Credentials can’t hurt, however, and they are increasingly available. Many community colleges offer certificates and associate’s degrees in environmental science and technology, and the trend is reaching all the way up to graduate schools. Kerpan says that “Green MBA” degrees are now offered at a handful of universities, where students with interests in the environment and business can learn how to have a positive impact on both.

Not too long ago, having a green career meant working for a nonprofit group or a research organization. Nonprofits still represent a major career path, but increasingly, businesses of all types are interested in hiring people who can help them with their sustainability initiatives, Kerpan says. And many potential employers are popping up specifically to address problems and sell sustainability solutions, particularly in the hot areas of renewable energy, green building, and transportation. “Pretty much anything can be a green career if you do it in the context of solving one of these problems,” Kerpan says. You can identify green employers by using directories such as Co-op America’s National Green Pages (www.coopamerica.org) and by schmoozing at green-business conventions and checking sources like the Sustainable Business Institute’s list of green enterprises (www.sustainablebusiness.org).

The only bad news about green careers is that pursuing one may not pay very well — yet. “Unfortunately, all too often it means taking a little lower salary,” Sivan says. “There are lots of great opportunities right now to get in on the ground floor, but generally that comes with a pay cut and some risk.”