Archive for the ‘Professional Development’ Category
By Vesper Hubbard
In April, DC EcoWomen hosted a panel discussion for EcoHour on local farming. We heard about kosher meat production from Devora Kimelman-Block (KOL Foods), about private DC gardens from Meredith Sheperd (Love and Carrots), and small-scale produce farming from Tanya Tolchin (Jug Bay Market Garden). These women have all made admirable commitments to sustainable practices that promote the health and well-being of their friends, families, and communities.
Devora started off the talk with her story. Over a year ago she found herself trucking cattle to a kosher slaughterhouse in Baltimore in order to get the food she needed prepared according to her family’s diet. As she was taking these time intensive and costly trips she thought about how the task fit into her own spiritual journey and how the process could be made better. Prior to 2007, when she decided to found her own slaughterhouse, people had to choose between kosher and sustainability. What started as a hobby quickly turned busy and she found investors to help her turn the venture into a full time job. She also commented that people before WWII considered meat to be a treat rather than a daily diet staple. Her company encourages meat minimalism.
Tonya grows veggies, flowers and herbs on an organic farm in Prince Georges County in Maryland. As a child she grew up in a town with one of the best agricultural programs in the country but did not find a lot of personal interest in it. Farming was not considered “cool.” Once in college however she became interested in the subject of food shortages and took a course linking farm ownership with poverty issues. She quickly found her way onto a local farm and food bank and started volunteering her time. After college she came to DC to work with Sierra Club. Once married, she found that she and her husband had an enjoyment for farming and decided to start a farm, an idea that seemed absurd at the time. However after some serious business planning their farm was underway. Tonya remarked that the times of have changed and people are beginning to see the value in local farms and personal agriculture again.
Meredith runs Love and Carrots a local company that starts gardens for people in urban areas. It all started when she moved into a house in the DC area with a great yard but the soil was no good. Her closest community garden had a 2 year waiting list to join. After observing the yard space of her neighbors, she decided to start a business creating gardens in these underused green spaces. She deals with people who have been separated from gardening but want to learn. She commented that people have been culturally removed from the action and concept of personal and local agriculture. Now local farming has become a new and large trend.
There were lots of questions from the audience and some of the tips/answers the ladies offered were to really vet farmers. Ask lots of questions to get to know them especially if you are looking for certain qualities in your food, whether it is organic, sustainability or other standards. Tonya offered that her company/farm offers internships to professionals and students who want a chance to “try on” farming. Devora spoke to being a woman in the Kosher food business and said her gender has not been a sticking point. She is the main point person for her organization so most people know her gender immediately. She also offered that people should start cutting down their diet to eating meat twice a week rather than every day. Such is a more sustainable practice.
Farm resources:
Realtimefarms.com – A crowd-sourced nationwide food guide. We enable you to trace your food back to the farm it came from, whether staying in or dining out, so you can find food you feel good about eating.
by Vesper Hubbard
In the Gen Y era, social media is as ubiquitous in our professional lives as it is in our personal lives. Most of us remember the beginning of social media as Friendster and MySpace, then Facebook came along and changed the game. I remember my freshman year of college and the buzz on campus was a semester long campaign to have Facebook host our tiny liberal arts university. Ah the glory, finally we were able to connect with our old friends from high school studying at schools near and far, share our photos, give props to our friends, and attempt to boost our social status by our frequent and measured activity online. Now this life-sharing and communication concept has made its way to new platforms with the likes of Twitter, LinkedIn, Fourquare and many more. These social media platforms when utilized correctly can lend more than a place for social bragging rights but a place to advertise with purpose and to sell yourself!
If you are looking for a new job, social media can be a great way to brand yourself and let potential employers know about your skills and experience. The most popular platforms are Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
The first principle rule social media gurus stress is do not put anything out on the Internet that you wouldn’t want your coworkers, grandma, or anyone else who’s opinion you value, to see. The Facebook college days are over and if you are out of school and developing a career then who you are has to or is starting to evolve, so take care to update your information. Use a current photo, update your “about me” info to include education and other relevant information, and don’t be afraid to display your personality. It is common for professionals to feel that their “work” lives and “real” lives are separate and should remain that way. However, who you are is who you are, you bring that to work everyday and your interest and hobbies are valuable ways to show you’re a real person and deepen connections.
Stay tuned for more professional tips and information on using social media to your advantage!
By Vesper Hubbard
What is Environmental Justice (EJ)? According to the EPA, Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. It will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.
This sounds pretty reasonable right? However, achieving this goal is made complex by many factors including geography, cultural identity, and socio-economic status. Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director at UPROSE, spoke about the issues with EJ and the power of community activism. She is also serves as the first Latina to chair the US EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council. She explained Environmental Justice is about developing indigenous potential for action on the ground. It is about people having the ability to speak up for themselves.
To start off the discussion, she spoke about growing up in the 70’s in a multi-ethnic community of Brooklyn NY, herself being (and proudly so) of African and Indigenous Puerto Rican heritage. She noted that there wasn’t much investment in communities of color at that time. She herself was and remains deeply connected to her Brooklyn community. In spite of many criticisms against her career aspirations growing up, she went on to earn her BA in Political Science from Fordham University and a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law. She attributes her success to her mother’s dedication to constantly introducing culture and literature to her family throughout childhood. After law school Elizabeth entered the field of civil rights law. She had not taken any environmental science course work but felt a desire to help people empower themselves by building community power and found her place in the field of EJ. Additionally, she knew that she wanted to create a place for women with a different dynamic than the male dominated environment she grew up in. Soon, she found herself at UPROSE, now the oldest Latino community based organization in Brooklyn, when it was about to go under. With the help of many youth volunteers, she was able turn the organization around and create an inter-generational association where members “don’t age out.”
In the beginning phases of UPROSE she mentored youth leaders and fostered a community coalition to defeat a 520 mega-watt power plant from being built in her local community. Youth are a big part of the organization’s work. Elizabeth expressed the importance of the involvement of the youth and their leadership. She explained that “leadership should be practiced with accountability and training, but does not need to be postponed because of age.”
In Brooklyn, one issue with engaging community involvement in environmental justice projects lies in perception. For example, some communities may believe that building more greenways can lead to increased property value and make their neighborhoods more expensive to live in. Elizabeth explained that residents and stakeholders in a community need good information and ownership in order to have a successful community driven campaign. For NGO’s, government agencies and activists looking to start EJ projects in local communities, in Brooklyn and elsewhere, the challenge lies in proving authenticity, clear communication, and valuing the voice of those local people. Also, she stressed the importance of keeping the science and math behind EJ accessible to non-scientist. Accessible science, in her opinion, can really foster diversity in the EJ movement. As she tells it, residents in Sunset Park –Brooklyn have learned how to use their phones to check for real-time data and map air quality in their neighborhoods. But these kinds of things do not happen unless engineers make their science accessible.
On an ending note, Elizabeth asserted that climate adaptation is happening now. Communities like Sunset Park are large “walk to work” communities and they are seeing the potential in EJ for creating community resilience by building greenways, planting green roofs and learning about environmental science and climate change.
By Kate Seitz
With Earth Day just around the corner, activists and volunteers are finalizing plans and gathering support for events intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the natural environment. This time of year is flush with trash cleanup efforts, gardening seminars, tree plantings, and composting demonstrations taking place across the globe. Whether or not you are a recycling novice or have already incorporated numerous “green living” strategies into your daily life, there are a plethora of opportunities to engage in environmental community activism.
This Earth Day, I will be busy fundraising for Climate Ride, a 300 mile 5 day bicycling journey that aims to raise awareness about climate change, sustainability, and bike advocacy. Climate Ride participants have the option to participate in the NYC to DC trek, which takes place in the spring, or the Eureka to San Francisco, California ride in the fall. I have chosen to participate in the California ride, but have made ties with riders participating on the local ride this spring. A few colleagues that participated in the NYC to DC ride a year ago spoke volumes about how wonderfully rewarding the entire experience is: raising money for charities dedicated to climate change and sustainability solutions, biking en masse through NYC as onlookers stare curiously, peddling on through the countryside in three neighboring states, and finally, reaching the finish line at the steps of the Capitol building amidst a throng of supporters and climate change activists. Climate Ride is a challenging yet rewarding adventure that benefits a multitude of eco-minded charities.
Whether you plan to participate in an eco-seminar, teach others about the benefits of buying local produce, or trade in an old, inefficient refrigerator for an ENERGY STAR model®, the options to celebrate the environment and its protection are limitless. In what ways do you participate in environmental community activism?
You’re on an airplane, you’re going on a date, you’re in an interview, you’re even in the proverbial elevator and someone asks you: “So, what do you do?”
It’s time for your elevator pitch! First of all – know your audience. Who are you talking to and what is most interesting to them? Secondly, know yourself and what you can bring to the table. Your pitch may vary if you’re looking for a job or telling people about your organization, but these basics will apply.
If you’re job searching, Idealist suggests focusing your 30 seconds on answering three questions:
1. Who are you? Make sure to clearly state your name and mention what sets you apart.
2. What are you looking for and why? Have a good idea of what you’re looking for whether it is an internship, job, or fellowship. The more specific the better.
3. Do you have a specific outcome? If it’s appropriate, asking for a specific outcome can be helpful such as an informational interview or advice on your search. The more open-ended the request, the easier it will be to continue the conversation.
Whether you’re prepping an elevator speech for your organization or in your job search, it can help to craft a “story” to tie these elements together. Remember to know your audience (and what matters most to them) and know what you can bring to the table!
Resources to Perfect Your Pitch
- Three Tips for Perfecting Your Personal Elevator Pitch (Harvard Business Review)
- 5 Tips for an Elevator Pitch that Gets Results (Forbes)
- Preparing Your Elevator Speech (PDF) (Pepperdine University)
By Lisa Seyfried
This month’s EcoHour on January 17th features Suzanne Ehlers, the President and CEO of Population Action International (PAI). PAI is leading the charge on family planning, advocating for women and families to have access to contraception in order to improve their health, reduce poverty and protect their environment. Read her full biography on our speaker page.
Population Action International’s work on climate change takes a different approach than other organizations’ approaches. Their focus is on the role that women, as family planners, play in their community’s adaptation to climate change. According to the Population Action International (PAI), ‘[w]hen women are empowered to plan and space their children, they are better able to adapt to climate change and ensure the survival of their families.’
The idea is that reducing population growth will lead to less impact on the planet and less strain on women. Geographic locations that will be most affected by climate change in the future are generally the same areas that will see rapid population growth in the future as well. A map of this trend is available on PAI’s website. The goal of Population Action International’s work is to empower women and to address climate adaptation strategies.
PAI does this by highlighting the need for reproductive justice. Global women’s rights advocacy often centers on the need for family planning. PAI takes that one step further and links family planning to environmental sustainability. Family planning has a huge impact on resource distribution and use. By highlighting the need for this, PAI brings attention to the role that women can play in reducing the impact of climate change.
PAI not only works to produce educational materials on the subject (and they have a lot of very informative articles, briefs, and blog posts!), but also advocates for these policies. Their newest advocacy guide, Weathering Change, is a film that documents how family planning, girls’ education, sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation interact. Understanding the intersection of these four elements means understanding that ‘women are important agents of change in addressing climate change challenges.’
PAI also provides grants to reproductive health organizations in countries such as Kenya, Nepal, Malawi and Ethiopia to further promote the inclusion of gender considerations and population’s impact on climate change in national and international policy plans.
Denise is running our financial planning workshop on Wednesday, January 25.
About Denise Bump
Denise Bump is a Financial Advisor and partnerof Bump & Associates, a platinum financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Washington DC. She has been in her current position since 2002 and has been with Ameriprise Financial since 2000.
As a financial advisor focusing on working with professionals, Denise works with her clients to design a personal financial plan based on their life goals and aligned with their values. This strategy focuses on helping them become more confident about managing their financial objectives. It is designed to provide solutions to both your everyday and long-term financial questions, and is personalized to meet the needs of high net worth individuals and small business owners. As a team, she and her clients continually monitor progress towards financial goals and update their plans based on changes in market conditions and individual situations.
Denise and the Bump & Associates team believe that education is empowerment. They strive to educate their clients to make knowledgeable decisions about their financial life. The clients in their practice have access to the necessary information to help them move toward their financial goals. Bump & Associates also believes in contributing to their community and offering opportunities for their clients to join them in community events.
Bump & Associates was identified by The National Association of Board Certified Advisory Practices (NABCAP) as a “top advisory practice” in the Washington, DC-area list of top advisors as announced in the September 9, 2011 edition of the Washington Business Journal.*
Community Service
- Women’s Information Network, Advisory Board member, Washington, DC
- Whitman Walker Clinic LSP, Community Advisory Board member, Washington, DC
- The DC Center, Board Member, Washington, DC
- William James Foundation, Sustainable Business Contest Judge, Washington, DC
*The NABCAP Premier Advisor (“Program”) research was conducted from April to August 2011. Fewer than three and a half percent of financial advisors in the areareceived the recognition. Advisors were evaluated based on twentycategories, including customer service model, experience, credentials,compliance record and other criteria. A financial advisor’s final ranking maynot represent a particular client experience. The National Association of BoardCertified Advisory Practices, manages the Program, but does not endorselisted financial advisors. Working with this financial advisor is not a guaranteeof future financial success. Investors should conduct their own evaluation of afinancial professional. For details go to:http://nabcap.org/about-methodology.cfm
Where does it all come from – the paper you print your articles on, for the newspaper, for receipts and brochures? Is it recycled? Is it taken from illegally logged forests?
The November EcoHour focused on sustainable forestry and featured Amy Smith and Lisa Stocker who helped us to answer some of these questions. Amy Smith is the Senior Program Officer with the World Wildlife Fund’s Global Forest and Trade Network-North America (GFTN-NA) program. Amy kicked off her career working in Columbia and Peru, experiencing firsthand the biological and socioeconomic impacts of deforestation and illegal logging. After working with local communities to transform sustainably forested products into high value products, Amy began working more globally on sustainable forest trading systems as a whole with GFTN-NA.
Lisa Stocker is the Sustainable Business Manager at Domtar, a member of the GFTN-NA that works to facilitate Forest Stewardship Council certification for the private landowners who provide the bulk of their fiber. Lisa got her start in forestry as well, managing forest lands as a forester with International Paper. She saw firsthand wood procurement practices, the impact of logging, and the lack of a solid connection between forest practices and manufacturing in the paper industry. Following her work with Rainforest Alliance and communities directly impacted by logging, Lisa came “full circle to engage with consumers and users.”
Tracking paper supplies from forest floor to printing floor is one of the critical steps in creating a sustainable system to better manage our global forests and cut back on illegal logging. Amy works to connect the dots on the supply chain so that companies interested in sustainable forestry can be linked with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified logging operations. From the supplier’s perspective, Lisa emphasized the multiple benefits that Domtar has had since working with GFTN-NA and becoming the first company to have FSC certified land in the Adirondacks. As Lisa stated, it has impacted “our understanding of the global implications of what we do.”
By connecting the dots in the supply chain, and ensuring that a sustainably harvested log gets FSC certification and goes to a company that values FSC certified wood or paper products, a more sustainable and responsible system is created. When you buy FSC certified paper, you can be fairly certain where it came from and the practices that were allowed.
Although as Amy pointed out, “you can wrap around the world 10 times all the logs that are logged illegally,” today ten percent of forests are FSC certified. As Domtar and other companies are discovering, “good forest management is a driver of economic return for communities.”
In other words, a sustainable forest trading system can be sustainable for the environment, but also sustainable financially.
by Holly Li (a DC EcoWomen member)
It was a refreshing experience to participate in DC EcoWomen’s Resume Workshop taught by Jessica Lubetsky.
I learned several practical tricks in tailoring my resume to specific jobs. For example, always adjust the content in the “Summary” section using keywords from the job posts. I also felt that I was part of a larger community of professional women with a positive attitude towards life and full of ambition for self-improvement and self-realization.
As an environmental lawyer who is “in-between (real) jobs” and doing document review work, I can’t help doubting my skills and ability. Especially considering that most of my friends already have their (or my) dream jobs. At the workshop, I met two extraordinary women who are also licensed lawyers with professional training in the environmental legal field, and they were also doing document review projects. Laughing at our common occupation, I realized two things: first, document review was the safety net webbed by the forward-looking legal pioneers to protect their fellow lawyers from unemployment in hard times; and second, I was not the only one hit by the economy and actually have many allies in my battle to find a better professional path.
In addition, Jessica was a wonderful teacher – supportive and resourceful. She encouraged each of us to talk about our goals and passions, and then tried to help us connect with people who might be helpful in certain fields. She also generously offered to provide individual resume critiques to each woman who attended the workshop.
I was inspired to learn about how to market myself better and to connect with other professionals who have similar passions and are confronting the same barriers that I am. Together, we are building a better future for the planet, and for the professional women who care about the planet.
by Molly Cheatum (a DC EcoWomen member)
The resume workshop last week was my second DC EcoWomen event. My first was to hear Dr. Jennifer Sass speak at EcoHour about her story as a career-driven woman in a mostly male environment. Good stuff. I wish I had more EcoWomen experience to draw from, especially after this past week’s resume workshop. Jessica Lubetsky led the workshop, and she did not disappoint. I am continually amazed at how many smart, capable, and genuinely interesting women live and work in this city. Jessica, along with the other 20+ women who attended the workshop, are either already in the environmental field or looking for work in this field, and all had varied experiences, including engineering, water, and policy.
I am no different, just recently laid off from a job in conservation economics and looking for similar work. This resume workshop gave me the much-needed motivation to get my resume in tip top shape. Covering the basics, Jessica laid out the framework of a good resume, flipping between her own resume as an example and pointing out what she looks for in others’ resumes. As the workshop rolled along, there were a couple of tidbits that stood out for me:
- Add a splash of color. Not too much, but a little, might make your resume stand out a bit more than the bland black and white, Times New Roman resume we all, or most, started out wit
- If I’m not getting paid then it doesn’t count – not true. Including volunteer or extracurricular work in experience, especially if you were managing a database, project, or team shows you aren’t a couch potato. (Though watching episodes of Law & Order, or BSG are exceptions.)
- Don’t stress if you’re unemployed. Take time to visit museums, coffee shops, and go out with your friends. Your status will change. Taking the time to appreciate and enjoy the affordable, free entertainment that exists in a city like Washington, DC will leave you with little regrets.
There were other helpful tidbits, like including “keywords,” changing up your resume to reflect each job posting, and including languages and computer skills. Maybe the number one thing Jessica mentioned is to remember that what encompasses a good resume is slightly different from person to person, so make it your own. All in all, this was a very helpful workshop and an evening well spent.
