Week of 2/25 - Stop waiting to work on climate
How many of you are waiting to “work on climate”?
Are you waiting to develop skills or experience?
Are you waiting for a new job?
Are you waiting for the right clients to hire you?
Are you waiting for permission from your boss?
I waited for several years for my first “climate” client.
I tried and tried for years to get my first client.
When that was not working as fast as I wanted (i.e., immediately), I applied for jobs that would let me work on climate.
Then I decided to hire myself.
I broadened my definition of “work” to include any professional or personal contributions I could make to climate causes.
I volunteered with climate nonprofits and started doing pro bono work supporting environmental causes.
I joined industry groups that could impact climate and became active in committees and task forces.
I wrote articles on legal topics that matter to climate companies.
I stopped waiting for permission.
I started to feel like I was working on climate, because I was, I just wasn’t being paid to work on climate yet.
I know that I’ve said this many different ways, but it bears saying again.
You don’t need to wait on anything.
You can start where you are, with whatever is easiest for you.
But don’t forget to take a moment, and feel that what you are doing is helping climate, no matter how small.
That will make the difference.
So stop waiting to work on climate and just start.
If you think someone else needs to hear this, please send them this email.
Then you can keep each other accountable.
Hi! I’m Matthew, the head of the Environmental and Sustainability Law Group at Offit Kurman, a full-service AMLaw 200 law firm, and the founder of the planetary lawyer project.
Here’s what I’ve been up to recently:
Do definitions matter? I contributed to a Waste Dive article about the impact of environmental justice terminology.
Solar for everyone! I’ve got a lot of solar news coming in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
Reach out by email or LinkedIn if you’re interested in any of the following:
Sponsoring this newsletter
Mentoring/coaching
Referring a legal matter
Any views expressed are my own. Nothing here is legal advice.
Now onto this week’s opportunities.
Have a lead on a job opening? Share it here.
Attorney/Advocate. NRDC. Multiple Locations. No minimum experience noted and seems like a junior role. $80,000 to $100,000. NRDC is seeking an Attorney or Advocate to work with NRDC’s Pollinator Initiative and broader Wildlife Team.
VP, Counsel. Clean Capital. Remote/New York City. 2+ years expereience. $130,000 to $175,000. CleanCapital is an industry-leading clean energy investment platform. Since 2015, CleanCapital has worked to accelerate investment in distributed solar and storage assets to address the urgent threat of climate change.
Associate Attorney. XPRIZE. Remote. 2-5 years experience. $90,000 to $120,000. XPRIZE is a global future-positive movement of 1M people and rising. As a 501(c)3, XPRIZE delivers truly radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity and solves some of the world’s greatest challenges.
Corporate and Commercial Counsel. Via. New York. 3-5 years experience. $160,000-$180,000. Via builds technology that changes the way the world moves. Via pioneered the TransitTech category to ensure that the future of transportation is shared, dynamic public mobility.
Corporate Counsel. Zoox. Foster City CA. 4+ years experience. $176,000 to $254,000. A sign-on bonus may be offered as part of the compensation package. Zoox, Inc. is developing autonomous vehicles that provide Mobility-as-a-Service.
Director of Legal Operations. Stericycle. Bannockburn, IL. 7+ years experience. Stericycle is a compliance company that specializes in collecting and disposing regulated substances, such as medical waste and sharps, pharmaceuticals, hazardous waste, and providing services for recalled and expired goods.
Associate General Counsel, Commercial Legal. Zoox. Foster City, CA. 10+ years experience. $236,000 to $353,000. A sign-on bonus may be offered as part of the compensation package. Zoox, Inc. is developing autonomous vehicles that provide Mobility-as-a-Service.
Director - Legal, Manufacturing & Procurement. Bloom Energy. Newark, DE. 10+ years of experience. Bloom Energy is the leading force in transforming the way energy is generated and delivered.
Thanks for reading! Subscribe below to make sure you don’t miss an issue.