February 8, 2017

{Green Careers} Webinar – Sustainability Career Strategies in America’s Changing Political Landscape

Planning your next career move can be a challenge, especially in our current political landscape.   As such, we’ve asked subject matter expert, Dr. Eban Goodstein, Director, Graduate Programs in Sustainability at Bard College to tackle the topic of sustainable career strategies during the GreenHomeNYC’s first webinar.   In this one hour webinar, Dr. Goodstein will outline different sustainability career directions, evaluate the impact of the new administration on sustainability jobs, discuss grad school and continuing education options (including school now / school later), and provide listeners with a tailored concrete job search strategy. The webinar includes twenty minutes of Q&A to address individual career questions.   Webinar Date: Thursday, February 16, 2017 Time: 6:30 – 7:30p.m. Location: Your computer   REGISTER HERE! (more…)

{Green Careers} February Event: Resume Speed (up)Dating

Do you want to improve your resume, but don’t know exactly how? Come to GreenHomeNYC’s annual Resume Speed (up)Dating Workshop to get your resume reviewed by several professionals in the sustainability industry!         How does this “Speed (up)Dating” thing work? GreenHomeNYC is hosting several reviewers, who will take 5-7 minutes to look over your resume and give you advice. At the end of the time, each participant will move on to another reviewer and the process begins again. By the end of the night, each attendee will have the chance to have their resume reviewed by at least a half dozen green professionals.   As always, join us for network and drinks afterward! This month’s venue will be The Black Door (127 W. 26th Street).   Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm with networking afterwards Location: Steven Winter Associates, 307 7th Avenue #1701   REGISTER HERE!   The following people will be on hand to review your resume:   Pamela Berns – Private consultant Sarah Bloomquist – American Association of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Jordan Bonomo – Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation Antuan Cannon – Envirolution One, LLC Lucie Dupas – EnterSolar Andrew Kneupell – Bright Power Kate Koltys – Bright Power Andrea Mancino – Bright Power Tom Sahagian – Private consultant Katie Schwamb – Steven Winter Associates Matthew Shurtleff – The Parodneck Foundation Samantha Yost – Terra Cognita Design Studio

January 27, 2017

{Green Careers} January 2017 Recap: Resilience and Stormwater Management

by Samantha Yost   On January 10, GreenHomeNYC hosted three professionals in the field of resilience and stormwater management at the offices of the Community Preservation Corporation, which itself has done significant post-Sandy recovery work in some of the most vulnerable and heavily impacted communities. This Sustainable Career Tracks event attracted a diverse crowd eager to get career advice from our panel of experts.   Mark Ginsberg, Principal at Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, LLP Mark Ginsberg is a familiar face in the resilience community, having spoken on several previous panels about the work his firm has done with new construction and renovations on buildings in the flood plain. Mark is also co-author of Enterprise’s manual Ready to Respond, Strategies for Multifamily Building Resilience, which seeks to give information to owners of multifamily buildings on how to protect their properties and residents in case of an emergency.  He spoke about the Arverne East project that his firm has designed in the Rockaways, an area in the flood plain that has endured heavy damage during Superstorm Sandy. (more…)

November 30, 2016

The GreenHomeNYC Green Careers group thanks all our volunteers and participants for helping us make 2016 a great year!

Green Careers provides informational resources and networking opportunities for emerging and transitioning professionals seeking careers in the fields of energy efficiency, sustainability and green technology.   Learn where and how to pursue these opportunities through presentations by government, business, non-profit, and research and development experts, as well as job-search workshops with career development professionals.  Our events are held on the second Tuesday of each month and are followed by informal networking.   A special thanks goes out to those of you who participated in our planning workshop for 2017. We received some very useful input on the challenges and opportunities you face in your career development and job searches, and heard a lot of great ideas for program topics and formats. We look forward to incorporating this feedback into our upcoming programming and invite you to join us in volunteering for 2017.   Our first event of the new year will take place on January 10, 2017, so be sure to mark your calendars. We hope you’ll help us create another year of informative activities.   For more information about volunteering, contact [email protected]    

November 13, 2016

{Green Careers} October 2016 Recap: Green Products Industry

by Keith Wong   October’s GreenHomeNYC Sustainable Career Tracks explored careers that focus on reducing the public health threats found in materials, goods and services. The speakers came from a variety of fields that are responsible for different phases of sustainable projects and products, but all share a common theme: they look to product and business life cycles to attain sustainability standards and specifications.   The presenters were Susan Kaplan, Director of Specifications and Sustainability at HLW, whose responsibilities involve her in the design, completion, and certification of sustainable architecture projects; Rachel Berman, who, as Sustainability Program Manager of MechoSystems, focuses on optimizing their products’ material content, and works with clients to ensure that they meet their goals for daylight harvesting; and Prerna Chatterjee, Sustainability Specialist at BASF, whose efforts engage integral parts of the supply chain in meeting sustainability goals.       The career trajectories of the speakers were as varied as their job responsibilities, and each found herself in her current position after a series of twists and turns on the road to becoming a passionate sustainability expert. (more…)

Our Green Careers Group Needs You and Your Bright Ideas for our 2017 Programs!

  Thanks to all our volunteers for supporting and attending Green Careers events this past year! We’d love your feedback and welcome your ideas to help us create another great year.   For our November 15th Green Careers meeting, we’ll begin planning the 2017 calendar year.  Please join us and share your thoughts about this year’s past events, as well your ideas on what would make next year’s programming a useful career-building resource.   RSVP HERE!   Who should attend this month’s Green Careers meet-up? • Anyone with ideas for professional development-focused discussion topics, workshops and/or speakers • Emerging and transitioning professionals looking to build a career in sustainability and energy efficiency • Industry professionals interested in contributing time, expertise, and/or resources • Individuals interested in becoming more active volunteers with GHNYC • Those interested in learning more about the GHNYC Green Careers Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2016 Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm with networking afterwards Location: The Community Preservation Corporation, 28 East 28th Street, 9th Floor, NYC 10016   RSVP HERE!

September 24, 2016

{Green Careers} September 2016 Recap: Elevator Pitch Workshop

By Matt Gerson and Katie Schwamb   An elevator pitch is defined as “a succinct personal summary used to capture the interest of a potential employer.” The name comes from the idea that this speech is delivered within the brief timeframe of a typical elevator ride; it raises one of the most important questions you need to ask yourself: What do I say in those 30 seconds to make the biggest impact?     To help answer this question, the GreenHomeNYC Green Careers group invited two stellar moderators to the September 13th Green Careers – Elevator Pitch Workshop, hosted at the Grohe Live! Center Showroom: Gina Piesco, Manager of Human Resources at Kenneth Cole Productions, and Andy Padian, President at PadianNYC Consulting.   Gina and Andy moderated, as attendees presented their elevator pitches to the group. After each pitch, the presenter received constructive criticism identifying areas of strength and weakness, so the pitch could be refined and improved. This group analysis made for a dynamic and mutual learning experience for everyone who attended.   During the workshop, the group was able to identify attributes of a successful elevator pitch…   (more…)

September 1, 2016

{Green Careers} September 13th: Elevator Pitch Workshop!

  While it can be tough to convince a potential employer or client why you’re the best person for a job in thirty seconds or less, it’s a crucial skill for any professional to have.   Join us on September 13 at Grohe Live! Center Showroom for an interactive learning experience with two stellar moderators, who will help us develop and practice our own elevator pitches:    Gina Piesco, Manager of Human Resources, Kenneth Cole Productions   Andy Padian, President at PadianNYC Consulting   RSVP HERE!   (more…)

August 24, 2016

{Green Careers} August 2016 Recap: Sustainable Career Tracks – Corporate Social Responsibility

By Dean Yeh   In recent years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a rising phenomenon in companies, which have begun to integrate sustainability into previously established business models.  Broadly defined as a business initiative that monitors a company’s effects on environmental and social wellbeing, CSR has proven to be a beneficial practice in business operations, as companies have gained increasing comfort with and commitment to incurring short-term costs in exchange for longer-term social, environmental, and, critically, financial advantage.   In the early weeks of August, a diverse crowd convened at the Grohe Center Showroom in New York City’s Flatiron District in order to attend the GreenHomeNYC Sustainable Career Tracks event on Corporate Social Responsibility.  This month, GreenHomeNYC invited a panel of four guest speakers whose careers are anchored in sustainability and who hold roles that stretch across an array of industries and professions: Heather Zanoni, Associate Advisor in Sustainability Services at KPMG; Amy Springsteel, Assistant Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Voya Financial, Inc.; Mike Schwartz, CSR Analyst at EcoVadis; and Harry Etra, Director at CodeGreen Solutions. (more…)

July 29, 2016

{Green Careers} July 2016 Recap: Interview Skills- Discussion/Workshop

By Thomas Storck     On July 12, a diverse group of experts joined GreenHomeNYC Careerists to offer advice to job seekers in both the private and public sectors. While the focus was on the job interview, the speakers also addressed pre- and post-interview strategies to help applicants strengthen their prospects at all stages of the job application process.  

The speakers who offered their insights were:

Yianice Hernandez, Director of Active Living at NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Aquila Leon-Soon, Chief Executive Officer & Social Entrepreneur at Advance Talent Solutions Liliya Shames, Deputy Director of Optimization at NYC Department of Education Andy Padian, Founder and President of PadianNYC Consulting Matt Gerson,  GreenHomeNYC Volunteer     Start by Managing Your Internet Image  Your interviewer is judging you well before you’ve had the chance to meet, so before beginning your application, take stock of your activity on social media. If they consider hiring you, a potential employer will likely research you online, which can both help or hurt you during the application process. Remove anything from your personal sites that you wouldn’t want an employer to see (or update your privacy settings accordingly). Make sure your resume matches your LinkedIn profile. Also, if your LinkedIn page shows that you are connected to people in the industry, liking articles and writing about relevant issues, it shows that you are doing your due diligence online as a professional.  Once you actually get a correspondence going with the interviewer or the organization you’re applying to, be very professional in all your emails. (more…)