As a senior manager with TreePeople, I work to make the city, region, and state as environmentally sustainable as possible through changes in policy and law.

EDUCATION | Master's in Public Policy, UCLA; Bachelor's in Business/Economics, UCSB

HOW TO GET STARTED | Don't limit your experience, work in all sectors--private, government, and non-profit--this will give you a more realistic and deeper understanding of the viewpoint of all the stakeholders, and the challenges as experienced by all sides. If you limit your experience to any one sector, you limit your understanding of how the rest of the world works. I also recommend landing a good internship during college. Also, in the nation's new rush to be "green" -- beware of organizations that "green-wash"--in other words, say they are green but really are not. Also, even if it's not your major, or you're already a grad, take some classes in the sciences--marine biology, ecosystems, ecology--they'll give you a solid scientific background that will bode well for you in this career.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Passionate. Analytical. Politically savvy. Patient.

how I got started | After finishing college at UCSB and it came time to look for a job, I noticed in my search that almost all the environmental organizations were headquartered in Washington, DC -- so I up and moved there. I literally went door to door with my resume, pounding the pavement in heels and a suit. My tenacity paid off when I landed an internship with The White House Council on Environmental Quality. From that internship I went to work for a lobbying firm, working with Congress and the Administration for pro-environment policies.

why this job?| I actually started out as a Business Economics major at UC Santa Barbara, seriously bent on Wall Street. But when I traveled to Switzerland one summer I had an epiphany. Switzerland is a pristine and beautiful country that knows how to care for its environment, and in the clean air of the Alps, I realized I had to do something other than just making big bucks for big companies. I had always been a nature-lover and outdoorsy type, but it wasn't until that trip that I started to think to myself, hey, I could do something to protect the environment and make a living at it too!

why I love this job!| This sounds cheesy, but it's true, I love that I'm doing something good for this world. I love working for a local environmental organization because I get to see results first-hand. I love the people I work with, and where I work, at TreePeople... My "office" is in a park in the hills!

my typical day| I'm constantly corresponding via e-mail and on the phone, connecting with partners and government staff. I spend a lot of time at City Hall, and in meetings with other non-profits for coalition-building. I also work with our lobbyists in Sacramento on the environmental laws and policies that we (TreePeople) advocate for and believe need to change to make California more sustainable.

what they are | In environmental advocacy and policy, changes takes time... months, years, even decades. This presents a huge challenge. If you need instant gratification in your work, environmental policy isn't for you.

all about growth | Now that the world has finally caught on to the green revolution, there are so many possibilities for people working to protect the environment--through policy, grassroots organizing, science and engineering, private environmental firms, government, and even large corporations that rely on environmental consultants. If the trend holds, it's good news for environmental policy wonks, and great news for the environment!

my website| http://www.treepeople.org