This degree provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge of three aspects of environmental and sustainability studies: people, prosperity, and planet.
I do communications work as the content marketing specialist for Aquicore. We are a software company that offers energy efficiency solutions to commercial real estate buildings. We distribute wireless energy meters as well as analytics software for energy management. My role includes writing for the company blog, digital marketing, and events planning.
Because we are a small company we have a tight-knit sense of community among the employees and we have a strong sense of common purpose. I really enjoy writing about current trends and issues with sustainable building, and I feel like I am constantly learning on the job. Since my role is outward facing I also get to talk to partner companies and cool people who are transforming the market.
Constantly while at work I think back to class discussions for inspiration for topics to feature in the blog. The emphasis on service learning within the School of Integrative Studies also helped me gain professional skills I would have missed otherwise. Working at Mason's Office of Sustainability on energy efficiency gave me an understanding of how facilities departments operate buildings, which helps me understand how to market Aquicore's software to this audience. Last but not least, being apart of the Sustainability Living Learning Community gave me hope and confidence that our generation can take on big sustainability problems and connected me to friends that I rely on for support to this day. I will always be appreciative to the professors and community at SIS for such a rich college experience.
My best advice would be to find issues you are passionate about and volunteer to support those causes. So many great organizations are headquartered in the Washington, D.C., area, meaning the opportunities are endless. Volunteering gives you a taste of what's out there, helps you refine your passions, and gains you connections to get where you want to go.