9.2.4 Be Your Own Boss

 

 

The final option is to set up a company or organisation yourself. The rewards of being your own boss and being able to directly follow your own vision are weighed up with the challenges and responsibilities of running a company in full, which has the possibility of taking up a large amount of your time. However in the field of sustainability there is more of a need for innovative solutions that may not be addressed by current companies. In this respect it is feasible that many new start up companies will occur in the following years all focusing on a different part of the sustainability challenge not currently addressed. If this is does sound attractive to you, it may still be advisable to get some experience in a company that already exists if not only to see how a business is run and learn some "tricks of the trade."

Two case studies are presented below of groups that saw a need and set up an organisation to address it.

 
V3 Power

V3 Power is a DIY renewable energy cooperative that focuses on educational projects in the field of renewable energy. Their main activity is running courses teaching people how to build small wind turbines using simple tools and materials. V3 was started by a group of students (myself included) from Nottingham University that wanted to use skills gained in their degree in a practical and useful way. They felt strongly about the need for people to DIY (Do It Yourself) and have focused on practical education and capacity building in this respect. The cooperative has been going for 6 years now, and have worked internationally installing over 15 wind turbines and running courses for diverse audiences around the world. The services it offers have expanded to include running practical and engaging workshops in schools about renewable energy, installing off and on grid wind turbines, technical services for medium sized wind turbines and renewable energy consultancy.
http://www.v3power.co.uk/

 

Demand Energy Equality

This is a Bristol based group that run workshops on building solar PV panels, providing a cheaper way of utilising renewable energy for low income housing. From their website:

We have two objectives to our DIY Solar PV workshops.

1.To reduce the cost of solar panels and enable low income households to gain access to empowering solar PV technology as there is a growing divergence between those who can afford renewable power.

2.To utilise the potential these technologies offer in reducing household energy demand. Energy demand reduction is possible when people have a greater understanding and relationship with these technologies.

The two objectives are achieved through workshops where community groups and individuals build their own solar panels, learn how to connect the panels to their homes, source recycled materials and correlate their supply of renewable power with their demand. We also teach workshop leaders the skills to go out into their communities to run their own workshops. We are about teaching the skills and knowledge so people can then build themselves solar panels, in doing so empower and power themselves. The panels cost half that of the cheapest commercial panel and we provide the workshops on a sliding scale so financial barriers to attendance are as minimised.
http://www.demandenergyequality.org/index.html


The following is an extract from a talk given by an accountant who works in the area of sustainability field, and his advice on getting a job in the field


Careers in Sustainability, David Brent [4]

I work at Forum for the Future, a sustainable development charity that works in partnership with companies and government bodies to create a sustainable future. I believe thatsustainabilityissues are already huge and will become more important. We will spending the next decades creating a low-carbon world. Sustainability issues are driving the context in which all of us have to forge our careers. They will dominate your working lives.

I did a Masters in Physics at Exeter College but spent most of my time on what were then known as development and environment issues. I was part of Third World First (now called (People and Planet) and of that first Alternative Careers Fair. Then I had a bit of an alternative careers fail. I didnt want to be a burden on my parents, and I wanted a solid professional qualification. So I became an accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. My friends accused me of selling my soul; I said I had mortgaged it.

Not surprisingly I didnt enjoy my time at PwC. I realised that, fundamentally, whoever does the accounts or audit should come up with the same answer. And that means training people to conform, and avoid too much critical thinking or creativity. I needed a path out, so I did a Masters in Responsibility and Business Practice at the University of Bath. So many people found the course to be life-changinggenerating an invaluable set of skills and connections. In the last weeks of that course no fewer than eight people sent me a job advert to be a green accountant at Forum for the Future. I applied and go it. In the last 8 years I have had a new role in Forum every two yearssustainability accountant, Head of Business Strategies and now Deputy Director. Im satisfied by: making a difference; contributing the sum of human knowledge; and breaking new ground in a vital area.

What does it mean for you?

1.You can mortgage your soul (that is, it is possible to use corporates for training and credibility) but you need to be careful you dont get sucked in, with ever-narrowing horizon and dependent on the salary.

2.Follow your passion, with an eye to what your future self might want.

3.Sustainability is an immature field, so there is no established career path yet. This is both a blessing and a curseyou can forge something new but the onus is on you to make that new path. There is greater professionalism on the way, with specialisms and associated qualifications.

4.Everyone has a choice about whether to go deep and specialise or go wide as a connector and intellectual omnivore. Your choice will depend on your skills and personality.

5.Internships are common routes for credibility.

6.the normal rules of job hunting and career development apply.

1.what are you good at and what value is that to anyone else?

2.what weakness do you need to make sure you get to a minimum level?

3.how does your next step build the options you want?


FinallyThere has always been something to be done. In the last century people fought fascism, rebuilt Western Europe and saw off communism. Building a sustainable word is the task of our generation. It will be tough, but it will also be a great lifes work for us all.