Sustainability Specialist
Sustainability specialists are responsible for helping companies and organizations in the execution of sustainability strategies. In agriculture, this might include making recommendations on waste management, soil health, green building practices or improving the efficiency of production practices. They are responsible for planning, tracking and implementing sustainability programs.
What Responsibilities Will I Have?
- Develop objectives and strategies to improve the sustainability of farms and agriculture and food businesses
- Have a strong understanding of sustainability practices related to water, soil health, climate change and biodiversity
- Examine companies to identify potential opportunities to improve sustainability
- Write grant applications and proposals to secure funding for sustainability projects
- Help with scaling up sustainability efforts
- Track the financial efficiency of sustainability strategies
- Identify outside companies who are committed to furthering green initiatives to partner with
- Audit companies and make recommendations to improve sustainability efforts
- Understand factory production processes and make sustainability recommendations based on understanding
- Ensure that companies are following municipal, state and federal environmental regulations
- Liaise with government officials, legal advisors, and internal and external legal auditors
- Develop reports and presentations to communicate the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives
- Work with community partners to create campaigns that serve communities
- Collect and analyze data related to sustainability practices to inform decision makers
Recommended High School Courses:
- agricultural education
- environmental science
- biology
- earth science
- chemistry
- business
- mathematics
Education/Training Required:
An associate or bachelor’s degree in agribusiness, social science, environmental studies, environmental engineering, climatology, law or a related field is required to be a sustainability specialist. A master’s degree may be required for outside consulting firms.
