Greener Resume Can Give College Graduates Edge in Job Market

Green-collar jobs grew by more than 9 percent, twice the growth rate for traditional jobs, from 1998 to 2007. Even during a recession, a greener resume can be the answer to getting hired, says Wake Forest Director of Sustainability Dedee DeLongpre Johnston. "Sustainability is a competitive advantage in the marketplace," she says. "College graduates entering the job market this year will definitely have an edge if they have developed sustainability-related skill sets."

Getting a green job doesn't mean looking for jobs with "sustainability" or "environment" in the title any more. Green jobs are also not limited to installing solar panels or weatherizing houses. From marketing to publishing to accounting to finance, viewing the world through the lens of sustainability and having practical experience in that area can make a difference when applying for jobs.

As banks look at making loans for green buildings, law firms develop new kinds of contracts for carbon credits, and companies target consumers who value greener products, students who understand what sustainability looks like in various industries or organizations and have experience solving real-world problems will fare well. And, if students understand sustainability principles, any job can become a green job.

"Sustainability is a way of thinking," DeLongpre Johnston says. "And, that way of thinking has value across the job market. Experience and knowledge tied to sustainability will make this year's job hunters stronger candidates."

Internships focused on sustainability are invaluable for students who are job hunting because they help students demonstrate to employers that they can solve problems, says DeLongpre Johnston, who has business majors, anthropology majors and students from other academic departments interning in her office and helps students find off-campus internships.

Integrating sustainability into a career also helps students who are passionate about a greener world align their passions and talents with their work.

"Eventually, sustainability will be woven seamlessly into the fabric of society," she says. Just as proficiency using word processing, the Web, and other technology is now expected in the workplace, understanding sustainability principles and how to apply them will become a basic expectation of employers in the future, she says.  Sustainability also offers the biggest entrepreneurial opportunities out there, DeLongpre Johnston says. The green economy has created new outlets for innovation.

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Marriott Turns Out the Lights at 500 Hotels Worldwide to Celebrate Earth Hour

This Saturday, March 27, at 8:30 p.m., local time, Marriott-branded hotels and resorts worldwide will turn out the lights, for one hour, in support of Earth Hour – a global movement uniting businesses, organizations and individuals in taking action to raise awareness to the issues of climate change – and kick off the company's month-long dedication to environmental awareness.

Last year, Earth Hour, organized by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) attracted more than 80 million participants in the U.S. and nearly a billion people around the world.  Watch this 30-second video for a fun overview of how this event is celebrated.

"We're encouraging our hotels and business units worldwide to dim or turn off their non-essential lighting in support of this event," said Mari Snyder, vice president, social responsibility and community engagement, Marriott International, Inc. "Our goal is to have 500 hotels, resorts and business units participate this year. It's just one part of our ongoing Spirit To Preserve environmental strategy and lead-in to our companywide initiative in April."

Every April, Marriott celebrates Environmental Awareness Month to actively engage employees and guests in doing their part to help protect the environment--a key component of the company's environmental strategy,   Throughout the month, hotels generate awareness about the effects of climate change; remind guests and employees of environmentally-friendly home, work and travel alternatives; and encourage employees to participate in activities to help beautify surrounding communities and sustain indigenous habitats.

A sampling of Environmental Awareness Month activities will include:

• Eighty Marriott employees in Korea will team up with the Green Rangers, an association for Korean school children, on Korea's Arbor Day, April 5, to plant trees in Pocheon-kun, in Gyeonggi-do and donate krw 2,375,000 ($2,050) to support green forest activities in the local community.
• The Renaissance Shanghai Pudong will partner with Roots & Shoots– to sell small plants and generate money to plant more trees in China.
• In Hong Kong, employees will take part in the "Tree Planting Challenge 2010" organized by Friends of the Earth Main Dam of Shing Mun Reservoir to promote the message of "Save Tree, Conserve Nature." Volunteers are required to dig pits, plant trees and seedlings and complete 13 km on a hiking trail within a few hours.
• The Doha Marriott will clean up the local beach and plant indigenous plants around the hotel.
• The employees of Marriott hotels in Dubai have invited students from three local schools to help plant 100 trees and educate them on the importance of reducing their carbon footprint.  
• The Sharm El Sheik Marriott Resort in Egypt is hosting an event entitled "Preservation of the Red Sea Environment" to raise employee and guest awareness about the deterioration of the Red Sea and its corals.
• In Paris, France, employees are teaming up with the Surfrider Foundation for their annual clean-up of the river Seine.
• London hotels are partnering once again with Thames 21 to clean up the shores of the river Thames in front of the London Marriott County Hall.
• The employees of Torrance Marriott South Bay adopted a section of the Madrona Marsh and each month, a group visits to prune, weed and plant indigenous plants. In April, employees are inviting volunteers, friends and family to join them.
• Employees in New Jersey are joining their local business partners to plant gardens outside of school entrances, landscape and remove trash from community parks, and paint lines for outdoor games on blank school parking lots in the cities of Newark, Plainfield, Union City, and Jersey City. 

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