How do they match: Industrial Ecologists

  • Industrial Green Systems Designer
  • Life Cycle Manager
  • Product Life Cycle Planner
  • Sustainable Systems Analyst

  • Apply principles and processes of natural ecosystems to develop models for efficient industrial systems. Use knowledge from the physical and social sciences to maximize effective use of natural resources in the production and use of goods and services. Examine societal issues and their relationship with both technical systems and the environment.

  • Plan or conduct field research on topics such as industrial production, industrial ecology, population ecology, and environmental production or sustainability.
  • Plan or conduct studies of the ecological implications of historic or projected changes in industrial processes or development.
  • Analyze changes designed to improve the environmental performance of complex systems and avoid unintended negative consequences.
  • Apply new or existing research about natural ecosystems to understand economic and industrial systems in the context of the environment.
  • Carry out environmental assessments in accordance with applicable standards, regulations, or laws.
  • Conduct analyses to determine the maximum amount of work that can be accomplished for a given amount of energy in a system, such as industrial production systems and waste treatment systems.
  • Create complex and dynamic mathematical models of population, community, or ecological systems.
  • Examine local, regional, or global use and flow of materials or energy in industrial production processes.
  • Examine societal issues and their relationship with both technical systems and the environment.
  • Identify environmental impacts caused by products, systems, or projects.
  • Identify or compare the component parts or relationships between the parts of industrial, social, and natural systems.
  • Identify sustainable alternatives to industrial or waste-management practices.
  • Investigate the impact of changed land management or land use practices on ecosystems.
  • Prepare plans to manage renewable resources.
  • Promote use of environmental management systems (EMS) to reduce waste or to improve environmentally sound use of natural resources.
  • Provide industrial managers with technical materials on environmental issues, regulatory guidelines, or compliance actions.
  • Redesign linear, or open-loop, systems into cyclical, or closed-loop, systems so that waste products become inputs for new processes, modeling natural ecosystems.

  • Plan environmental research.
  • Plan natural resources conservation or restoration programs.
  • Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
  • Appraise environmental impact of regulations or policies.
  • Develop plans to manage natural or renewable resources.
  • Develop environmental sustainability plans or projects.
  • Prepare information or documentation related to legal or regulatory matters.