Green Collar Careers Podcast

About Green Collar Careers Podcast

The climate crisis and biodiversity crisis are the defining challenges of our generation. More people feel called to do work that matters—but breaking into green and sustainability careers can be difficult. The Green Collar Careers Podcast helps students, career-changers, and professionals navigate green jobs, environmental careers, and sustainability roles through real stories and practical advice from industry experts. Build a meaningful career. Help heal the planet. 🌍

Publisher

Jose Almanzar

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Jun 2023

Latest episode

29 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

29 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Aug 2026

   The Climate Crisis Needs Storytellers: A Climate Journalist’s Journey | Angely Mercado, Independent Climate Reporter

   In this episode of the Green Collar Careers podcast, I sit down with Angely Mercado, independent climate journalist and Editor at Large at The SUNN. Angely has bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Vogue, Grist, Popular Science, and more. Her reporting blends environmental science, social justice, and culture, with a particular focus on frontline communities, extreme weather, sustainable fashion, and climate resilience. Her career is a green pivot story. No science degree. A journalism background rooted in community reporting in the South Bronx and Brooklyn. A Grist Social Justice Climate Fellowship that gave her thevocabulary and confidence to cover the climate crisis at the highest levels ofAmerican media. And a path that has taken her from local news to some of themost important climate conversations happening anywhere. We get into: -Her Origin Story: From summers in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico - power outages, grandmother’s “Juan Bobo” stories, cousins inventing tales about anthropomorphized animals - to a week-long internship on the Clearwater sloop on the Hudson River that sparked a lifelong interest in climate science and communication. -The COVID Pivot: Laid off on March 13, 2020.Moves back to her family in Queens. Watches neighbors being taken by ambulances. A mobile morgue visible from the neighborhood. Loses a family member and can’t attend the funeral. Gets the Grist fellowship. This is what a career pivot driven by grief and necessity actually looks like. -Climate Touches Everything: Environmental law, public health, sustainable finance, science communication, government communications, sustainable fashion, disaster preparedness — Angely makes the case that climate is not a niche. It is the lens through which every industry is being transformed. -The Underreported Stories: The cost-of-living crisis colliding with the climate crisis. Broken ACs, unaffordable evacuations, mold from flood damage people can’t afford to remediate. Internal climate displacement in the US, a crisis already here that we keep treating as a distant problem. -Advice for Breaking In: Take online courses. Build your vocabulary incrementally. Support nonprofit publications. And if you have a non-science background, your skills are needed more than you know. -Burnout, Health, and the North Star: Angely’s hardest lesson this year was that health directly impacts the quality of your work. Her reframe: “I’m a person who works in journalism” — not “I am journalism.” The North Star is storytelling and caring about environmental justice. Journalism is just one vehicle for getting there. -For the Climate Communicators: Scientists and experts are building social media platforms to counter misinformation. As one epidemiologist told her: “Influencers are acting like experts, so experts should act like influencers.” If you’ve ever wondered whether writing, storytelling, or communications can be a green collar career, Angely Mercado is your answer. Get the free Green Pivot Map (90-DayFramework) at ⁠josealmanzaresq.com⁠ (http://josealmanzaresq.com). 🎙️ Connect with Angely Mercado Substack: @mediamercado Instagram: @angely_mercado Threads: @angely_mercado LinkedIn: in/AngelyMercado 🎙️ Connect with Jose: Website: josealmanzaresq.com LinkedIn: in/josealmanzaresq Substack: @josealmanzar Subscribe to Green Collar Careers Podcast: 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube 🎵 Music Credit - Kwae: 📷 Instagram: @kwaemusic 🎨 Logo Credit - Leo: 📷 Instagram: @logic9uy_art 🎙️ About Green Collar Careers Green Collar Careers is a podcast and newsletter for professionals who feel pulled toward environmental or climate work but aren’t sure how to make the move. Each episode features honest conversations with people who have built meaningful careers in this space and the practical lessons they learned along the way. Hosted by Jose Almanzar. 📩 Subscribe to the newsletter atjosealmanzaresq.com and Substack.

2. 

   7 Aug 2026

   Your Story Is Your Brand: What Environmental Employers Actually Want | George Homsy, Binghamton University

   In this episode of the Green Collar CareersPodcast, I sit down with Professor George Homsy, Chair of the newly establishedDepartment of Environment and Sustainability at Binghamton University (my almamater). Professor has one of the most compellingnon-linear career paths I’ve encountered on this podcast. He co-founded Livingon Earth, one of public radio’s longest-running environmental newsmagazines. Hebecame an urban planner. He went back to Cornell for his PhD. And now he chairsone of the most innovative environmental programs in the SUNY system. But what makes this conversation special isnot just George’s story. It’s what his research tells us about the skills thatactually matter in environmental and sustainability work. Spoiler: it’s not thetechnical stuff. We get into: The Origin Story: From running around thedense streets of Somerville, Massachusetts to co-founding Living on Earth - howGeorge followed a thread of curiosity across journalism, planning, and academiawithout ever having a master plan. The Research: George and his colleaguesinterviewed 59 sustainability leaders from local governments across thecountry. What they found about the skills that matter most will surprise you —and validate everything you’ve been told on this podcast. The Skills That Actually Get You Hired:Persistence. Strategic thinking. Political savvy. Relationship building.Communication. Listening. These are what sustainability leaders said matteredmost in their jobs. Technical expertise didn’t crack the top of the list. “Your Story Is Your Brand”: George makes thecase that every experience you’ve had — even if it has nothing to do with theenvironment — is part of a story that employers can connect to. The key islearning how to tell it. Energy Justice: George’s research on why Blackhouseholds pay disproportionately more in energy costs — even when income isequal — and what local governments can actually do about it. What Binghamton Is Doing Differently: From theWhite Mountain Environmental Field School to community-engaged capstoneprojects to the brand new Department of Environment and Sustainability — Georgewalks us through how Binghamton is preparing students for the real world, notjust the classroom. Advice for Mid-Career Professionals: You don’thave to blow up your life to work in the environmental space. George talksabout how to find the low-hanging fruit where you already are — and when itmakes sense to make a bigger move. Final Words: Just do it. George’s closingmessage to anyone sitting on the sidelines wondering if there’s a place forthem in this work. If you’ve ever been told that your backgrounddoesn’t qualify you for environmental work — this conversation is your answer.The skills you’ve been building your entire career are exactly what this fieldneeds. Get the free Green Pivot Map (90-DayFramework) at josealmanzaresq.com (http://josealmanzaresq.com). 🎙️ Connect with George Homsy Binghamton University: binghamton.edu Email: ghomsy@binghamton.edu (mailto:ghomsy@binghamton.edu) 🎙️ Connect with Jose: Website: josealmanzaresq.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/josealmanzaresq Substack: substack.com/@josealmanzar Subscribe to Green Collar Careers Podcast: 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube 🎵 Music Credit - Kwae: 📷 Instagram: @kwaemusic 🎨 Logo Credit - Leo: 📷 Instagram: @logic9uy_art 🎙️ About Green Collar Careers Green Collar Careers is a podcast andnewsletter for professionals who feel pulled toward environmental or climatework but aren’t sure how to make the move. Each episode features honestconversations with people who have built meaningful careers in this space andthe practical lessons they learned along the way. Hosted by Jose Almanzar,environmental attorney and former environmental scientist. 📩 Subscribe to the newsletter atjosealmanzaresq.com and Substack

3. 

   15 Jul 2026

   Cleaning and Greening New York City: A Career Built on Passion, Purpose, and Philanthropy | Robyn Rehak, New York Restoration Project

   In this episode of the Green Collar Careerspodcast, I sit down with Robyn Rehak, Chief Advancement Officer at the New YorkRestoration Project, the organization founded by Bette Midler in 1995 to clean,green, and restore New York City’s parks and public spaces. Robyn started her environmental career as astudent activist at the University of Vermont, spent 15 years at The NatureConservancy across multiple roles and geographies, and has built one of themost compelling non-linear career paths in the environmental nonprofit world. Her background is not science. It is passion,philanthropy, and strategic leadership, and it has taken her everywhere. We dive deep into: -The Origin Story: How a trip to Yosemite at13 years old sparked a lifelong commitment to conservation, and what happenednext when Robyn followed that pull all the way to Ecuador, the RainforestAction Network, and eventually The Nature Conservancy. -What a Chief Advancement Officer ActuallyDoes: Robyn breaks down a role most people have never heard of, and explainswhy passion for the mission is the most important skill you can bring to it. -Fifteen Years at TNC: What Robyn learnedabout building a career inside one of the world’s largest conservationorganizations, and why she eventually left to take on something new. -The Skills the Field Is Missing: Robyn hasspent her career on the funding and partnership side of environmentalorganizations. She knows what skills organizations desperately need and can’tfind. Her answer may surprise you. -What the Field Actually Needs From You: Robynis clear that environmental organizations need people from every backgroundimaginable: communicators, fundraisers, strategists, relationship builders. Thescience degree is not the door. -The Relay Race: A beautiful framework Robynoffers for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the scale of the environmental crisis.We’re not here to solve everything. We’re here to carry the baton. If you have ever wondered whether a career inenvironmental nonprofits requires a science background, Robyn Rehak is youranswer. It doesn’t. It requires passion, relationships, and the willingness toshow up for the work. Get the free Green Pivot Map (90-DayFramework) at josealmanzaresq.com (http://josealmanzaresq.com). #environmentalcareers #greenjobs #careerpivot#conservation #environmentalnonprofit #urbanforestry #nycparks #climateaction#greencareers #sustainability 🎙️ Connect with Robyn Rehak LinkedIn: in/robynrehak NY Restoration Project: nyrp.org/en 🎙️ Connect with Jose: Website: josealmanzaresq.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/josealmanzaresq Substack: substack.com/@josealmanzar Subscribe to Green Collar Careers Podcast: 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube 🎵 Music Credit - Kwae: 📷 Instagram: @kwaemusic 🎨 Logo Credit - Leo: 📷 Instagram: @logic9uy_art 🎙️ About Green Collar Careers Green Collar Careers is a podcast andnewsletter for professionals who feel pulled toward environmental or climatework but aren’t sure how to make the move. Each episode features honestconversations with people who have built meaningful careers in this space andthe practical lessons they learned along the way. Hosted by Jose Almanzar,environmental attorney and former environmental scientist. 📩 Subscribe to the newsletter atjosealmanzaresq.com and Substack. 📢 DISCLAIMER Nothing in this podcast constitutes legaladvice. This podcast is not attorney advertising. Nothing said in this podcastis endorsed by the podcast host, their guests, or their employers. The viewsexpressed by the podcast host and their guests are their own and do not reflectthe opinions of their employers. By listening to this podcast, the listener isnot entering into an attorney-client relationship or any other relationshipwith the host or their guest.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

632

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 55 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

60

Social presence

0

YouTube

66

Engagement

60

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.