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Athens County Commissioner Chris Chmiel speaks to attendees of the Green Jobs Panel sponsored by the environmental studies program within the Voinovich School and University College's Common Experience Project on Sustainability in Alden Library on April 5. 

Professionals talk sustainability, give advice to students at Green Jobs Panel

Sustainability and environmental specialists gathered at Ohio University’s Green Jobs Panel Thursday.

Sustainability and environmental specialists gathered Thursday night at Ohio University’s Green Jobs Panel to share their professional experiences with students who may want to pursue the same path.

Panelists spoke at the event, which was sponsored by the Voinovich School’s environmental studies and OU's Common Experience Project on Sustainability, on the third floor Alden Library, where about 15 students attended.

Panelist Julie Gee, professor in the Natural and Historical Interpretation program at Hocking College, talked about her experience working as an interpreter, or someone who reveals meanings and relationships of natural resources. Gee said she hopes her job causes people to care about preserving natural resources.

“Interpretation is trying to reveal the meanings about these objects,” Gee said. “If you start by understanding something, it will lead to appreciating something. If you appreciate something, that will lead you to want to protect it.”

Heather Stehle, executive director and site manager at Crane Hollow Preserve in Rockbridge, Ohio, said networking in the sustainability field is very important.

“Just getting to know people throughout this profession, it really is a small world,” Stehle said. “You have to be able to talk to people and make those connections.”

Erik Peterson, a professor of permaculture with Midwest Permaculture and a farmer at Solid Ground Farm, also spoke at the panel. Permaculture means “permanent culture,” or the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. Peterson said progress in sustainability is happening as the world’s population continues to grow and the need for sustainable solutions rises.

“There are a lot of good things happening and some of it is out of necessity,” he said.

Athens County Commissioner Chris Chmiel was also a panelist at the event. He said it’s important for young people to become involved in the sustainable movement even despite monetary concerns, adding that money is not the only thing that matters.

“I’ve tried to empower other, especially younger, people into roles of leadership," Chmiel, who also works as a farmer with Integration Acres, said. “Do what you love, the money will follow. It’s really important to have deeper meaning in life." 

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Another panelist, Geoff Greenfield, talked about his experience working in the solar panel industry. After a stint in the U.S. Peace Corps, Greenfield returned to Athens and was drawn to the sustainable community.

“People were building their own houses, making their own farms … pushing the boundaries of sustainability,” Greenfield, a co-founder of Third Sun Solar, said. “You weren’t as nutty to do it here as you would be in Columbus. There’s a supportive environment.”

Elaine Goetz, a sustainability specialist in OU’s Office of Sustainability who started off in the pharmaceutical profession, gave advice to attendees about how to choose a sustainable career path, even if it’s not what they originally anticipated.

“Do the things that make you feel alive,” she said. “You’ll find a way to make it work. It doesn’t matter how you get there. You can follow the most convoluted path.”

@taymaple

tm255312@ohio.edu

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