Green Job Series: Careers in Water Conservation [Second Installment]

Engineers work alongside scientists, engineering technicians, and others to apply technical solutions to water conservation. This installment of The Daily Leap's green job series profiles key engineering occupations in water conservation.

Engineering Occupations

Engineers’ role in water conservation is to apply strategies that reduce the use of water. They may develop new technologies that decrease the amount of water used for certain activities. They may also design water delivery and storage systems and water treatment facilities.

Engineers may design and test various types of machinery and water-efficient appliances. They ensure quality control and oversee compliance with standard operating procedures and federal, state, and local regulations. Engineering technicians work under the supervision of engineers to complete many engineering tasks.

Job Duties

Agricultural engineers find technological solutions to reduce water use on farms. They may design agricultural machinery and equipment or irrigation systems that use water more efficiently, and help determine how to deliver the most water for a given type of crop. Agricultural engineers may also be involved in pollution management, preventing runoff from fields that could pollute local water sources.

Civil engineers design and supervise large construction projects. They may be responsible for the design or upkeep of a city-wide water distribution system or sewer system. They are involved in significant construction projects and may design and supervise construction of a “green” building with water conservation in mind.

Environmental engineers develop ways to improve and protect the water supply. They may prepare, review, and update environmental investigation reports and design projects leading to environmental protection, such as water reclamation facilities. Environmental engineers are also involved with cleaning up pollution or hazardous materials, where they evaluate the extent of the pollution or the significance of a hazard. They may also help with the design of municipal water supply and industrial wastewater treatment systems, and they research the environmental impact of proposed projects.

Industrial engineers are involved in improving industrial practices and increasing efficiency. They devise ways to use less water more efficiently. They may design systems that contain or cleanse water that has become contaminated through industrial processes.

Mining and geological engineers use their knowledge to evaluate sources of water, particularly underground sources. Groundwater is typically in aquifers, which may be made up of porous rock, sand, or gravel. Engineers may help identify the boundaries of an aquifer and determine which sites are best for drilling wells to bring water to the surface.

Education

Engineers usually need at least a bachelor’s degree in an engineering field. Engineers in water conservation may specialize, as described above, and usually work solely in that specialty. Licensure as a professional engineer (PE) is recommended and often required, depending on an engineer’s specialty. Entry-level engineers work under the direction of senior or supervisory engineers and may assist senior engineers on sustainability projects.

Earnings

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) currently does not have wage data specific to the water conservation industry. The table that follows shows wages for selected engineering occupations in May 2012. The wages shown are median annual wages for the United States as a whole; wages vary by employer and location.

Occupation	Median annual wage
Agricultural engineers	$74,000
Civil engineers	$79,340
Environmental engineers	$78,690
Industrial engineers, including health and safety	$63,570
Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers	$84,320

For more detailed information on engineering occupations in the water conservation industry, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Next week's water conservation industry series installment: Planning and Outreach Occupations.

Green Job Series: Careers in Environmental Remediation [Second Installment]

Several types of workers are involved in environmental remediation. This installment of The Daily Leap's green job series describes engineering and mapping occupations in environmental remediation.

Engineering and Mapping Occupations

Engineers who work in environmental remediation devise technical solutions for cleaning up pollution. They work closely with scientists and other remediation workers to implement the best methods for remediating polluted areas. They also might be responsible for developing methods to increase safety and to reduce the risk of illness and injury for a company's employees.

Engineers are employed by a variety of organizations, including businesses, government agencies, and consulting firms. Most work in offices or laboratories, but they might travel frequently to remediation sites.

Job Duties

Cartographers and photogrammetrists measure, analyze, and interpret geographic information to create maps and charts. The maps and charts detail areas of contamination, as well as the physical characteristics of the site where remediation will be carried out.

Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, biology, and physics to develop remediation techniques. Much contamination is chemical in nature, and many remediation technologies use chemical processes to deal with contaminants.

Environmental engineers use the principles of engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry to solve environmental problems. They work to control pollution, clean up polluted areas, and monitor the progress of remediation projects.

Environmental engineering technicians carry out the plans that engineers develop. They test, operate, and, if necessary, modify equipment that is used for the cleanup of environmental pollution. They might collect samples for testing, or work to mitigate sources of environmental pollution. They might also assist in the inspection of the site for compliance with regulations.

Health and safety engineers combine knowledge of health or safety with systems engineering techniques to make sure that chemicals and other products are not harmful. In remediation projects, they ensure that workers are safe from contaminants.

Mining and geological engineers use geology to evaluate potential remediation sites. They study the geology of the local area and work with geoscientists and other scientists and engineers to determine the most effective techniques for remediating a particular area.

Education and Training

Cartographers and photogrammetrists require a bachelor's degree in geography, engineering, or physical science. Some states require cartographers and photogrammetrists to be licensed as surveyors, and some states have specific licenses for photogrammetrists.

Engineers must have at least a bachelor's degree in their specific engineering field. Many engineers are certified as a professional engineer (PE), a certification that requires several years of work experience as well as passing written exams. Employers also value practical experience, so many engineers start out assisting more senior engineers, and with experience, they take on more responsibility and more complex projects.

Environmental engineering technicians typically have an associate's degree from a technical or community college.

Earnings

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) currently does not have wage data specific to the environmental remediation industry. The table that follows shows wages for selected engineering and mapping occupations in the waste management and remediation services industry group for May 2011. The wages shown are median annual wages for the United States as a whole; wages vary by employer and location.

Occupation	Median annual wage
Cartographers and photogrammetrists	$55,970
Chemical engineers	$101,040
Environmental engineers	$81,970
Environmental engineering technicians	$41,310
Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors	$75,770
Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers	$84,300

For more detailed information on science occupations in the environmental remediation industry, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Next week's environmental remediation industry series installment: Construction and Material-moving Occupations.

Green Jobs Series: Careers in Wind Energy

With the hot winds of summer blowing across the United States, we at The Daily Leap thought it would be fitting to begin a new green job series on high-growth careers in wind power.

Visually identifiable by its characteristic turbines, wind power has been used on an electrical utility scale for only a few decades. However, it is expected to grow more rapidly as demand for renewable energy increases. As the wind energy industry continues to grow, it will provide many opportunities for workers in search of new careers.

Manufacturing—Research and Development Jobs

Occupations in wind power are separated into three phases: manufacturing, project development, and operation and maintenance. However, occupations are not always limited to one phase. For most positions, wind companies hire people with experience in other industries and give them wind-specific training.

In today’s green jobs series installment, we will focus on typical research and development jobs in the manufacturing phase—engineers, including engineering technicians.

Engineers

Job Duties

Engineers in the wind power industry are involved in the design and development of wind turbines. In addition, they also work in testing, production, and maintenance. Engineers may also supervise production in factories, test manufactured products to maintain quality, and troubleshoot design or component problems. They also estimate the time and cost required to complete projects and look for ways to make production processes more efficient.

Education and Training

Engineers typically enter the wind power industry with at least a bachelor's degree in an engineering specialty. However, a significant number of jobs require more education, such as a master's or doctoral degree. In addition, engineers typically are licensed and are expected to complete continuing education to keep current with rapidly changing technology.

Wind turbine manufacturers prefer to hire engineers with 3–5 years of experience in their respective field and knowledge of commonly used systems and processes. Engineers are then given additional training lasting several weeks or months prior to assignment, and then they undergo extensive on-the-job training.

Entry-level engineers may also be hired as interns or junior team members and work under the close supervision of more senior engineers. As they gain experience and knowledge, they are assigned more difficult tasks and given greater independence.

Certifications are usually required, depending on the systems used by a particular manufacturer. Licensure as a professional engineer (PE) is desirable, but is not required for many wind turbine manufacturers. Engineering technicians typically have an associate's degree or a certificate from a community college or technical school.

Earnings

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not currently publish earnings data specific to the wind power industry, but earnings for engineers are comparable to earnings for engineers in general. The following tabulation shows annual wages for engineers in selected specialties.

Occupation	Median annual wage
Aerospace engineers	$94,780
Civil engineers	$76,590
Electrical engineers	$83,110
Electronics engineers	$89,310
Environmental engineers	$77,040
Health and safety engineers	$74,080
Industrial engineers	$75,110
Materials engineers	$83,190
Mechanical engineers	$77,020
Engineering technicians	$50,130

Earnings are dependent on a number of factors, such as experience, education and training, licensure and certifications, the size and type of company, geographic location, and the complexity of the work.

For more detailed information on wind energy engineering occupations, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Tomorrow’s series installment: Occupations in Wind Power—General Manufacturing Jobs