We Can Make The World A Whole Lot Brighter
When I was laid off in June after 30 years at the same job, due to budget cuts at the federal level, it was slightly terrifying. How would I function in today's job market at my age? I didn't even understand most of the words in current job descriptions. But it was also a chance to start over and figure out if there was something better I could be doing with my life. (Fortunately I had enough severance that I could be selective for at least a few months before my family's health insurance ran out. Not everyone is so lucky.) There are a lot of good causes out there, but if we don't solve climate change and biodiversity loss, nothing else will matter because it won't exist.
So I applied at every environmental organization that was hiring: Earthjustice, National Audubon Society, San Mateo County Transit District, Climate Corps, Packard Foundation, TeraWatt Infrastructure, Parks California, The Redford Center, Climateworks, Climate Change AI, As You Sow, The Nature Conservancy, Canary Media, and more. Ultimately, I ended up applying for 109 jobs before I found one that was interested. And from the support groups and mailing lists that I'm on, it sounds like it's been that way for everyone affected by the scientific budget cut layoffs. Every open job has over 100 applicants and it's almost impossible to get noticed.
But today I'm very, very happy to announce that I have accepted a position at the Natural Capital Project, an international collaboration headquartered at Stanford University. I'll be doing administrative work, mostly in their on-campus office in the Doerr School of Sustainability. The description on their website reads:
The Natural Capital Project aims to improve the well-being of all by motivating greater investment in natural capital. With our global hub at Stanford University, NatCap is a partnership between interdisciplinary researchers, professionals, and leaders around the world. Together, we help people, governments, and corporations incorporate the value of nature into decision-making.
The world’s ecosystems can be seen as capital assets; if well-managed, their lands, waters, and biodiversity yield a flow of vital life-support services. Relative to other forms of capital, living natural capital is poorly understood and undergoing rapid degradation. Often, the benefits nature generates are widely appreciated only when they are lost. The Natural Capital Project aims to change that paradigm.
Starting with listening, we work with decision-makers to develop nature-based solutions. We use iterative engagement that begins with stakeholders and their needs, so the new science and tools that we develop are immediately relevant and can be incorporated into existing decision processes. We work in a wide array of places and sectors, developing nature-based solutions to problems as varied as: building resilience to climate and coastal hazards in Belize and the Gulf Coast states of the United States; guiding development planning in China, British Columbia, The Bahamas, and Myanmar; managing corporate risk in global sourcing decisions for Unilever; informing impact assessment and permitting for the Colombian Ministry of the Environment; making smart transportation loan decisions by the Inter-American Development Bank across Latin America; targeting investments in forest restoration for IUCN and country governments in Africa.
I've visited the office a few times in advance of my official start date, and everyone I've met is super nice, smart, and interesting. I was talking to one of the scientists about bass playing and music and he casually mentioned that he'll be in Brazil next week for COP30! So yeah, it's pretty much a dream job and I'm having a hard time believing that I actually get to do this for a living.
I know it's still kind of rough out there for many of my colleagues, and I really wish you all the best and I hope things get better eventually. They have to, right? I'm here for you if you want to hang out and play music, compare job search notes or whatever.