It sounds like the latest trend. “Sustainability” is now a buzzword in technology, beauty and fashion, architecture, engineering and sciences, and it covers all sorts of ideas for using the environment’s resources without causing harm or depleting them. Hopefully it won’t just be a fad.

Social and environmental awareness has become part of the mindset of the youth since we experienced ourselves natural calamities and disasters from the past few years. This awareness has led us to consider if we are now reaping the fruits of our poor choices in the past. We now know that we should be more aware of our garbage, our water sources, and how we build our homes. From reusable tote bags, houses built with plastic bottles, to biodegradable food containers, we’re seeing the fulfillment of the ideas that bring together utility and environment-friendliness.

These new ideas are coming from people who now work in “green careers” — new professions that are all about sustainability and the environment. These are actually ordinary careers such as banking, finance, architecture or engineering, then fused with environmental science, sustainable development or social entrepreneurship as a specialization. These professions are making waves, changing the world one day at a time, and in some cases come with great opportunities to travel and learn.

In the Philippines, green careers are starting to pick up. Social awareness campaigns and projects, such as the Pasig River cleanup and Bottle School, need people with skill in communications, event planning, architecture and other fields in order to become successful. If you want to help these causes, a basic background in environment and sustainable development will help you make the right choices once you’re in the project.

The career path for this is not just with non-profit groups. You can go corporate with this too — many companies are including environmental awareness and projects in their corporate social responsibility campaigns.

If you feel passionate at all about the environment, consider a “green career,” and you get to save the Earth while doing your work.

Meridian International College (MINT College, McKinley Hill, Taguig City) is offering a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development. Through this course, you get to study human and environmental relationships and its impacts on each other. You get to learn how to solve environmental problems with backgrounds in public policy, ecology, biology, ethics and energy production.

MINT also integrates business, arts and technology into its courses, which is very useful to people who want a well-rounded education using the best tools available.

Other courses offered are Music Business Management, Film and Communications Management, Entrepreneurial Management, New Media Arts and Performing Arts, Production Design, Marketing, Finance and Commerce, Information Technology and Computer Science. Visit mintcollege.com for more info.

Sponsored by Meridian International College