on student involvement and green initiatives from each school, Alternatives’ Great Canadian Eco Education Directory is a roadmap to a career in Canada’s hottest sector.
With this volume, Alternatives is launching a new website dedicated to environmental education. Among myriad educational extras on the site, you will find this directory in a special online format. Once you have chosen your top universities, you will find the quickest and easiest way to further research your best school at thegreenstudent.ca.
Also in this issue...
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Alternatives Journal
Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Phone: (519) 888-4442 Toll free: (866) 437-2587 Fax: (519) 746-0292
Alternatives Journal is the official publication of the Environmental Studies Association of Canada.
This website was produced with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Comments
Education to Job
So where are the Jobs? I have an environmental degree, 3 to be precise and can't seem to get a job. Do I really need a Masters or PHD to get a job and how will that help anything when I see people with Masters and up getting jobs at minim wage. I can't pay for child care and school bills on that, I can't even imagine what it would be like if I had the bills of a masters degree as well.
If more and more are going into this field, how will they get a job in their field to pay the bills?
Focus is important...
The key, in my opinion anyway, is to find a niche within the environmental sphere.
'Environment' touches on virtually everything, so that means there are almost limitless possibilities to turn a more general environmental degree into something more focused - such as green architecture and engineering, or perhaps specific skills in writing and PR devoted to the environmental field.
It's truly unfortunate, but the reality now is that there are simply less secure jobs out there, but there are plenty of ways to add more focused skills to a three- or four-year environmental degree.
Thanks
Great article. Very good.
And how so will it be?
“The stigma toward environmental education has changed,” says ECO’s marketing director Chris Stewart. “It’s not just about cleaning up garbage – there are opportunities for environmental grads throughout all levels of society.”
And how so?
Green Jobs for Green Grads
Thanks for the comment, Andy, and good question...
In the past, environmental jobs have often been lumped into their own tiny niche - mostly related to conservation and pollution management.
But every industry these days - from car manufacturing to mining to banking - must take environmental considerations into account throughout all their operations. Otherwise, it's just bad business.
What does this mean for green grads? It means there are far more environmentally focused opportunities to be found in traditional industries - such as consulting on ways to reduce ecological footprint, say.
As long as industries in today's economy have an impetus to "be green," environmental skills can be applied in any sector.
For some evidence, just check out the job postings on Goodwork (http://www.goodworkcanada.ca/gw.php) or on the ECO Canada website (http://eco.ca/viewjobs/default.aspx)
And on getting the skills to get you that career, check out Alternatives' new website, www.thegreenstudent.ca. It's a great resource for students looking to take advantage of the new green economy.
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