Sustainable Systems Career Services Information

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"Of all the Environmental Science/Environmental Management programs I applied to, SNRE was my first choice, largely because of the Sustainable Systems track, which strongly emphasizes systems thinking and analysis. Plus, the University of Michigan has so many courses and research projects on systems (analysis, modeling, policy, etc.) that offer wonderful opportunities to develop interdisciplinary, system-thinking skills." -Thomas Stephens, SNRE Sustainable Systems Student

Favorite Sustainable Systems Job Search Websites

5 Million Green Jobs
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Employment Opportunities
Environmental Career Opportunities (Please go to eRecruiter to obtain the password for the job subscription) 
Environmental Jobs
eRecruiter
Green Careers Journal (Please go to eRecruiter to obtain the password for the job subscription)
govtjobs.com
HireJam.com (Green Jobs in Ohio)
indeed.com *student recommended*
SNRE Job Posting Websites
State of Michigan Vacancy Posting Page
USA JOBS
Wind Industry Jobs

Another great resource for Sustainable System students (especially Erb students) is the Kresge Business Administration Library Wiki.  Click on your area of interest for helpful links that may assist you in finding a career.  Click on the "Careers" link for additional resources, including Sustainability Internships.     

Employers of SNRE Graduates and SNRE Interns*

Check out the Professional Network on eRecruiter for a listing of Sustainable Systems students and alumni who have professional experience in the Sustainable Systems field.

Acumen Fund
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Argonne National Laboratory
Ashoka
Battery Ventures
BCS, Inc.
BHP Billiton
Boston Properties
Business for Social Responsibility
Catamount Energy Corporation (subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp)
CDM, Inc.
CLF Ventures
Clean Pacific Ventures
Coca-Cola Company
Columbia University
Concurrent Technologies Corporation
CTG Energetics
Cummins Power Generation
Deloitte Consulting LLP
De Montfort University, Institute of Energy & Sustainable Development
Dow Chemical
DTE Biomass Energy
Duke Energy
E2 Inc.
Eaton Corporation
Equilibrium Capital Group
Environmental Law and Policy Center
Environmental Protection Agency
Ford Motor Company
GE
GE Renewable Energy Leadership Program
Global Green USA
Good Energies
Holcim US
ICF International
Jackson Community College
J and J Industries
Kennedy/Jenks Consultants
Korea University
Living Steel
McKinsey
MGM International
Michigan State University
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
National Wildlife Federation
Northern Forest Center
Oregon Department of Energy
Oregon State University
Pace Global Energy
Piper Jaffray
Point Carbon
Portland State University
REC Solar
Robert Bosch Foundation
Shell Exploration & Production Co.
Shepherd Advisors
Steelcase Inc.
Stonyfield Farm
Strategic Energy Innovations
SustainAbility
The Water Initiative
University of California, Davis
University of Michigan
University of Virginia
University of Waterloo
USAID, EcoRegional Initiatives + Development Alternatives Inc.
US Energy Information Administration (EIA)
Waste Management
Weston Solutions
Weyerhaeuser
World Wildlife Fund
Ziba

Job Titles and Employment Sector of SNRE Alumni*

Please note that some positions may require a PhD.

Non-Profit/NGO/Multilateral Organization

Director, Coalition for Resource Recovery
Director, Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative
Municipal Sector Program Manager
Regional Manager, Adaptation
Science & Technology Policy Fellow
Sustainability Analyst

Private (Consulting and Industry)

Account Manager
Associate
Commercial Associate
Consultant
Director - Commercial Development
Environmental Manager
Forestry Director
GIS Specialist
Green Development Consultant
Investment Banker
Manager, Sustainable Development
Principal
Project Scientist, Sustainability Team
Renewable Energy Leadership Program - Associate
Robert Bosch Fellow - Sustainable Product Design
Senior Advisor
Senior Analyst
Senior Associate
Senior Consultant
Senior Consultant, Carbon Management
Senior Consultant, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability
Senior Engineer
Solar Energy Consultant
Special Projects Manager
Strategy Manager
Supply Chain Sustainability Strategy Specialist
Sustainable Development & Social Performance Manager
Technical Research Associate
Wind Services Program Manager

Academic

Adjunct Professor
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Associate Research Scientist
Faculty Research Associate
Program Coordinator
Research Associate
Research Fellow
Sustainability Coordinator

Government

Environmental Policy Analyst
Industry Economist
Sustainable Systems Engineer

Click here for some sample Sustainable Systems Career Opportunities

Other Employers of Interest

These are just a handful that have been suggested by faculty, students, or are registered employers on eRecruiter...many more are out there! Check out eRecruiter for a complete listing of Sustainable Systems employers that are registered with SNRE.

3Degrees Group, Inc.
Acre--Green Jobs
Alaska Conservation Alliance
AltaTerra
American Electric Power
Antenna Group
Apollo Alliance
Argus
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE)
Asian Development Bank
August Mack
Bank Information Center
Carbon Credit Capital
CBA, Inc.
CDM   
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Center for Resource Solutions
Chrysler
Citizens Energy Corporation
Cleantech Group
Climate Central
Climate Change Business Journal
Climate Change Capitol
Consortium for Energy Efficiency
Cool Earth Solar
Covanta Holding Corporation
Delphi Corporation
DNV (Det Norske Veritas)
DTE Energy
Eco Group
Energy Action Coalition
ENSR
ENTRIX, Inc.
ENV. AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Environment New Hampshire
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Resources Management
ESA
Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. (FTC&H)
FiveWinds International
Gamesa
General Motors
Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHG)
GreenOrder
Green Star
Johnson Controls
MAKE Consulting
Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission 
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
PBS&J Corporation
PE INTERNATIONAL
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) Company
Port of Seattle
Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. (PECI)
PRIZIM Inc.
Renewable Energy World
San Juan Citizens Alliance
Science Applications International Corp.
Seventh Generation
Sierra Business Council
SJF Ventures
SolFocus, Inc.
Sound Environmental Strategies
SunPower
SustainableBuisness.com
Sustainable Development Network
Terra Global Capital, LLC
TerraCycle Inc.
The Energy Foundation
The Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption
The Nature Conservancy
The Regeneration Project
The Resource Innovation Group
The Russell Family Foundation
Toyota Motor Corporation
Transportation for America 
United Nations Environment Program
University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems 
Urban Options
US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Research
Vestas
Water Advocates
West Michigan Environmental Action Council
West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum
Weston Solutions
William J. Clinton Foundation
Wind on the Wires
Windustry

Sustainable Systems Focused Master’s Projects

Boyne Mountain Resort Environmental Sustainability Management Plan Master's Project: "The Boyne Mountain Project gave me an opportunity to put the skills I learned in Prof. Keoleian's Sustainable Energy Systems class into practice using real-world scenarios and data. Having an interdisciplinary team (2 MS students, 3 MBA/MS students (including one with a focus on finance), and an MLA/MS student) meant that we were able to provide wide-ranging recommendations on many different aspects of Boyne's operations, and allowed us to learn a great deal from each other." --Imogen Taylor, SNRE Sustainable Systems Student

Sustainable Systems Students and Master’s Projects

Interested in Sustainable Systems Focused Internships?

Go to the SNRE Internship Website to view Sustainable Systems student internship reports.

eRecruiter Sustainable Systems Highlights

  • Search for Sustainable Systems related jobs/internships (employers can register for eRecruiter for free)
  • Network with fellow Sustainable Systems alumni
  • Find career events on campus
  • Search for Employers who hire Sustainable Systems students
  • Apply for Sustainable Systems jobs/internship on-line
  • View our Document Library, full of helpful career related resources

What exactly is the Study of Sustainable Systems?

Both developed and developing nations face ever-growing challenges to meet basic human needs in a sustainable manner. Key issues include depletion of fossil fuels, global warming, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity and the human health impact, all of which are compounded by an expanding global population. Innovative solutions are required at all levels of society to address these complex and inter-related problems. Individuals and communities, small businesses and global corporations, government agencies and non-governmental organizations – each constituency plays a vital role in the creation of a sustainable world.

The Sustainable Systems field of study offers an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on enabling technology and enterprise to enhance the sustainability of systems that provide mobility, shelter, sustenance, communication and recreation. It draws on and benefits from the diversity of faculty expertise found at the school and across the University. Students develop the skills necessary for effective and innovative leadership in the public and private sectors. “In these leadership roles, our graduates will solve complex sustainability challenges through systems thinking and a sound understanding of ecological principles, the capabilities and limitations of technology and the mechanisms which bring about social change,” says Professor Gregory A. Keoleian, coordinator of the Sustainable Systems field of study.

Why Should Employers Hire Sustainable Systems Students?

SNRE Sustainable Systems students develop critical skills of systems thinking and systems-dynamics modeling and apply them to the challenges of global environmental and social change. Life-cycle assessment, risk-benefit analysis, environmental economics, energy analysis, design for environment, carbon emissions modeling and spatial analysis are among the analytical tools and skills taught.

Our graduates are able to pursue careers in the private sector, often involving engineering and product development, management consulting, and strategic and sustainability planning. Students will be qualified to fill a professional position in the public sector with federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency or the National Renewable Energy Lab, with a state or municipal governmental unit, or with nonprofit groups, such as Environmental Defense or the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Some students also have the opportunity to work with the Center for Sustainable Systems and the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute on the University of Michigan Campus. Many Sustainable Systems students are also dual degree students involved with the Erb Institute. Students in the Erb Institute will graduate with a dual MS/MBA between SNRE and the Ross School of Business.

Other Sustainable Systems students are pursuing a dual degree with Engineering, called Engineering Sustainable Systems. Launched in the fall of 2007, the dual degree confers a master of science (MS) degree from SNRE and a master of science in engineering (MSE) from the College of Engineering (CoE). For ESS information and career assistance, please visit the ESS Career Website.

Examples of Sustainable Systems Coursework:

Students gain expertise in systems analysis techniques with a wide range of applications, including renewable energy, water infrastructure, green construction, and sustainable mobility. Through coursework, students examine sustainability by studying global and regional environmental impacts, materials and energy flows, social values and equity issues, and consumption patterns and sufficiency.

Skill sets include: management training in environmental strategy, organizational change and conflict resolution, ethics, stakeholder engagement and scenario analysis. Students deepen their understanding of institutions that govern energy use and explore ways in which government policy has succeeded, or failed, in order to address the need for renewable energy and other sustainable-development challenges.

"The key to Sustainable Systems is learning how complex systems arise, how they are organized, and how they all connect - the big picture or 'ecosystem level' view of environmental/natural resource issues. In addition to understanding this larger view as more than the sum of its individual parts, students should be able to effectively tackle one of the inter-related problems, and understand the larger effects of that action. It is this ability to see the larger complex system, yet dissect the individual issues that make the program strong. I also learned the technical and quantitative tools to address a particular issue, which I think is critical." --William Walter, SNRE Sustainable Systems Alumni working in a Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) position with Region 5 Chicago EPA in the Great Lakes National Program Office 

Courses

Systems Thinking For Sustainable Enterprise This course develops the critical skills of Global Systems Thinking, Systems Dynamics Modeling (using state-of-the-art Stella and iThink), fosters awareness, sensitivity and literacy regarding Global Environmental and Social Change, and helps students understand Sustainable Human Development and Enterprise as an ongoing, adaptive learning process while exploring the most promising opportunities for business in helping to ensure that human needs are met while the planet’s life-supporting environment is nurtured and restored.

Industrial Ecology Industrial Ecology is the analysis of material and energy flows in industrial and ecological systems to enhance eco-efficiency and sustainability in meeting human needs. Methods studied include: how life cycle assessment quantifies energy, wastes and emissions for materials production, manufacturing, product use, and recovery/disposition; life cycle design integrates environmental, performance, economic, and policy/regulatory objectives.

Environmental Economics This course discusses the economic analysis of market failures due to externalities and imperfect transmissions of information.  Normative recommendations for efficient government behavior (creating and implementing policies for air pollution, water pollution, hazardous wastes and occupational health) are discussed.

Biofuels and Bio-Based Carbon Mitigation In this course, students learn how carbon mitigation involves a range of strategies designed to reduce the net emissions of carbon to the atmosphere. Biologically-based carbon mitigation strategies fall into three general areas: carbon management (for example through the altered management of agricultural soils, crop residues, or forest harvests), carbon sequestration through land use change (for example through the conversion of marginal agricultural land to forests or wetlands), and the use of biofuels. The ability of the United States to enter into international agreements to reduce net C emissions will depend partly on technology and understanding of each of these strategies and their potential effects on emissions reductions.

Sustainable Energy Systems This course is an assessment of the current energy systems that encompass resource extraction, conversion processes and end-uses. Sustainability is examined by studying global and regional environmental impacts, economics, energy efficiency, consumption patterns and energy policy.

Green Development The built environment is a major source of society's environment impact; and is a major opportunity to find solutions.  This course explores green development from a variety of perspectives: energy, heating, water use, construction processes, architectural design, site planning, brownfield development and others.

Principles of Sustainability What would an economy, indeed a society, look like if the material security of its citizens and the ecological integrity of its resource base was a top priority? How would it organize itself, structure its industry, shape its consumption? How would a local-global culture operate if no party could solve its environmental problems by displacing costs onto others? What are the conditions in which humans tend not to increase their use of material and energy? To answer questions like these, many people use terms like "sustainability" and "sustainable development." This course addresses these questions and attempts to give meaning to sustainability, both in its implications for reversing trends in environmental degradation and for promoting policies that address long-term, ecological and social goals. It does this by developing a framework of analysis focusing on: i. institutions, formal and informal rules and norms ranging from the local and regional to the international and global; and ii. sustainability, issues of durable resource use, production and consumption, property, development, local-global interaction, trade, international cooperation, ethics and equity. A major goal is to build analytic tools a policymaker, analyst, citizen activist or businessperson can use in a variety of environmental situations from the local to the global.

Strategies for Sustainable Development This course deals with environmental issues from a strategic perspective. It focuses on how environmental pressures (e.g. sustainable development) and environmental problems (e.g. global warming, air pollution, waste-disposal), impact corporate mission, competitive strategy, technology choices, product development decisions, and production processes. Basic concepts of ecology and environmental science are discussed and contrasted to those associated with the traditional economic paradigm. The pressure for sustainable development has significant implications for firms, particularly large multinational corporations. With free trade on the rise, long-term opportunities exist for firms able to identify, develop, and deploy technologies, products, and services that contribute to sustainable practices and resource use in the developing world. This course examines how long-term competitive positioning can be secured through strategies such a environmental partnerships, technology cooperation, and collaborative planning.

Energy Markets and Energy Politics The goal of this course is to give students a solid grasp of the environmental and social impacts of, and the institutions that govern energy use, so students can play a more effective role in shaping future policy or business decisions. Students begin with basic scientific and technological facts regarding the major uses for and sources of energy.  Energy markets (including spot and future markets), and what they are capable of accomplishing are studied.  The way energy markets may fail are also discussed.  This will lead into an overview of the role of government in influencing energy decisions, starting with a high-level perspective, and then working with a series of case studies that examine in depth what government has accomplished in the area of energy policy.  The course will wrap up with several current policy/business issues such as renewable portfolio standards, markets for renewable energy credits, and integrating the transportation sector into a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions.

Natural Resources and Environmental Conflict Management This course builds an understanding of the causes, dynamics and consequences of natural resource and environmental conflicts as well as the range of possible procedural interventions that can be used to manage these conflicts. The course emphasizes the practical application of dispute resolution theories to the environmental and natural resource context. Case materials for the course are drawn from current conflicts in situations including public lands management, air and water pollution regulation, solid and hazardous waste facility siting, wildlife and endangered species management, and community planning.

Students can also reach out to other schools and departments on campus to find faculty members interested in Sustainable Systems. Faculty members in Engineering (Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Energy Systems Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering), Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health, Ford School of Public Policy, Ross School of Business, Taubman College of Architecture, and Taubman College of Urban and Regional Planning offer courses and conduct research in Sustainable Systems.

Conferences of Interest

Conferences are great avenues for resource sharing, presenting papers/poster, networking, and meeting possible future employers!

Cleantech Forum (multiple events each year)
Conference Alert (listing of upcoming environmental conferences)
Ecocitiy World Summit
Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference (search the internet for workforce, labor development, or other green job conferences)
Greenbuild Conference
Green Manufacturing Expo
International Conference on Life Cycle Assessment in the Agri-Food Sector (9.22-24.2010) 
International Conference on Life Cycle Management (9.6-9.2009)
Katoomba Group Conferences
Renewable Energy Technology Conference (RETECH)
The Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC)
The Greening of Industry Network Conferences
Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (1.10-14.2010) 
View the SNRE Conference Website
Wall Street Green Trading Summit
Women's Network for a Sustainable Future (Businesswomen's Sustainability Leadership Summit 10.6.2009)
Many of the Professional Organizations listed below hold annual conferences, visit their websites for more information.  There are also many state and local chapters that hold conferences in which you may have interest.  The benefits are that the conferences are close to home and usually are less crowded than national conferences.

Professional Organizations to Join

Air & Waste Management Association 
American Association for the Advancement of Science (Annual Meeting 2.18-22.2010)
American Chemical Society (Environmental Chemistry Division) 
American Solar Energy Society
American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) (WINDPOWER 2010 Conference 5.23-26.2010) 
Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE)
Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE)
Environmental Markets Association (EMA)
Federation of American Scientists 
Green America
Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE)
International Association for Life Cycle Civil Engineering
International Society for Industrial Ecology (Biennial Conference held in 2009)
National Association of EHS Management (NAEM) (membership organization for environmental, health, safety and sustainability)
National Association of Environmental Professionals
Net Impact (National Conference 11.13-14.2009)
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
United States Energy Association
World Renewable Energy Congress/Network (WREC/WREN) (Congress September 25-30, 2010)

Need a help finding a job?

Email snre.careers@umich.edu to request an appointment with a SNRE Career Services staff member.

Lisa Yee-Litzenberg: Coordinator of Student Career Services
Room 1520 Dana Building
(734) 615-1633, yeeha@umich.edu

Need help finding an internship?

Email snre.careers@umich.edu to request an appointment with a SNRE Career Services staff member.

Kim LeClair: Student Services Specialist and Internship Coordinator
Room 1520 Dana Building
(734) 764-1402, kleclair@umich.edu

*Data taken from 2006-2009 surveys of SNRE students/alumni and from our eRecruiter system