An environmental coordinator is someone who is responsible for formulating, researching, and enforcing environmental policies. Environmental coordinators can work in a wide variety of settings, depending on their area of interest. Most have at least a bachelor’s degree in environmental science or a related topic, along with work experience in the environmental field. Some may also have more extensive experience in areas such as environmental engineering, education, technical writing, or other areas, depending on where they work and the kind of work that they do.
One common setting for an environmental coordinator is a government office. Environmental coordinators can work for local and regional governments, helping set environmental goals and making sure that those goals are met. For government workers, the goal is to generate improvements and to work on preserving the environment for future generations. A government environmental coordinator may be involved with issues as far ranging as pollution, littering, water management, city planning, energy usage, protection of natural resources, invasive species eradication, and public education.
Environmental health may also be a concern for an environmental coordinator. He or she may monitor ongoing construction projects, work with the public health department to address health issues such as unclean water, and protect the environment by inspecting businesses to confirm that they are not releasing harmful materials into the environment. Land use may also be an issue of concern, whether land is being organically farmed or developed into condominiums.
Some companies also hire environmental coordinators. These staffers work on college campuses, in big office buildings, and for organizations such as zoological parks and environmental groups. In this case, the environmental coordinator works to keep the organization environmentally friendly, and may develop a variety of protocols to assist with this. These environmental coordinators are often heavily involved with outreach and education, teaching people in the organization about issues like increasing energy efficiency, minimizing waste, and so forth.
Working as an environmental coordinator generally requires excellent people skills, and the ability to work with diverse people and organizations. Environmental coordinators regularly communicate with other offices and organizations to further their goal, and as the public face of environmental policy, they regularly interact with members of the public. Communications skills are also critical, whether a coordinator is preparing a written memorandum for members of an office about a new policy, or holding a press conference to discuss environmental trends being monitored by his or her office by request of the government.