How to green any job with Project Drawdown's Jamie Beck Alexander
May 31, 2023
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Jamie Beck Alexander, Director of Drawdown Labs, talks about how professionals can incorporate climate solutions into their jobs, highlighting the influence employees have on their companies. They discuss the efforts of Amazon employees advocating for climate action and the importance of integrating climate considerations within organizations. They also explore impactful climate solutions and provide practical action guides for individuals and workplaces.
Every job has a climate angle; incorporate climate action by leveraging core skill sets and considering the broader impact of your work.
Unite with colleagues to push for change within your organization through employee resource groups and green teams, inspired by success stories like Amazon employees advocating for climate targets.
Deep dives
Every job can be a climate job
According to Jamie Beck Alexander, the director of Drawdown Labs, every job can contribute to fighting climate change. Whether you're an accountant, marketer, lawyer, or any other professional, there is a climate angle to your work. The goal is to incorporate climate action into your current job and use your influence to push for change within your organization. By scaling proven climate solutions like regenerative agriculture and solar panels, individuals in traditional roles can make a significant impact.
Thinking big and reframing your job
To start greening your job, Jamie advises thinking about the purpose of your discipline at the highest level and imagining how it could be applied to address climate change. For example, a fleet manager at a tech company transitioned the company's internal combustion engine cars to electric vehicles by presenting a case on cost savings and health benefits. By leveraging core skill sets and considering the broader impact of your work, you can create win-win solutions that save money and contribute to sustainability goals.
Embracing collective action and using existing resources
In addition to greening your own job, Jamie emphasizes the power of collective action. Inspired by success stories like Amazon employees advocating for climate targets, she encourages employees to unite and push for change within their companies. By forming employee resource groups or green teams, individuals can build relationships, share ideas, and influence policymakers. Furthermore, Project Drawdown has created job function action guides that provide tangible actions for different corporate job functions, such as marketing, legal, and sales, helping employees incorporate climate solutions into their work.
Jamie Beck Alexander is the director of Drawdown Labs, a division of the climate nonprofit Project Drawdown. In 202, Alexander developed and launched Drawdown Labs, which works with the private sector to accelerate their adoption of climate solutions. She’s been heralded for her TEDx Talk about empowering workers to be the driving change for the climate crisis within companies. Prior to Project Drawdown, Alexander worked for Ceres, which also encourages companies to establish ambitious climate goals and reduce emissions.
Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Daniel Hill hosts The Year of the Climate Job. Yesh Pavlik Slenk hosts Degrees. Amy Morse is EDF’s producer. Podcast Allies is our production company. Stephanie Wolf is senior producer; Kevin Kline is our audio editor; Andrew Parrella is our production manager; Elaine Appleton Grant is CEO of Podcast Allies and Tina Bassir is podcast manager. Our music is Shame, Shame, Shame from Yesh’s favorite band, Lake Street Dive.
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