Should You Move to a 'Green' Job?

If you asked me if you “should move to a ‘green’ job?”, my answer would be an equivocal, yes and I am going to tell you why. A little background on me is I work in the construction field in the UK. I have recently transition from my previous workplace that focused on offices, residential and retail, primarily for private clients to a leader in my country for producing clean and what I would call green energy (currently on an offshore windfarms). I keep saying this and I am sure most people know this, but ‘Green’ is the future. For the sake of the planet, equality, our own lives and more. Therefore, we all need to transition to it and every job should be ‘green’ or at least ‘green’ conscious in some way. I strongly believe this and it is one of the reasons I will always say you should go for a new job that is eco-conscious and sustainable but here are some of the reasons on why I moved to a green job.

Green Career

Firstly, what are ‘green’ jobs?

There is no true meaning to the term ‘green’ job, at least in the UK. However, the United Nations System of Environmental Economic Accounting define it as part of the “environmental Goods and Services Sector”, further detailing it as areas that produce goods and services for environmental protection purposes, as well as those engaged in conserving and maintaining natural resources. The International Labour Organisation also define ‘green’ jobs as reducing the consumption of energy and raw materials, limit greenhouse gas emissions, minimising waste and pollution, as well as protecting and restoring ecosystems and enabling communities to adapt to climate change.

I do not believe there is a single clear definition of what is a ‘green’ job is but I believe the International Labour Organisation define it fairly well. I essentially see it as any job that works towards a cleaner, greener and fairer world that supports and protect people, the environment and nature.

Wind Turbines

Why Take on a ‘Green’ Job?

I have always been interested in sustainability and nature. Therefore, most of my hobbies and past time would be around it (much of it seen on this blog) but unfortunately not my job. Therefore, I was keen to transition to a eco-friendly career. I understand not everyone is as passionate about the environment as me or even if they are they might be nervous about taking on a new challenge in a new career in a new(ish) growing field. Well here are some of the key reasons you should take on this challenge and transition to a ‘green’ job:

Conscience

You will feel better about your job and in turn yourself. We spend most our awake life in our jobs, so feeling happy about you career should be an important consideration when accepting or moving to a new career path. For me and I believe most will agree moving to a ‘green’ job will make you feel better about your life. There are several reasons for this; you are moving towards something that is meaningful, impactful and actually benefits people without destroying the planet for pure monetary gain. Any job that either benefits the planet or helps mitigate any negative impact will ease your conscience and even give you a moral purpose.

Planting Trees

Prospect

Sustainability and the care for our environment is a fast growing and exciting industry. I have seen more and more sustainable and ‘green’ job, which clearly shows they are in demand. There is a great push for sustainable and 'green' jobs and therefore there are great number of opportunities meaning there are many lucrative jobs for the taking. Some of which are a whole new field that is new and exciting that you could be a pioneering. Also, as it is a growing field getting into a ‘green’ job now will most likely make you better equipped for the future.

Job Prospects

Company Ethics

Although I have not been at my current ‘green’ company too long but from my time there I believe a greener company have better ethics. To me it feels as if the company do not just care about the bottom line. 'Green' companies want to make a profit but doing it in a way that cares about the planet. To do this they look at sustainability in all aspects economically, socially and the environment, even to the buildings they are based in. This also comes down to you as an employee, who will often get better benefits, fairer opportunities, fairer pay and more activities that coincide with your ethics (Charity events, volunteer days, environmental events, sustainable events). They are also likely to offer or encourage further training in the sustainable field. Most 'green' companies are at the forefront of change. This includes the changes they make for the business and the benefits for the workers making this another reason to transition to a new job.

Green Roof

If you cannot guess, I think being 'green' is great and is also the future. I will also admit I am slightly bias in this field (I am writing a sustainable blog in fairness). I am passionate about nature, the environment and being sustainable, so I hope the future is ‘green’. Therefore, I am always going to advocate for ‘green’ jobs, as they are essential for the future. If you are to listen to the scientists about our impacts on global warming and wildlife decline, then we need to do something about this. Therefore, as a planet we need to transition to a greener, fairer and sustainable future. Essentially, this means all jobs should be ‘green’, so for me getting on the band wagon sooner than later will just help with this transition and put you at the forefront of a better world, where the sky is the limit.

Planet Earth

Everything I am Growing This Year: 2021

Another year, another year to grow some amazing plants and hopefully a fair amount of food I can eat. I hope to grow some fruit and veg, which I will be keeping track off and a collection of stunning plants inside and outside to brighten up the garden. Gardening is a great hobby I would recommend with any eco conscious, wildlife conservative or green thumbed friends. Growing food is also a great sustainable hobby as it stops you taking more food, often with its unnecessary packaging and the food you grow is often more nutritious. It is a rewarding hobby with many benefits that anyone who wants to be truly sustainable should take up. I am trying to become more self-sufficient, which although I am a long way off the more I learn now the more capable I will be in the future, so stay tuned to follow my journey. Here is my growing experience this year:

Garden Supplies for Growing Vegetables: 2021

Food:

Although I enjoyed everything I grew last year I wanted to grow things that would be more useful to me and my partner. As well as grow my knowledge and experience with a variety of different fruit and vegetables. This year I have tried to focus on increasing the sheer amount of food per calories than I have before, so here is my plan.

Garlic:

I planted these in early November 2020 but most the work (watering) on them has been in 2021. All I have done is let their leaves grow out and kept them watered. They have taken a bit of a beaten due to the hazardous weather but I am excited to see what they will become. The plan is to harvest them between June and August, depending on how their leaves are looking.

Garlic Stalks in Small Garden Trough

Carrots:

Last year I managed to get a great result, they tasted and smelt incredible, easily 10x better than shop brought. Additionally, I found them fairly easy to grow. This year I have filled the trough with a rough 50/50 mix of sand and compost, made a small line about an inch deep (if that) and careful placed a row of carrot seeds. Last year I put to many in each section making many of them bunch up and a lot of thinning out, however, this year I made sure not to make this mistake. I was a little worried at first, as they took an awful long time to sprout but at last, their green shoots emerged, making me very happy.

Carrot Shoots & Purple Sprouting Broccoli in Large Trough

Tomatoes:

Tomatoes are such a versatile vegetable or fruit (I know it is debated) and can be used for salads, soups, sauces and sandwiches. Alongside this they are an easy to grow and a quick go to for anyone beginning to grow their own food. Additionally, they produce a great return on their growth and add a splash of colour to your garden. I have a large pot, which I filled with compost and planted my small cherry tomato plant in (In the centre below). As it got bigger all I had to make a rudimentary bamboo frame (I definitely need some work in this area) to keep up its support and waited for some tomatoes to fruit.

Yellow Courgette, Tomato and Blueberry Plants in Large Planters

Potatoes:

Potatoes are a staple in British meals and I couldn’t agree more from mash to jacket potatoes, there is always a use for these in our meals. Additionally, I am also aware how the potatoes offer one of the greatest returns, as well as having high calories for their weight, so I decided to grow 2 bushes. I had picked up a few grow bags, so all I had to do was plant a potato from my local super market, wait for it to start sprouting and placed it in a thick layer of soil at the bottom of a growbag. As it grew I unrolled the growbag and filled the soil to just under the leaves. I planted 2 and they created huge bushes that filled my garden turning it into what looked like a jungle.

Potato Plants in Grow Bags

Yellow Courgette:

I wanted another vegetable to grow to increase my knowledge, as well as my harvest this year. Therefore, we decided on courgettes. We picked yellow, simply because when we went to the garden centre the yellow version looked a lot healthier than the general variety. Once home I planted them in a large pot and gave it a good water. This again grew, creating amazing flowers, which turned into the many courgettes we harvested.

Yellow Courgette Flowering & Fruiting

Herb:

I have kept a small selection of herbs that I grow out each year, sometimes to add to our meals and sometimes to feed our rabbits. I don’t have to do much other than trim them back and get rid of the weeds. I keep them outside, occasionally give them a water and that’s all.

Sage, Thyme, Mint & Rosemary in Large Planters

Blueberries:

As part of my goal to go self-sufficient I have been looking for an easy plant that can give me a nice fruitful return each year with little effort. I read that these can grow for 15-20 years, coupled with the fact that these are considered a super food (super beneficial for you) I quickly picked one up. Throughout the year I began picking some handfuls for a gardeners snack.

Blueberries Fruiting Close Up

Garden Plants:

I have continued my goal to grow some beautiful flowers to help the bees but also to give my small little yard a splash of colour. I am also trying to grow a number of plants that peak my interest, some that are already within my garden and others I hope to grow out for my future home. Here are just a few of them:

Abies Koreana ‘Kohout’s Ice Breaker’:

A new addition to my garden, I saw on my holiday and instantly thought it looked amazing, so I quickly scowered the internet and picked up two. I think they are such unique looking plants and I hope to create quite a feature of them in my new house.

Abies Koreana 'Khout's Ice Breaker'

Clementis:

Again as the year before I cut this back late winter and let it shoot grow upwards onto a little wired frame I webbed together onto the fence, which as you can see flower into its beautiful bouquet.

Clementis in Full Bloom

Acer (Japanese Maple):

I have always found these miniature trees incredibly beautiful and think they make a garden look exotic, ancient and colourful. Therefore, I have picked up two, one green I believe called emerald lace and another red. Both I got very cheap and hope will become a lot larger than their current few twigs for my future dream garden.

Monkey Puzzle Tree:

Me and my partner picked this up a fair few years ago as a tiny plant. We have grown it out into several pots up to the one it is in now. It is really now starting to get some size, so we might have to plant it into the ground soon but I hope it settle into it current pot before we move it into our next house.

Monkey Puzzle Tree

Rose Bushes:

These bushes came with the house and always manage to bloom covering in roses. Unfortunately, I saw a tremendous amount of aphids clustered around, which I am sure without due care and attending would have possibly ended both my rose bushes. My method to get rid of them is to fill a spray bottle with some water, put it on the single stream sharp mod and spray them off. If I do this for a couple of days it seems to get rid of them. I rarely do anything else but occasional give them a sprinkle of water and always get beautiful results.

Bright Roses Blooming

Let’s Grow!

I would certainly say that I learnt a lot this year. I am definitely the kind of person that learns more by actually doing than reading, although I do believe I have to do some things several times for those lessons to sink in (sorry to the plants I have killed), I am incredibly happy to start learning now. I have really focused on growing some food this year but also grown my collection of plants, which I am excited to embed into my future landscaping plans. I definitely need to get a bigger garden, which I will keep you updated with and all the food I grow. I will have another post about all the food I managed to harvest this year but let me know what your growing goals are this year.

Veganuary: A Fast Food Review

It is Veganuary, where in January people devote a month to ‘ try vegan’ and to promote continuing this throughout the year. This is to inspire people to give it a shot and to make people aware of the vegan options available. What’s great about this? Well companies are also jumping on the fast movement of veganism and starting to provide great alternatives to their typical choices. Today, me and my partner decided to go around the fast food franchises and try all the recent vegan options available and rate them on what we though tasted best.

Vegan Menu Logo

Why should you eat Vegan?

Essentially, it comes down to the two main aspects, which is the ethical reasons (thinking of the animals) and the environmental reason to further help to reduce our negative impact on the world. Veganism is proven to use less resources (food & water), land, and obviously prevents the numerous suffering of animals that often live in horrendous conditions that also add to the greenhouse gases. Even going vegan once a week can have a tremendous impact on the environment, so please do consider it. Anyway, here is our fast food experience in Veganuary 2020:

1. Greggs Vegan Steak Bake

Greggs have done it again. First, they knocked it out the park with the vegan sausage roll and we believe they have done it again. After trying the vegan steak bake, it quickly became our favourite on the list. At only £1.50, it is the cheapest too, so it is defiantly worth giving it a try.

Greggs Vegan Steak Bake

2. Pizza Hut Vegan Pepperphoni Pizza

The most expensive on the list but also the largest. We tried Pizza Huts vegan option with half vegan cheese and half standard mozzarella, as believe most people will ask for real cheese. Surprisingly we thought the vegan side actually tasted better than the side with real cheese but either way it tasted great. Another reason we liked this one is because we feel it is one that vegans and vegetarians really want but never get. This is for companies to simply replace the previous meat item with a plant based alternative that is already out there, in this case Pepperoni. Pizza Hut are often doing deals, so if you want a meal out, why not go to there.

Pizza Hut Vegan Peperphoni Pizza

3. Subway Meatless Marinara

In our opinion this was a large improvement from Subway’s previous vegan option of a dried vegetable patty. This meatless meatball subway comes with their rich tomato sauce toasted with cheese with subways typical subway roll. As you would expect it smells great and taste great too.

Subway Meatless Marinara

4. Costa Vegan Smoky Ham & Cheeze Toastie and Vegan All Day Breakfast Panini

Another option that cropped up in Veganuary was Costas Vegan options for either a ham & cheese toastie or an all-day breakfast panini. Well, we tried both and instantly thought both tasted great. Whether you want a quick bit with your coffee or a nice lunch we would quickly recommend either depending on what you feel like having.

Costa Vegan Smoky Ham & Cheeze Toastie and Vegan All Date Breakfast Panini

5. KFC Vegan Chicken Burger

We are always on the lookout for alternatives that replace chicken or burgers in the fast food restaurants and finally we have got what we have asked for. We thought that this was a great tasting chicken burger, however, a little dry, so does need some work. Also, another large issue was the mistakes the staff keep making. This is accidentally giving a real chicken fillet instead of the vegan alternative. This was something my partner experience and another person in the store, whilst we were there. It seems to happening regularly, as we have seen reports of it happening in many locations according to many news sites. This obviously defeats the purpose of providing a vegan option and is a disastrous mistake to make.

KFC Vegan Chicken Burger

6. McDonald’s Vegan Dippers

I am not sure how the fast food giant absolutely missed the ball with this one. Now, in fairness the dippers do taste nice. However, many people want something that taste or represents the fast foods signature meal, so we feel like this didn’t fully promote veganism. Never the less it is still nice to get another option at the fast food franchise.

McDonald Vegan Dippers

These are the vegan options we tried this month and listed in order of our favourite. However, whatever you liked the best it does not matter we are just ecstatic to see more vegan options available. The fact is we are getting more and more options to meet the fast growing vegan movement, which is desperately needed. Even for vegetarians such as myself and my partner it is hard to find a different quick meal other than a typical vegetable patty, so we are ecstatic to have that choice. Finally and most importantly, by choosing a vegan option you are doing better for the environment, as well as being assured no animals were harmed in the making of some delicious food, so why not give it a go?