Getting a green job is easier than ever. There are jobs available if you want to go that route, but there are also a number of ways to make your own sustainable business from scratch. We’ll show you how.
If you’ve been wanting to find a job in the green sector, then you know they are popping up all over. Perhaps you haven’t found the right fit, or the jobs you like seem too far away.
It can be frustrating to look out into the world and see a need for a green revolution right on your back doorstep, and yet the opportunities in your area look scant. But you don’t have to take the fall and resort to a less meaningful job to bide time and save money.
You can start your own green business, and you can do it today.
Starting Capital for Creating Green Jobs
The first thing people worry about when starting a business of any kind is where they will get the money, but you might be amazed how many start-ups began in a garage or home office. Once you get something going, it’s easier to get a loan to expand than it is to start from scratch.
But even that isn’t impossible.
Another approach is to start your business or idea part-time and work on it as a hobby rather than a career. If you have a lot to say about the environment, or perhaps dream of founding a huge lobby some day, then start with a blog or podcast. They cost nearly nothing these days to start, and you can grow your website as you go and as your audience gets larger.
If you are into making crafts or working with bugs, or even planting trees, there are many ventures that take very little to start when begun as a hobby with benefits.
- Beekeepers can design a new hive, or start making wooden hives to sell locally.
- Gardeners can use the tools they already have to start landscaping or gardening for others.
- Like yard sales? Buy up extras of the goods and resell them as a reuse and recycling service.
- Like sewing? Use worn out clothes as fabric for new products.
Just about any hobby can be turned into a business, and if it is something you enjoy, you’ll be more likely to succeed. The best part is you will already have most of the tools needed.
Getting the Taxes Figured Out
Once you have a plan and you start making money, then a whole other world opens up. This is the point which separates a small business from a hobby side-gig.
But relief will fall over you when you discover the secret of navigating this difficult system of taxes, expenses, and reports. The secret is this:
Find a CPA, or any kind of accountant.
For real, that’s all you need to do. You can usually consult for free and they already know all the ins and outs of the small business world.
Think of it like this. You know how to help the environment, so that’s your job. Let the bean counters worry about counting the beans.
Not only can a professional help you navigate the shark infested legal waters, but they can actually save you a ton of money every year. They know what you can expense and what you cannot. They can help keep track of all your business financials.
Best of all, they can generally save you more than enough money per year to cover the cost of hiring them.
Ideas for Jobs in the Green Industry
If you are having trouble coming up with your own idea for making a business out of saving the Earth, or you just want to try something fun to help out by turning your neighbor’s trash into valuable recycled items on the side, have no fear, we have a list for you.
We’ll call it the brainstorming list, here goes.
Beekeeping
For less than $1000, you can get set up with everything you need to start keeping your own bees, and of course you can sell the honey to your neighbors to offset the costs. All you need is a starter kit and some bees.
Tree or Flower Nursery
If you like growing things, this is a no-brainer. Start your own nursery. Just add water.
Electronics Repair
If the idea of tossing out $800 cellphones annoys you, why not learn how to repair cracked screens? It’s cheaper and easier than you think to get started.
Neighborhood Farm or Wildflower Park
Got an unused lot in your neighborhood? Pool together the local resources and have everyone in the neighborhood pitch in with your own local vegetable garden.
Eco-Friendly Lawn Care
How cool would it be if a lawn care service showed up with battery operated machines and big solar panels to charge the batteries? That could be you.
Book Boxes
Make some simple weatherproof bookshelves and place them around the city. Anyone can “rent” a book by leaving another in the box. Don’t forget a tip jar.
Cleaning or Housekeeping Service
Introduce customers to eco-friendly cleaning techniques by making a service that uses safe solvents instead of harsh chemicals.
Molded Plastic
Learn to recycle plastics by doing controlled melts and making molds for all sorts of things, from pen blanks to bird houses, to anything you like. You can also cut and shape some items directly without the added cost of a furnace and mold-making materials.
Eco-Friendly Furniture
Turn yard-sale junk and ReStore items into like-new products with a little varnish and sweat.
Blogger or Podcaster
Jump on your soap box and talk to the world. All you need is a computer and a microphone. You could also start a YouTube channel. You can even use your phone as your personal studio.
Download our free list of 100+ green and sustainable business ideas
How to Get a Green Job and What Green Job Opportunities are Out There?
From transportation to electrical work to home care services, just about any job you can think of has a corollary in the green community, and it isn’t hard to see why.
Going green would never become a trend all on its own outside of tiny businesses if it were not for the simple fact that there is a lot of money to be made by going green.
There’s a saying in the business world that waste is a thief. You can kill the thief by eliminating waste, but that doesn’t always mean spending ridiculous amounts of money on trying to stretch every piece of input material to the limit.
It also means recycling scrap to recoup some of the cost for new materials, a policy that shows up in all sizes of businesses. Rockefeller pioneered using a “waste” material like gasoline and creating a business around it. Companies in cleaner industries can do the same.
And people are the key. If you don’t want to start your own business, places like cleantechrising can help to place you in a career you will love with the added benefit of helping the environment.
Conclusion
If you want to make a difference in the world, and you want to impact the earth in a positive way with your everyday life, it’s as simple as finding a new job. If you want to take things a step further, you can also start your own green business.
Just about any hobby or job can be turned more Eco-friendly. It all starts with you? The question then becomes what do you want to do? Start brainstorming today and make an impact on tomorrow.
Further reading:
Green jobs and job boards to find your next role
MBA Programs in Clean Tech and Sustainability
Working to Save the World: Green Jobs Outlook 2020
Other articles about green careers
Check out our resources library