Understand Nature to Grow Green Jobs

Clean energy jobs aren't just about slapping solar panels on building, according to this op-ed. Building the green economy relies on building our own understanding of the interplay of natural systems.

1 minute read

August 16, 2010, 1:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


David Schejbal, a dean at the University of Wisconsin Extension, argues that we need to think more broadly about what it means to be green, and gather a better understanding about how to integrate environmentally conscious thinking into our daily processes.

"Understanding the intersections of the systems at work - natural systems, social systems and business systems - is critical to every aspect of how we live and work. For instance, if we recognize and understand that the Earth is a closed system, then we must look at manufacturing very differently; we must look at the making of stuff (whatever it might be) as a loop, not as a line.

...Green economy skills - or, more appropriately, the green economy literacy - must include this 'systems understanding' of the world in which we live. As we grapple with the consequences of our past consumptive practices and try to adjust our future practices to be less destructive of our children's futures, we have to understand how the world - in the fullest meaning of that term - works."

Monday, August 16, 2010 in Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight