Seeking Activist Work That Pays the Bills

When Hedy Levine got her master’s degree in geography three years ago, she thought her days as a paralegal were over. For some time, she had dreamed of becoming an environmental activist who would work with Native Americans and protect natural resources.

After enjoying internships with the Audubon Society and World Wildlife Fund, the 33-year-old San Diego resident sought full-time employment. But to her dismay, she found that save-the-Earth jobs typically pay dirt-cheap wages--not nearly enough for Levine to maintain a modest standard of living as she pays back her hulking student loans.

So today, Levine remains a legal assistant, albeit an environmentally concerned one.

“This is the crux of my life,” Levine said with a sigh. “I never thought I would still be working as a paralegal after I received my master’s degree.”

Levine sought the aid of New York City-based career counselor Patricia McDonald, one of whose specialties is environmental vocations. Levine told McDonald that her ultimate goal is to find meaningful environment-related work, preferably not as a desk jockey.

After talking with Levine about her work history, education, training and financial status, McDonald encouraged Levine to carefully tally up her cost-of-living expenses and debts before doing further career exploration. This would enable Levine to determine the baseline salary she’ll need. McDonald also asked Levine whether she would consider relocating to a rural area--maybe in New Mexico or Montana, two of Levine’s favorite places--so that she could live more cheaply. Levine said she would think about this.

They also discussed jobs that Levine might like, including environmental lawyering, community environmental consulting, outdoor education and corporate environmental work. After several days, Levine settled on the latter two as the vocations that interested her most.

Here are some tips she received from McDonald and other experts:

* Corporate environmental jobs. Levine can immediately capitalize on her paralegal expertise by applying to law firms with environmental protection practices and to nonprofit groups such as San Francisco-based EarthJustice. These organizations need people with her background to do support work for their attorneys, because they use litigation to enforce environmental laws and represent grass-roots organizations.

But if Levine wishes to enter the corporate world directly, perhaps as an environment or health-and-safety department employee, she may need to conduct additional graduate-level studies. A growing number of companies are seeking ways to minimize pollutants and more safely treat their waste products, said Marian Chertow, who oversees Yale University’s Industrial Environmental Management program. They’re looking for employees and consultants who have cutting-edge knowledge of industrial health and safety, environmental sciences and environmental policy, to help them become better corporate citizens.

Should Levine decide to get further training in one or more of these areas, she may find better-paying jobs opening up to her. Entry-level corporate environmental jobs for people with relevant graduate degrees often have starting salaries of $50,000 or more, said Lucinda Jackson, a staff scientist at Chevron Corp. in Richmond, Calif.

“Someone always asks me, ‘How can you be an environmental activist if you work for an oil company?’ ” Jackson said. “But there’s a lot of different ways to be an environmental activist.”

Jackson rattles off two recent projects of which she’s proud: ordering engineers in Ohio to move a dock downstream so that a colony of beavers wouldn’t lose its dam, and preventing gas plant workers in Nigeria from cutting down mangroves.

“I get to say, ‘You can’t cut those down.’ That’s the kind of thing you get to do. Every day I can make a difference, and it feels great,” Jackson said.

Levine was encouraged to visit the Web site https://www.gemi.org/docs/Company.htm for a list of the 33 corporate members of the Global Environmental Management Initiative. These Fortune 500 firms have made a public commitment to environmental excellence, said Steve Hellem, GEMI’s executive director in Washington. Levine may wish to consider these companies as possible employers.

Once she’s gained additional education and corporate experience, Levine also could apply to companies such as Ventura-based clothier Patagonia and Londonderry, N.H.-based yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm, which have developed reputations as environmentally responsible industrial citizens. Both companies have small environmental departments that educate employees and consumers. The companies also donate 10% of their profits to environmental concerns.

If she’d like to learn more about current corporate environmental issues, Levine can read the Journal of Industrial Ecology (https://mitpress.mit.edu/jie), Chertow suggested.

Although Levine is focusing primarily on corporate environmental positions, she may want to explore career options with the Bureau of Land Management, which administers 264 million acres of public land primarily in the western U.S. Among other things, BLM employees conduct surveys of tribal boundaries and maintain current and historical information about U.S. land ownership.

“We do an immense amount of work with Native Americans,” said Tony Staed, a spokesman at the BLM’s Sacramento office. BLM scientists consult with Native Americans about rights of way, fiber-optic networks and artifacts found on tribal lands.

* Outdoor education. Levine told McDonald that one of her favorite pastimes was teaching children about endangered species. She’d like to do more nature interpretation, but realizes that she might have to complete course work in environmental education or a related field to command a good wage. The majority of outdoor education jobs pay dismal salaries--some seasonal jobs offer stipends of only $125 per week.

Positions that may interest Levine include outdoor resource planner with the U.S. Forest Service, assistant land manager with a state park, private camp director (a position that can command $60,000 annually) and even wilderness trip leader for a therapeutic adventure program, said Doug Knapp, associate professor of recreation and parks administration at Indiana University.

Even without any experience in this field, Levine can become an associate member of the National Assn. for Interpretation, based in Fort Collins, Colo. This would enable her to attend NAI’s annual conventions and meet others who share her interests. NAI has three sections that may appeal to Levine: Environmental Education; Nature Center Directors and Administrators; and the Council for the Interpretation of Native Peoples.

Although Levine isn’t sure of her ultimate vocation, she knows in coming years she’ll affirm her commitment to environmental activism.

“Every morning, I feel a certain amount of sadness,” she said. “I have tremendous potential. I have a lot to contribute. The question is, how do I do it?”

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Time for a Change

* Name: Hedy Levine

* Occupation: Paralegal

* Desired occupation: Environment-related job

* Quote: “I’m sort of the ultimate generalist. I see all these threads in my life and yet they don’t quite point to any destination.” *

Counselor’s Recommendations

Do a personal financial analysis. Investigate corporate environmental careers and outdoor learning jobs.

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Meet the Coach

Patricia McDonald is a New York City-based certified clinical career counselor and psychotherapist who has been in practice since 1985. She also is adjunct counselor with New York University’s Center for Career and Life Planning, and an associate with the Center for Creativity and Work in New York.