Environmental Communications Officer

What is an environmental communications officer? An environmental communications officer oversees the dissemination of information on environmental issues and events on behalf of the organization they work for. Environmental communications officers are responsible for developing awareness and outreach programs for local communities living in protected areas and they monitor and supervise outreach activities including conducting surveys and organizing fundraising events.

At a Glance

Imagine you are standing at the back of a crowded press room, and television cameras, spotlights, microphones, and notepads surround you and your boss. You’re an environmental communications officer for a local conservation agency and your boss, the agency’s president, is about to make an official statement on the recent municipal decision to halt development near a sensitive wetland.

You know exactly what the statement will say because you’re the person who wrote it.

As the conservation agency's environmental communications officer, you began working on this controversial wetland development almost two years ago, when you first learned that a group of land developers proposed to drain and build on them.

Your conservation agency was aware of how sensitive and valuable the wetlands are, so you drafted a communications strategy to ensure that the agency's opposition to the proposed development was understood and widely heard.

You organized a series of informational evenings open to the public and made certain the media covered these events. You also ensured that all staff members within your own office were well informed on the issue and knew how to properly answer questions on the proposed development from the media and public.

Part of your communications strategy included educating local businesses about the environmental impacts of such a development. You also made certain your organization attended industry events and municipal council meetings to communicate your concerns.

Months and months of your hard work have paid off, with the town council agreeing to protect the wetlands area.

Job Duties

While job duties vary significantly from one position to the next, environmental communications officers are frequently asked to conduct the following activities:

Research and write editorials on environmental issues for submission to newspapers and magazines
Act as spokesperson for an organization and answer written and oral inquires
Design and implement communication strategies and program aimed at informing clients, employees, and the public of sustainable initiatives and environmental policies of businesses, governments, and other organizations
Conduct surveys to identify the concerns about the environment
Develop communications products and tools such as websites, videos, short films, brochures, and displays to promote your organization and contribute to its education and outreach goals
Develop issue-management plans that anticipate issues and how to handle them effectively
Provide regular reports on the status of your organization’s communication programs and projects
Collaborate in a team environment with other professionals, for example, policy analysts, graphic designers, and programmers

Work Environment

Environmental communications officers work in a variety of locations, including:

The office:

Preparing media releases, brochures, and information sheets
Responding to requests for information from the media and the public
Organizing information and preparing reports, briefs, bibliographies, speeches, presentations, websites and press releases
Developing and organizing workshops, meetings, and other events for publicity, fund-raising and information purposes
Communicating on the phone and in meetings with clients, colleagues, government officials, and stakeholders

The field:

Making presentations to stakeholders, clients, media representatives and the public
Conducting public outreach sessions and meeting with educators and partner organizations

Where to Work

There are a number of places environmental communications officers can find employment. They include:

Land-use and conservation agencies
Environmental consulting companies
Federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal government departments
Not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations
Industry, including manufacturing, forestry, oil and gas, and mining
Self-employed consultant
Communications and public relations firms

Search for environmental communications officer jobs on the ECO Canada Job Board.

Education and Skills

If you are considering a career as an environmental communications officer, you should have a strong interest in:

English
Biology
Social Studies
Legal studies

In most cases, the minimum education requirement is a university undergraduate degree. If you are a post-secondary student considering a career as an environmental communications officer, the following programs are most applicable:

Journalism
Communications
Media, Design and Communication Arts
Social Media and Web Marketing
Business Administration
Environmental Studies
Sociology
Political Science

Although it is not necessary to become certified to work as an environmental communications officer, our Environmental Professional (EP) designation may prove useful.

Skills

Hard/ Technical Skills (skills obtained through formal education and training programs)

Microsoft Office
Marketing and sales
Risk assessment
Customer relations management
Content management
Health, occupations and environmental management
Project management
Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media

Soft Skills (personal attributes and characteristics)

Active listening
Verbal and written communication
Excellent interpersonal skills including consultation and negotiation skills
Organizational and time management skills
A creative, outgoing, upbeat nature

Environmental employers look for professionals who can combine technical knowledge with soft skills. Watch at our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.

Role Models

Saralyn Hodgkin

"I know that I’m really passionate about these things, but I don’t know how they fit together.” This is what Saralyn Hodgkin wrote in her unconventional letter to the University of Calgary when applying for entry into the master’s program in Environmental Design. In Saralyn’s letter, these ‘things’ are sustainable community development, socially responsible business, and social entrepreneurship. Saralyn wanted to pursue a master’s degree where she could study these three concepts and their inter-relationship. "A lot of people told me those concepts don’t mesh…but I ignored them. I was passionate about what I was doing.”

Eight months later, she had completed and defended her master’s by illustrating how all three concepts were already successfully working together in the business world. Today Saralyn’s passion has translated into a job with an international non-profit organization that incorporates all three concepts. The Natural Step’s mission is to encourage change by making the concept of sustainability easier to understand and therefore easier to implement for everybody, from municipalities to private companies. As the program and communications manager, Saralyn spends much of her time communicating her organization’s goals, which is exactly what she loves to do. "I wake up every morning and I want to go to work. I want to go to work because the people are great, because my mandate is great, because what I do is great.” Currently, she’s driving the development of the organization’s new e-learning module.

This web-based communication tool encourages people to practise sustainability and shows them how to go about doing it. Saralyn’s other responsibilities include attending conferences, crafting fundraising proposals, and responding to requests for information. She never tires of getting the word out: "I like bringing the energy up in the room, and I like talking about what we do, who we are, or about the e-learning module.” But the number of opportunities to talk about sustainability can sometimes be overwhelming. "There are so many opportunities, you can’t possibly do it all. Sometimes you have to say no.” And because it’s a non-profit organization, there are financial and time limitations on how many people Saralyn can reach with her message. But these limitations have only made her a more effective communicator. "We are all leaders in sustainability. It takes the individual to recycle a bottle at home. It takes the individual getting involved with a local organization. It takes the individual to understand what the message means… It takes the individual, whoever they are!”

Your Impact

Environmental communications officers are tasked with the responsibility of getting environmental news out to the public in a fast and effective manner.

They address concerns about the impact that an organization’s activities have on the environment and provide information about how environmental policies impact organizations.

Environmental communications officers are also the voice that communicates an organization’s platforms and values.

At ECO Canada, our environmental communications officers promote the company’s resources including training programs, webinars, and reports about the environmental sector.

This role of an environmental communications officer is incredibly beneficial for organizations and businesses that strive for environmental awareness.

Occupational Classification

Individuals employed as environmental communications officers may be classified in one or more of the following occupational groupings:

NOC Code: 1123 - Professional Occupations in Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations

NOC Code: 4163 - Business Development Officers, Marketing researchers, and Consultants

What is a NOC Code?

The National Occupation Classification (NOC) provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market. It gives statisticians, labour market analysts, career counsellors, employers and individual job seekers a consistent way to collect data, describe and understand the nature of work within different occupations.

The NOC is developed and updated in partnership with Statistics Canada to coincide with the 5- year census cycles. It is based on in-depth occupational research and consultations conducted across Canada, to reflect changes in the Canadian labour market.