BAYCS Green Careers Fair inspires attendees, shifts perspective on what a green career is

On Saturday, November 15th, BAYCS and the SF Environment Department hosted their first Green Careers Fair. ~150 people attended, exploring not only their future job options but also what it truly means for a job to be a green career. Through the event, attendees gained a new perspective on green careers as an industry, and how every sector has a green path that all workers can take. During a time when many people feel hopeless regarding the conditions of the environment, it is vital that we understand the ways in which we can all contribute to solving climate-related issues. Whether someone is an investment banker, a doctor, a chef, a factory worker, a student, or even an oil executive, there is always a plethora of unaccessed opportunities to help heal our planet. Even with this knowledge, finding these opportunities and implementing this knowledge into one’s daily life and career in a significant way is a difficult task requiring outside assistance.

Bridging the gap between knowledge and implementation is where the event came in; tablers showcased the ways in which their organizations provided these opportunities and gave attendees direct paths to get involved.

SF Environment Director Tyrone Jue delivers a keynote.

Ketav Korke, a member of the workshops team of BAYCS and attendee of the fair, found this to be resonant with his own experience. “I think listening to the panel speakers really inspired me because a lot of the people there were people who work normal everyday jobs, like teachers or software engineers or they're in AI … but I learned something really impactful and it was that all careers can be turned into a green career,” Korke said.

According to Tabler Isabel Pennam, the Northern California organizer for Food and Water Watch is currently working on the ‘Make Polluters Pay’ bill — legislation requiring major polluters to monetarily compensate for the damage they have inflicted upon the earth and environment — the fair enabled her to get youth involved with Make Polluters Pay and spread the message. “It was lovely to meet a bunch of youth in the Bay Area and not just get to know everyone and what folks are currently working on, but also to share more about the bill, and ways to get involved… providing lots of different opportunities for different students to get involved,” Pennam said.

Free boba tea was provided to attendees at the event in reusable cups.

Another tabler, Cynthia Li, founder and president of Studio Sproutling, enjoyed the event as an opportunity to hear diverse perspectives on green careers, “I really, really enjoyed the panelists. I think they all had really interesting takes on green careers and it definitely helped me as a person,” Li said. BAYCS Member Olivia Youssef, shared a similar perspective to Li, explaining how the fair helped her find intersections between her non-environmental passions and the climate.“It made me rethink how linear a green career needs to be and how I can explore other passions besides pure environmental science or something like that; to find an intersection that really lines with my passions,” Youssef said.

A panel of climate professionals spoke on Green Careers at the event.

Attendees found it inspiring how many people from different places, organizations, and walks of life came together to fight for the climate and learn more about environmental occupations. “Seeing so many people here interested in the topic and ready to take action for change,” said Emi, a youth attendee, when asked what gives her hope for our future environment. Anya Schwanes, a Biotechnology teacher at Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, hopes to share opportunities she learned about at the event with her students. “I am interested in the opportunities for high school students, first and foremost, because I have access to so many high school students,” Schwanes said.

The Green Careers Fair was not just a generic opportunity for networking, learning about green careers in the Bay Area, or fostering the interest of youth attendees in climate work. It was an event where all attendees, panelists, and speakers gained meaningful insight into what green careers are and the ways that we can all transform our everyday jobs and roles into green careers.