History has been altered and although it is not due to the power of one, its genesis is. Each person is a seed that is planted. The seed grows and if nurtured properly by life becomes the full expression of what it was destined to be. Some special seeds have the ability to continue to provide sustenance to the earth once they are in full bloom. So although it is not the one seed that feeds many, the fruit they bear can quench the hunger of the many. Obama has seeded a tree of change that is bearing fruit which has provided ‘food for the hungry in American politics.’ His vision and his voice have awakened a deep yearning among a massive constituency of young voters, who have said, yes to changing the modern face of democracy. They have taken a bite of the fruit of knowledge that has shed light on their desire to understand and believe in who is leading their country. A new tomorrow has been unearthed where the individual voter’s opinion and small financial contributions have a collective power that is much more profound than ever before in history. Suddenly campaigns are not won or lost due to the monetary strength of the few with deep pockets and untouchable resources. Rather, winning campaigns can leverage the grassroots efforts of collaborative young enthusiasts and hopeful other generations, who see democracy as an institution that should be governed by the collective opinion of its stakeholders, not over-empowered elite.

Essentially Obama has harvested a constituency that is raising their hands to take responsibility for their future. Youth has always tended to foster idealism, and age – realism. But today’s youth have seen more than their share of realism from adolescence forward. Their realism has included cataclysmic natural disasters, abominations of war, corporate collapse, political scandals, leadership dishonesty and disgrace, dwindling oil and water resources, and re-emerging world hunger.

So, seeing the world as it is in real terms will not be the challenge of the young. Figuring out to do with the world they will inherit is their more pressing question. Many see others who believe in change as pure idealism. I disagree. Although the cycles of life, cultures, and countries have always endured cycles of change, some are more profound than others. This time in American history represents a profound shift in whom and how our world will be shaped. Now we must rely upon future leaders who are able to galvanize, harness, and execute the systemic changes in business, finance, environmental, and social justice that people desire. Believing that is possible is where idealism will be invoked. Often change is precipitated through fear. While there is plenty of that in the world, it appears there is something nobler which is fueling this movement of change — hope. Many say that hope is not a strategy. That is true. However, hope can be a seed that determines the direct results of what will grow if nurtured to fruition. My hope is people will join together in growing the seeds of change that will be the genesis of a better tomorrow.

We may need to think much harder about what are future holds on the water front. I don’t consider myself to be an alarmist or a pessimist. And although the word Crisis has been become almost as overused as the word expert in our society, I think it is fair to say we have a water crisis on our hands. What brought this into such clear focus was a comment at a sustainability event about a homeowner’s second home in the Blue Ridge Mountains that has no access to water. No showers, no cooking, no making coffee, no watering the lawn equals no real estate value. Imagine paying this mortgage or trying to get vacationing renters to pay the mortgage. This discouraged person posed the question, “do our politicians get it?” This is a fabulous question and I’d like to add another one. Do we get it? Citizens in Georgia have recently felt a water shortage that meant we couldn’t keep our grass as green or cars as clean. That is inconvenient but not a ‘game changer’ regarding the quality of life we lead. The idea of modern life being lived without full access to the water supply is something we can’t and don’t want to imagine. On the other hand, maybe we need to imagine it in order to stimulate a collective concern that will push water conservation and optimization forward at light speed. I heard at one conference that in the next few decades more than 50% of the globe is projected to be living in water stressed areas. Water stressed may not sound frightening until you imagine some 6 billion people on the planet unable to use water without restrictions. Long showers, dishwaters, and drinking water are imperatives for most of us in the Western world. Also many of us aren’t fully cognizant of the fact that water is required to produce electricity, manufacture almost everything, operate restaurants/hotels/ buildings—essentially a central natural resource to our economy. Without sufficient water to support these functions our industrialize lifestyle would collapse. Look at countries that struggle with water supply and you will find poverty. Officials in government are anticipating that water will be the new geopolitical concern. Rather than fighting over oil, the dwindling resource of greatest concern will be water. The globe population fighting over water is not the future any of us want. Government is one way to make things happen but it isn’t the only answer. We need smart entrepreneurs and concerned citizens to come together to navigate solutions that are feasible on how we can protect one of life’s most precious and indispensable resources. I urge anyone who can give us more insight into how we can individually and collaboratively rewrite our future to please speak up before we are all ‘washed up’ as an advanced society because we misused the earth’s water supply.

Georgia Public Broadcating hosted a televised program that discusses our water crisis.  I hope you will consider watching this program, sponsored by Georgia Research Alliance and MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta.  The focus is about the looming global water crisis and how it is expected to impact business as well as what types of technologies are available to mitigate these issues.  The panelists include representatives from Coca-Cola Enterprises, Atlantic Station-Downtown Mixed-use Brownfield Development, UGA Agricultural Research, Irrigation consulting.

mms://mediam1.gpb.org/np/2008/NP_MIT_EnterprisingGA_10-23-08_558kbps.wmv

This article is a great read for people who don’t yet know Ray Anderson, founder and chairman of Interface Inc., http://www.btobmagazine.com/Articles/2008/December/Mount_Sustainability.html, whom I have begun referring to as the ‘grandfather of sustainability.’  I don’t know whether he would embrace the term or not, but I hope to make the point that he is one of the great sustainability thinkers of our time.

After attending an event where one of the executive members of Interface presented some of their powerful sustainability strategies and practices, I had the pleasure of meeting a young professional, Matt Carter, who had joined Interface after completing an internship.  Not only was I so impressed with Matt’s passion for the company’s vision and culture, he was kind enough to share a copy of Ray Anderson’s book, MidCourse Correction with me.  Thank you, Matt, for helping enlighten and educate me further on the urgency of the challenges at hand!  The book is a must read for anyone who is using the word sustainability in their professional life.  It is a fascinating account of Ray’s journey from ‘wildly successful entrepreneur’ to a world-recognized ‘change agent.’  His unswerving focus on sustainability as a core value has governed the very fabric (no pun intended) of Interface’s existence in the past decade.  The result has been remarkable–financially, environmentally, and socially.  Ray is one of today’s supreme examples of what innovative thinking, sustained commitment, and high-integrity leadership can do to create and grow ‘game changing’ businesses that thrive over the long-haul.

If you have any desire to build a green company, become more sustainable, or search for a company with a truly ‘eco-minded culture’ then I suggest you study this leader and his company.  Ray and his team built this amazing business from the gut-wrenching beginning of risky entrepreneurship, to a global example of eco-excellence that will usher others into the collective challenge of ‘going green’ in order to preserve our environment and quality of life.  I believe that Ray is a rare man who will be noted in history as having had a profound impact of moving sustainability forward in our world.  It is never easy to be a maverick, and Ray’s authenticity and pioneering spirit is leading the way for us all.   I hope one day I get to meet Ray and see if he will accept my new title of ‘grandfather of sustainability’ and will hear it as the immense compliment intended.

Also, to join a network of sustainable professionals, go to www.missionzero.org and become part of a network of conversations happening all over the globe on the topic of sustainability.

We are proud to announce that Gayle Oliver, founder of CareerEco, was selected as the Going Green Champion of the week aired on WSB-TV News, Channel 2 morning news show on November 22, 2008.  The clip is also slated to air again on November 23, 2008 evening news.

We expect the clip to be available to view on their website in the coming week at http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14604867/detail.html where you can also find previous Green Champions as well.

Appropriately during this week of Thanksgiving, we are truly grateful for a publicity-filled weekend for CareerEco.  In addition to the WSB, Channel 2 TV spotlight where CareerEco was chosen as their Green Champion of the Week, we also received some terrific press in the AJCjobs section of the Atlanta-Journal & Constitution Sunday edition.  Laura Raines called me to discuss my strategic change in directions to focus my recruiting efforts toward the Green economy and she was kind enough to share some of my thoughts in her article.  To read the article, go to:  http://www.ajc.com/hotjobs/content/hotjobs/careercenter/articles/2008/11/23/green_jobs.html

Tough economic times are going to demand innovative thinking on the professional front including determining what direction to take in your career.  For some, career choices are clear.  In fact, those are the people that seem to know from the age of three what they want to be–a brilliant doctor, a brave fire fighter, a star athlete.  Fortunate children have those dreams and diligently pursue those paths well into adulthood, ultimately becoming precisely what they set out to be.  For the vast majority of us, however, our career paths look more like long and winding roads with many unexpected turns.  The upside of the unexpected is that if you keep believing you deserve to love your job, you may become something that is far better suited for you than what your three-year-old mind could conceive.

Since beginning on my eco journey, I have had the pleasure of meeting some creative, unique professionals that are doing something very special in the world–they are Beekeepers.   For example, Mike and Cindy Hodges are a husband and wife team who in recent years began producing locally grown honey, called Dunwoody Honey (very yummy!). You can find their contact information and other great details about beekeeping at the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association: http://www.metroatlantabeekeepers.org/productsservices.htm .

If you interested in beginning a career in beekeeping, the University of Georgia has an excellent program ( http://www.ent.uga.edu/bees/ ) and an outstanding faculty, ( http://www.ent.uga.edu/bees/Personnel/Personnel.htm ) which has recently been awarded a sizable grant to continue their research. To learn more about their important endeavors, Cindy recommended speaking to Keith Delaplane at UGA  http://www.ent.uga.edu/bees/Personnel/Delaplane/Delaplane.htm .

I also had the great pleasure of meeting an entrepreneurial beekeeper, David Arnal, who has recently opened his own store called the Bee Factory.  They offer a variety of sweet treats that will make great gifts.  Trust me, you must try the honey butter!  To learn more about David’s busy career in beekeeping since 1988 visit his website:  http://atlantabeefactory.com/ . David is a veteran in this profession, so I think it is safe to assume he is happy with his career choice!  What is also notable about both Cindy and David is that they each radiated professional pride and happiness, something that I believe we are all entitled to experience in our careers.  I think that is what careers are supposed to be about and that we all should enjoy what we do for a living.

What strikes me as being important to consider in this kind of economic climate is that creative career solutions may be the most productive and rewarding ones.  When times are economically strong, it is hard to give up the ‘big bucks’ to choose what you may love as a career as opposed to simply pursuing financial gain.  If big salaries aren’t available maybe this is the ideal time to reconsider what may be even more important–happiness.  I don’t know if most beekeepers grow up aspiring to earn a living in the entomology world.  I imagine that most of them arrive at their career path in a more organic fashion, literally.  I suspect they grow into the profession after learning more about how fascinating and enjoyable it could be.

I know many of you may be aware of the bee colony collapse that we have spoken to in one of our earlier blog. ( http://careereco.com/blogs/community_advice/archive/2008/09/23/our-logo-the-ecobee.aspx ) I think if you are struggling to find a career doing what you love, maybe it is time to get creative and get out of your professional hive.  Figure out what professions need people with a heart to make a difference at a time when our globe is desperate for solutions to environmental challenges, like those the bees face.  When you find a place to put your most authentic talents that truly align with your personality, you really will bee all you can be.

Not everyone agrees that a cover letter is a necessary item in today’s electronic bastion of communication. I disagree.  Recently, we posted an ad for interns ( http://careereco.com/forums/174.aspx ) to assist us at CareerEco in a variety of tasks.   I can tell you from a hiring perspective that those resumes that were accompanied by a well-written cover letter explaining why they were interested in the internship stood out significantly.  The explanation of the candidate’s interest gave tremendous insight into why the individual would consider working on an unpaid internship program and why they were interested in an eco-oriented company.  The personal touch that the cover letter offered created a great insight as to why we would want to learn more about that person.  Most of those candidates who took the time to write a cover letter about why they were a good fit for this project received an immediate follow-up from us.  As a writer of some 7,000 resumes in my life, I can only say that I will never stop being amazed at the power of the written word to persuade people to act.  Make sure you capitalize on the opportunity to use the cover letter as a persuasive document on your behalf.  A cover letter is worth the time it takes to write and as fewer and fewer people offer this personalized correspondence, the more you distinguish your credentials from the endless pool of applicants that reside in email purgatory, aka unread inbox.

To Register:  http://www.careereco.eventbrite.com/ Note: All Registered CareerEco Members receive a 25% discount on the event, simply write in the discount code box:  CareerEcoMember and the new price will be calculated when you register. CareerEco holds the first EcoJob panel - Thursday, February 26, 2009 from 5pm- 7pm at the Centergy Building in Midtown.

Interested in a “green career”? Learn from Atlanta professionals who have already launched successful Eco-focused Careers in Environmental and Sustainability roles.

The impressive EcoJob Panel brings together prominent executives from corporate, government, and entrepreneurial settings to discuss their environmental careers.  These experts will share their career advice and their outlook on job opportunities in the environmental and sustainability sectors.   Come hear from 3 Accomplished Panelists:

• Mandy Schmitt, Director of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta
• Roger Reisert, President and CEO of C2 Biofuels in Georgia
• Brande Singleton former Home Depot Manager of Leadership.

Business Professionals:  Event fee is $20 in advance or $30 to register at the door.  ($15 for CareerEco Members – put in your discount code:  CareerEcoMember) Students: Event is free if registered in advance with student ID at the door Seating is limited to Register today! Registration closes on Friday, February 24th.
Mark your calendar for more upcoming job panels will be held on March 26th 5-7pm, and April 23rd 5-7pm. For additional information on the Go Eco and Get a ‘Green’ Career forum, call 770-980-0088 Location of Event:  Centergy Building – 85 Fifth Street, NW – 3rd Floor Wayne Hodges Room, Atlanta, GA  30308

CareerEco was fortunate enough to be selected and spotlighted by Marc Pickard, Senior Environmental/Earthwatch Reporter for a WXIA 11 Alive News as a job search resource for eco-minded employers and jobseekers who are looking for green jobs.   Alice Rolls, Executive Director of Georgia Organics, was also interviewed as a green employer currently hiring along with Mike Hagen, a sustainability-focused jobseeker, who is mobilizing his job search to make a green career change.