Saving the Earth, one degree at a time
Renewable energy degrees are not a new phenomenon. As more politicians, environmentalists and scientists team up to thwart the acceleration of global warming, many companies are looking for graduates with experience in renewable energy fields, whether taking on management roles or developing expertise on green products. If you find yourself taking extra steps to reduce your carbon footprint, like using fluorescent bulbs or hanging your clothes out to dry instead of throwing them in the dryer, you might want to think about applying your small efforts to directly influence the way major corporations do business.
Aimee Christensen: Renewable energy pioneer
One woman who's helping big companies become greener is Aimee Christensen, who holds a degree in anthropology and Latin American studies from a Massachusetts university and has pioneered green movements around the world. In an interview with the school's alumnae association, Christensen said her love of nature started at the young age of eight months old, when her mother took her on a hiking trip with the Sierra Club. After graduating from college, she went on to become a lawyer and outspoken advocate for environmental change.
Using her strong educational background, she founded her company Christensen Global Strategies, a consulting firm geared specifically to companies looking to lower their greenhouse emissions and eventually save millions of dollars in the process.
"Energy is a material cost to their company, and therefore if they reduce energy use they can reduce their costs and become more competitive," she told the alumnae association. "When companies start to see that there's a business opportunity here, that's where the change really starts to happen."
Applying an associate's degree in renewable energy
With an Associate degree in renewable energy, you'll have the final pieces of a green career, whether you want to manage a wind power plant or follow the same path as Christensen and change the way the world looks at climate change.
Environmental leaders are innovators, forward-thinking and determined to make a difference one light bulb at a time.
