Sergeant Planet p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

Dahm Rosas spent seven years defending the nation. Now he wants to save the world.

Before separating in 2005, Rosas was an artilleryman in the Army, serving on an eight-month peacekeeping mission to Kosovo, instructing cadets at West Point one summer and deploying to Iraq.

Now he is working through the Veterans Green Jobs program to fulfill a longtime ambition of working in the environmental field. Based in Boulder, Colo., the organization provides education, training and career development for veterans seeking careers in green industries.

“I have been interested in environmental stewardship since high school,” Rosas said. “Seeing the environment getting polluted bothered me. The earth provides us with everything we need, and we should be protecting it. It is the same reason why I joined the Army. If I can teach the people of my country how to sustain themselves and provide for themselves, then that is national security to me.”

Here’s what Rosas has learned about what it takes to grab a green career.

Make contacts while exploring the landscape

Look for social opportunities designed to foster green connections, starting with personal ties. Rosas networked his way through every ex-military pal — and their pals, too — on his way to finding his present job.

There are more formal avenues available. Environmental professionals meet in cities worldwide to talk shop and network through Green Drinks (www.greendrinks.org), for example, while Sustainable Business Leaders Networking Forums meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month in half a dozen cities (www.ecotuesday.com) to ponder green issues.

Get your hands dirty

By getting some green experience, you’ll learn whether this work really is right for you.

Fresh out of uniform, Rosas signed onto the Combat Paper Project, which recycles military uniforms into paper for use in art projects. The experience convinced him an environmental career could be his, and gave him street cred among green employers.

Parlay your uniform experience

Many employers think of the military as a destructive force, when in fact the services have adopted many green-friendly practices.

“There are whole field manuals on environmental stewardship in the military,” Rosas said. “We can’t just dump oil down the drains in the motor pool. You need to keep heavy vehicles off certain areas so you don’t tear up the local plant life. You want an employer to understand that the military actually is pretty heavily concerned about the environment.”

Think beyond green coursework

Before enrolling in Solar Power 101, consider this: Lots of majors can lead to a green job. Land surveying, manufacturing technology and marketing all can open doors in the environmental job market. Rosas looked at a program in manufacturing technology before deciding to go with the veterans organization. “You can always take what you know and apply it to the green industry,” he said.

Consider your workplace

If you want to be an accountant, you know you will work at a desk. It’s not so clear among environmentalists. Some work in cubicles designing power grids. Others install turbine towers or manage forestland. “I knew a cubicle wasn’t for me,” Rosas said. Pick a career track that puts you in your preferred work environment.

Discover the options

Green jobs run an extraordinary spectrum, from biofuel engineers to legislative advocates to program managers for stimulus spending. Scope out the lay of the land at sites such as www.greenjobs.com, www.greenjobs.net and www.sustainablebusiness.com/jobs/.

Rosas, meanwhile, continues to lay the groundwork for his green future. Veterans Green Jobs (www.veteransgreenjobs.org) has set him up doing home energy auditing and weatherization in Colorado’s San Luis Valley region.

“People don’t realize how much energy they are wasting, so it’s rewarding to be able to show them how to make improvements that will save them money and help the environment,” he said.