5 ways to kickstart your career in sustainability

The sustainability industry landed on Sam Martinez’s radar during her freshman year of high school. Sam’s uncle had just started traveling the world as a global director of quality, and as he observed the impact of sustainability on the global market, he encouraged Sam to take note.

“He told me that I should take some sustainability courses because, no matter what I end up going into, sustainability was this fast-growing field that was bound to be a part of any and every industry very soon,” recalls Sam. “Hearing him talk about sustainability being so important for his company and seeing him get to travel the world for his job, I was like, ‘Say no more, I’m in!’”

Now a Sustainable Materials Fellow with The Recycling Partnership, a mission-driven non-profit committed to advancing a circular economy by building a better recycling system, Sam is not only making her uncle proud — she’s building the foundation for her own career in sustainability.

We sat down with Sam to hear more about how she followed her passion and kickstarted a career in the circular economy, along with her top five tips for how others can do the same.

Laying the foundation for her career

Inspired by her uncle, Sam declared a sustainability minor with a geography major in college.

“While most people think of geography as just maps and capitals, I came to know the field as the study of human interaction with the environment,” she says. “And with my sustainability minor, I also got to dive into how we as humans have an impact on the earth physically.”

This education laid the groundwork for Sam to accept an internship with the sustainability department at her uncle’s employer, Humanscale. She was hired as a summer intern, but thanks to her hard work and dedication, her boss kept her on until she finished the final credits of her college degree one and a half years later.

“My senior year, I decided to join my college’s Green Scene sustainability club, where I got access to many sustainability internships and volunteer opportunities,” Sam says.

Alongside her work with Humanscale, she participated in an internship as a Brand Ambassador for Fill it Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring the public to reuse products. With a newly expanded resume, Sam received a message on LinkedIn shortly after graduation that would propel her sustainability career one step further.

Finding The Recycling Partnership

Sam opened her inbox to find a message from PowerToFly regarding a fellowship opportunity with The Recycling Partnership. The year-long, paid fellowship was for BIPOC recent college graduates looking to advance recycling and the circular economy.

“My father was born in Colombia and my mother is a first-generation Puerto Rican American. As a first-generation college graduate myself, I saw this fellowship as a way to showcase that I am a hardworking and qualified young professional, and being part of the BIPOC community never put me at a disadvantage — entirely the opposite,” Sam shares.

She recalls knowing the program was right for her because, while it creates opportunities for BIPOC graduates, she was not hired solely because of her ethnicity. “This program highlights that BIPOC graduates are just as qualified and hardworking,” Sam says.

Continued growth within the circular economy

Now more than halfway through the fellowship, Sam’s sustainability career continues climbing to new heights.

“The entire team and especially my mentor are so committed to growing and enhancing my professional skills, whether that be helping me make contacts in the industry, trusting me to take on bigger roles on important projects, or just spending an hour doing deep dives into processes that could be good to know in future sustainability roles,” Sam says.

She calls out how her work alongside the Materials Advancement and Polypropylene Coalition teams has given her a greater understanding of how recycling connects communities, haulers, materials recovery facilities, manufacturers, and so many more groups. And despite her role being fully remote, she’s been given opportunities to tour a Material Recovery Facility, travel to the Resource Recycling Plastics Recycling Conference, and even meet with city planners in person to sit in on discussions about their waste programs and plans.

“While my mentors are extremely encouraging of me to continue my career wherever I see fit, whether that means staying or venturing somewhere else, I know that the atmosphere at The Recycling Partnership is one of a kind, and I hope to stick around as long as they’ll have me,” Sam says with a smile.

5 tips to kickstart a career in sustainability

As we wrap up our conversation, it feels safe to assume that Sam would recommend The Recycling Partnership’s fellowship program to any recent graduates looking to take their first steps in the sustainability industry.

“This fellowship program has shown me that there is so much opportunity for growth in sustainability and I am constantly learning about the industry and new technologies and advancements within it,” she confirms.

Alongside her experience in the fellowship, we asked Sam to share her top five tips for how others can kickstart a career in sustainability. Here’s what she said:

1. Use networking as a tool. Sam continues to see how resources like PowerToFly and LinkedIn can support young professionals in building connections and showcasing their skillset. “They’re also a great way to stay in the know about the industry,” she says.
2. Get involved through your college. “I also found a lot of opportunities by visiting professors during their office hours or sending quick emails asking for guidance and advice in my field,” Sam shares. She highlights that joining a sustainability club was another great way to build her resume.
3. Learn from the people doing the work. Sam believes it’s important to observe and understand other people in the field. “Maybe it’s just the geographer in me,” she says with a laugh, “but I always make it a point to study how people interact professionally and how they present themselves in front of different audiences. I think that has helped me distinguish myself from other young professionals.”
4. Take notes. “I carry a notebook with me everywhere and take notes about absolutely everything. Writing everything from questions to name pronunciations to acronyms has been crucial for staying organized,” Sam says. She recalls several moments during meetings when someone couldn’t remember a past meeting topic, and she was able to turn to her notes and demonstrate her attentiveness.
5. Don’t be afraid to dream big and make your dreams known. Sam says, “In all of my internships and even in this fellowship, I’ve made it clear how I see myself contributing to the company in the long run. I think that earned me a lot of respect and made it clear that I’m here because I’m passionate about my work — not just to collect a paycheck.”