Environmental Advocacy as a Career: A Calling and a Practice 

“You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them.” said Wangari Maathi, Green Belt Movement Founder and 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

More and more people today are looking for careers that make a positive social impact and are personally and financially rewarding, which has led to huge interest in jobs in environmental advocacy. This webinar will present effective career management strategies for those who are entering the workforce as well as those looking to transition from another field into a career in environmental advocacy. How do you match your passions to your skills and interests? What do you need to do to be competitive in this field? In addition, environmental advocacy goes beyond the day-to-day activities of the workplace to something larger…perhaps a calling or a practice, or both. What is a calling? What is a practice? How does the lens of stewardship change our understanding of environmental advocacy? This session will draw on insights from ecological psychology, social cognitive theory, and emotional intelligence, among others, in proposing a framework for professional development.

During her tenure at Waterford, Dr. Beth Offenbacker has been consistently recognized for her strategic and creative vision in guiding the firm’s work with its diverse range of clients. She has corporate, nonprofit, and public agency experience, and her expansive portfolio includes local, state, regional, national, and international projects. Her extensive experience includes land use, regional planning, parks, infrastructure, watersheds, sewer, stormwater, transit, transportation, clean energy, utilities, conservation, forestry, and placemaking through sustainable tourism and cultural tourism. Dr. Offenbacker co-designed and leads the Green Career Workshops for the global nonprofit Leaders in Energy, a 4,500+ member organization of clean energy and sustainability professionals in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. She also serves as Director of Training & Development for Leaders in Energy.