74 Organizations and Associations All Environmental Professionals and Businesses Should Know About

Being apart of a professional association is a key way to stay abreast of new developments in your industry.  Luckily for those of you who are interested in being the best at what you do and growing, we’ve put together a massive list of professional associations for environmental businesses.

Solar List

• http://www.seia.org/ – “We use the strength of one collective industry voice to create economic and political support to foster the growth of the solar industry. Combine your resources with other members of the industry and share in the power of connection to the solar industry’s national trade group.” – Aimed at corporations, rather than invidividuals.
• http://www.mseia.net/ – “In addition to policy work on the state and national level, MSEIA also works with county and local government to aid in the rapid adoption of solar installations to diversify our energy sources.”
• http://www.ases.org/ – “Established in 1954, ASES is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals and advocates. We advance education, research and policy, inspiring the nation to go solar.”
• http://www.nyseia.org/ – “NYSEIA is a trade association with a mission to: a) educate the public about the wide range of available solar products and their advantages for consumers and society, b) promote an ethical industry of quality products and services, c) encourage public policy and commercial practices which foster greater use of renewable energy, d) promote R&D to gain better understanding of the market for renewable energy, and e) disseminate information about and within the industry.”
• http://www.sebane.org/ – “SEBANE is a business association of solar energy companies based, or doing business, in New England. Our membership includes companies from all sectors of the PV industry, including photovoltaic (”PV”) cell and module manufacturers, component part manufacturers, project developers, system designers, and installers.”

Renewables

• http://www.egia.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?Portal=22 – “The Electric & Gas Industries Association (EGIA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions through the home improvement and renewable energy industries.”
• http://www.acore.org/front – “ACORE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. with paying members from every aspect and sector of the renewable energy industries and their trade associations, including wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and biofuels, hydropower tidal/current energy and waste energy. The scope of ACORE’s membership also spans – among others – financial institutions, government leaders, educators, end-users, professional service providers and allied non-profit groups”
• http://www.nesea.org/ – “For more than thirty years, NESEA has supported and inspired a growing network of professionals and sustainable energy advocates committed to responsible energy use.  NESEA is committed to advancing three core elements: sustainable solutions, proven results and cutting-edge development in the field.”

EH&S

• http://www.ehscareers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/showResourcesLinks/CatID/17 – 56
• http://www.aaee.net/ – American Academy of Environmental Engineers
• https://www.aaohn.org/ – American Association of Occupational Health Nurses
• http://www.abih.org/ – American Board of Industrial Hygiene
• http://www.sanitarians.org/ – American Academy of Sanitarians
• http://membership.acs.org/c/chas/ – American Chemical Society
• http://www.aiche.org/DivisionsForums/ViewAll/ENV.aspx – AIChE ENV Division

Teaching

• http://www.aeesp.org/ – Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors

General

• http://www.naep.org/ – environmental proffessors
• http://www.califaep.org/
• http://www.sandiegoaep.org/
• http://www.faep-fl.org/ – Florida
• http://meldi.snre.umich.edu/resources/resource/General+Professional+Associations
• http://www.nwaep.org/

More Associations

http://www.greenjobs.com/Public/GreenDirectory/associations.htm

 

Big Problems: Coal Power

Coal Power is cheap but dirty and once thought overly abundant, is set to run out within a hundred years.

What is Coal Power?

Coal Power Plant

For more than a hundred years coal has been used to provide elecricity to billions of people.  The process works by burning coal to boil water and create steam.  This steam then moves through a turbine causing it to spin and generate electricity.  Coal power has gotten cleaner since it was first introduced, however it is still dirtier than Howard Stern.  Coal power provides almost half of all power used in the United States. That means you’re charging your electric car with coal.

Why is Coal so Popular?

Coal Photoshoot

Like all types of business, coal power exists because it’s profitable. The cost of coal power is cheaper than alternative energies like Solar and Wind, both technologies which have been around for several decades, but are not in use because they simply cost more per killowatt then coal.

For those of you who enjoy some satire, here’s a video about people’s love of coal.

What Are the Environmental Impacts of Coal Power?

The biggest eyesore for coal power is that it is the largest producer of green house gases. These gases are what is causing global warming. Coal also produces a special kind of pollution (sulfur dioxide) that leads to acid rain. In addition to acid rain damaging and killing fish and plant life it is also causes disease in humans. Because of these downsides the coal industry is currently getting beat up everywhere from politicans to news outlets to silly blogs like this one.

What About Clean Coal?

Over the years coal has gotten has gotten cleaner and reduced the amount of toxic gases released into the atmosphere.  And with the current pressure to reform its dirty ways a new movement has started called Clean Coal.  There are a two main things being used right now to make coal a bit cleaner.

• Chemically washing the coal before it is used removes impurities that would be harmful if released into the atmosphere.
• Using steam to clean up the exhaust and trap the sulfur dioxide and prevent it from entering the atmosphere.

What is Being Done?

Because coal is so cheap the only way to make alternative fuels seem attractive is to raise the price of coal.  And the easiest way to raise the price of coal is to tax it.  The current administration in the United States has suggested a Cap and Trade system, which basically means they’re going to limit the amount of pollution a power planet can generate and once they exceed that number they will need to buy extra credits to continue operating.

Obama made his plans painfully clear in the following video:

Future of Coal?

Even if coal wasn’t under fire for harming the environment, the coal supplies of the world are almost exhausted.  Current projections say that the world’s coal will run out sometime in the next 80 years (coal reserves), so one way or another, the age of coal is coming to an end.

Coal is the little engine that might not be allowed to could anymore

 

Big Problems: Deforestation

Humans cut down trees for a variety of reasons and because we’re so good at it, deforestation has become a Big Problem.

What is Deforestation?

Clearcutting of a Forest

When a new species of termites rips through a forest, that’s deforestation. When lightning ignites a small bush, which then burns down 200,000 acres of forest, that’s deforestation. When trees are cleared for farming, housing, livestock raising, that’s deforesation. Simply put, anytime a forest is destroyed, no matter the cause, that is deforestation and right now there is too much of it.

How Fast are We Losing Forests?

Because the problem is so large, it’s kind of hard to imagine how bad the problem is when you hear that 79,000 square kilometers are being destroyed every year. Imagine California is completely covered with trees, top to bottom. Now imagine all the things that destroy forests (fires, farmers, lumberjacks, termites) starting at the top of California with chainsaws and blowtorches waiting to race down to Mexico as fast as they can.  In just over 5 years the termites and lumberjacks will be eating burritos in Tijuana and California will be a wastland without a single tree.  That’s how fast we’re losing forests.

Which Places have the Worst Deforestation?

First the good news. Deforestation in Asia, Europe, and North America has for the most part stopped. Europe and Asia actually gained some trees from 2000-20005. These places have laws and sustainable practices in place.

While those places may be doing well, Africa and South America are not. The fact that Africa is being heavily deforested may come as a surprise, but wood used as fuel and farmers clearing land is rapidly decreasing the amount of forest in Africa.

Clearcutting African Forest

While Africa and South America are the current trouble spots, Brazil is and has been leading the pack for many years. Nearly half of all deforestation is happening (32,000 square kilometeres a year) within the borders of Brazil.

What are Forests Good For?

Autumn in the Forest

Forests are important not only to the animals that live in them, but also humans that live outside of them. While a tree is living it grabs carbon dioxide (that’s what humans breathe out) and converts it into oxygen (that’s what humans breathe). With ever increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, each tree that is cut down is adding to the problem. Not only will the tree release it’s carbon if burned or destroyed, but it will also allow more sunlight to hit the earth, which causes things to decompose faster and release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  The trees are both storing up carbon as well as being a sort of umbrella for the carbon in the soil and protecting it from the sun’s heat.

What is Being Done?

In developed nations like those in North America and Europe, deforestation was conquered by creating national parks and passing laws that prevent big freaking forest reserves from being demolished by tree hungry individuals.  In developing nations however, there aren’t as many regulations and protections for the environment.

In Brazil laws are being enacted by local government to protect large areas of forest.  However, people are still logging the forests illegally.

What Can I Do?

If you’d like to save some trees and be part of the solution there are a few things you can do.  While it would feel great to go out and plant a tree yourself, you can actually do a great deal more good and save a whole acre of forest with just a donation to the World Land Trust, a group that fights to protect rainforests (which are being deforested the quickest).  For those of you who like to be picky about their spending, many non-profits charge $5-$10 to plant a tree, but you can make your tree saving dollars go 20-30 times further by buying an acre of forest (with hundreds of trees) and preventing them from being destroyed.

 

Big Problems: Climate Change

Climate change is the new and more accurate name for global warming.

What is Climate Change?

Over the last century years the average global temperature has risen a little over one degree Fahrenheit and is expected to rise between three and seven degrees in the next 100 years.  This seemingly tiny change is hard for a normal person to notice because temperatures between a normal night and day often vary by more than 15 to 30 degrees! We’ll talk more about the side effects of this change in a little bit.

What Caused Climate Change?

Throughout most of history climate change was usually been caused by natural events, such as: volcanoes, changes in the ocean currents and the sun becoming hotter or colder. However, in the last 50 years the temperature has changed more drastically than it has in the last 10,000 years. This is because humans are burning fossil fuels (gas, coal, oil, etc) that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

How Does Carbon Dioxide Cause Climate Change?

Unfortunately for us, a bunch of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere turns the earth into a big greenhouse. This is because carbon dioxide lets energy come in from the sun and then keeps all the heat energy from escaping. This may be nice for growing plants in the winter, but when the whole earth becomes a greenhouse it can have many bad side effects!

Carbon dioxide is turning the earth into the Uberest Greenhouse

What are the Side Effects?

One that everyone can understand is that weather will change. Because heat causes more evaporation, tropical storms are becoming more powerful and events such as Hurricane Katrina will become more commonplace. As the earth continues to heat up the glaciers on top of mountains and the ice caps on the poles will melt more than they should. All this melted snow and ice will flow into the ocean causing sea levels to rise.  If you snowboard or ski, you will find that your season is going to becoming shorter and shorter as the years go on.

Greenland in the year 2050?

Although temperatures will only rise globally by a few degrees, this hides the fact that individual areas will experience very different side effects.  Places that are far from the oceans will receive less rainfall. Although the total amount of rainfall may stay the same or increase slightly from the hotter temperatures, many people who previously received a good amount of rain will start to receive less and less!  People living in dryer areas will have water shortages, which will also mean big trouble for those growing crops those areas.

Are there any Benefits?

Farmers nearer oceans and in areas with lots of storms will likely have their growing season extended because of the hotter temperatures and increased rainfall.  Also people who live in colder climates will find their winters becoming shorter and less bothersome!

What’s Being Done?

Not very much! Scientists have finally decided to agree that climate change is real and are trying to figure out how to prevent temperatures from rising too fast.  Apparently the scientists have already decided they can’t stop temperatures from rising and are trying to cram before the biggest final exam of their life to get a passing grade.  Most important gains will come in terms of replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy in hopes of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide we put into the air!

 

Big Problems: Honey Bees Disappearing

Honey bees don’t just make sweet sweet honey and sting your foot whiel you’re walking through the park barefoot. They are also critically important for pollinating much of the food we eat and suddenly these bees are disappearing.

The bees are fading away and we don't know why

Why Are Bees Disappearing

The big term thought up by smart people is called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), but it doesn’t really explain anything. The adult bees that leave the defend and bring food to the hive are leaving and not coming back, leaving the hive hungry and defenseless against predators. After the adult bees are gone it is only a matter of time before the colony dies off.

How Bad Is It?

Very. Nearly a third of all honey bee colonies have vanished and there are no signs of it getting better.

What Foods are Effected?

Much of the food you see in this section of your super market needs bees

Fruits

• Apples
• Apricots
• Blueberries
• Cantaloupe
• Cherries
• Cranberries
• Grapes
• Kiwis
• Nectarines
• Olives
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Watermelons

Vegetables

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Onions
• Pumpkins
• Squash

Nuts

• Almonds
• Macadamia nuts

Because a cows diet also relies on honey bee crops, dairy and beef would also be affected.

What’s Being Done?

Nothing. Currently there is a group called The CCD Working Group that is conducting research, but there are too many things that might be the cause and they haven’t figured it out yet.

What Can I Do?

Not much.  If you like to eat the food listed above and want to do something, leave a comment and we’ll try to connect you with the proper organizations.  The original site dedicated to CCD has disappeared (irony?), but this appears to be the new home: http://maarec.psu.edu/

 

Big Problems: Overpopulation in a Nutshell

Overpopulation is considered to be the root of many of the environmental problems that we are facing today, hopefully this entry will provide you a little insight about what exactly overpopulation is and what is being done and still needs to be done.

History

A little more than 10,000 years ago the Ice Age ended and the human population began to thrive. Around 1420 the world population was 375 million. By 1720 the population had double to to 750 million. In half the time, in the year 1875, the population doubled again to 1.5 billion. In half the time again (1959) the population was tipping 3 billion and 40 short years later it was at a new high of 6 billion.

You can see the world's population has exploded

Hungry

We are a thriving species and this has caused certain problems to arise. One of the most basic problems (that everyone can understand) is that as the population grows, more land will be used for housing, which decreases land for farming. This means that farmers have to grow more food with less land or people will go hungry.

Thirsty

While humans need food to not starve, they also need water to not die from dehydration. As there is a limited supply of fresh water, each new person reduces the amount of water for the rest of the world. You may live in or have friend or family in an area that has water shortages. This is not uncommon as 500 million people currently live in areas with severe water shortages. By the year 2050 the number of people will be 2 billion.

Education and Contraceptives

Many people do not have access or the proper education about how babies are made and are overcome with desire and end up becoming pregnant in a heat of passion when they normally wouldn’t. Humans are programmed to make babies, so if we are to address overpopulation we must educate people about how to prevent pregnancy.

It would seem that our policy makers would understand this issue of overpopulation and take steps to address it. However, in 2001 G. W. Bush decided to refuse funding to family planning organizations that provide and educate people about contraceptives and abortions among other things. This was a small step back, but has since been reversed by Obama, restoring funding to these organizations.

High Consumption Lifestyle

In developed countries, particularly in the Unites States, each person consumes a large quantity of natural resources. Because America lifestyle is fun and entertaining many countries would like to have the same luxuries and fun. This means as other countries raise their standard of living, the amount of stuff people use will grow greatly. Currently there are a great deal of poor people that use only a fraction of the resources of an American, but countries like China and India are raising their standard of living each year and it will have impacts on everyone.

 

Biology Career Paths Explained

A biologist is a person who studies living things and how they interact with their environment.  If you are interested in becoming a biologist there are many types of career paths to take, depending on your personality and interests, including: Marine, Biochemist, Botanist, Microbiologist, Physiologist, Biophysicist, Zoologist, Ecologist

Marine biologists study salt water organisms, and limnologists study fresh water organisms.

Not only humans practice marine biology

Biochemists study the chemical composition of living things. They analyze the complex chemical combinations and reactions involved in metabolism, reproduction, and growth.

Biologist in the Lab

Botanists study plants and their environments. They study all aspects of plant life, including algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants.

Botanists in the Field

Microbiologists investigate the growth and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, or fungi.

Physiologists study life functions of plants and animals, both in the whole organism and at the cellular or molecular level, under normal and abnormal conditions.

Biophysicists study how physics, such as electrical and mechanical energy and related phenomena, relates to living cells and organisms.

Zoologists and wildlife biologists study animals and wildlife—their origin, behavior, diseases, and life processes.

Brazilian Squirrel Monkey

Ecologists investigate the relationships among organisms and between organisms and their environments, examining the effects of population size, pollutants, rainfall, temperature, and altitude.

Explaining Ecological Habitat Types

Finding Work

If you’re interested in finding work as a biologist, make sure you check out the Biologist Jobs at Let’s Work Green’s main web site.

 

Ecology Jobs

Viewing point of Ko Phi Phi Don Krabi Province Thailand - Rene

If you’re a recently graduated Ecologist or simply looking for a new job in the field, be sure that you are checking out our ecology jobs list that is updated daily.  If you keep an eye on that you’re sure to find something that is for you.

If you would like to automatically subscribe via RSS, just use this url: Ecology Jobs RSS Feed

If you don’t have RSS, but would still like to get weekly updates via email: Ecology Jobs Weekly Email

Are any readers currently looking for an environmental job in a different field? Please leave a comment and let us know which!

P.S. As part of our learning we do, if you would like to learn a little bit more about ecology and what it is for visit: http://www.backyardnature.net/ecodefin.htm

That website has a great explanation, using non-technical terms so anyone can understand.

Ecology is the study of how living things and their environment interact with one another.

 

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