Eco Corner: Choices for Sustainable Lifestyles

Eco Careers
Green Jobs Online

No matter what their occupation, most people dream of a more relevant and deeply rewarding job. It’s never too late to put your skills to use and make the jump to an eco career. In the last decade the green job market has grown 300 percent, and the abundance of online job listings makes it easy to find your dream job anytime.
Treehugger (http://jobs.treehugger.com) is currently listing zoo jobs in London, engineering in Honolulu, eco cosmetics marketing in NYC, solar panel marketing in San Francisco, eco-IT in Seattle and much more.

Ecojobs (www.ecojobs.com) has worldwide openings for research associates in Boulder, Colorado, project managers and financers in Dubai, eco tourism in Costa Rica, conservation interns in Florida.
Envindia (www.envindia.com) is looking for health, business development and education professionals for India.

Endjobs (www.endsjobsearch.co.uk) is the most extensive site for eco jobs in the U.K. Mainly executive openings and engineering and, if you know you have the right stuff, the United Nations (www.unjobs.org) has hundreds of opportunities: Web assistants in Katmandu, administrative assistants in Bangkok, human rights groups in Geneva, nutrition in South Africa and more.
Happy hunting!

Eco Resources
An Afternoon in Aoyama
www.aoyamabc.co.jp

Centered around the United Nations University and just across the road from Aoyama University are three important spots to visit if you want to get more involved with the eco community in Japan.
Global Environment Information Center (http://geic.hq.unu.edu) is on the first floor of the UNU. Open to the public, there is a library with lots of info on Japanese NGOs, eco projects, outdoor education and more. The front gallery showcases interesting photos and artifacts from projects around the world.
Behind GEIC is the Aoyama Book Center (www.aoyamabc.co.jp). One of the best bookstores in Tokyo, it has an extensive natural living and design section. The staff members are helpful and will assist you in finding the particular eco thing for which you are looking. A great place to pick up Outdoor Japan magazine.
Also in the same building is the Tokyo Women’s Plaza (www.tokyo-womens-plaza.metro.tokyo.jp), a great resource for women in Japan. They offer lectures, networking, legal and abuse counseling, and an open library which includes relevant DVDs and periodicals. There is also a nice little café to rest your feet and have some soup while you look at your new books.

Eco Fish
Marine Steward Council Blue Label
www.msc.org

If you are a vegetarian, living in Japan can be mind bogglingly frustrating. For those of us who take the easy way out and eat fish, there is a new eco label to help you buy eco-friendly fish at your local market. The ocean fish populations are drastically decreasing around the world due to drag nets and over-fishing.
Fishermen who realize this are turning to sustainable techniques and preserving local marine habitat.
You can support them by buying fish with the Blue Marine Stewardship Council label. Ask for it at Tokyu’s Precce Premium store in the basement of Tokyo Midtown, National Azabu Supermarket, Meidi-ya, and online at www.e-kinokuniya.com

Jacob Reiner is an Eco Architect and director of Earth Embassy and the Solar Café. For more information on sustainable life-styles and eco living, visit www.earthembassy.org.