GOING GREEN

Every year in April, Parade magazine peeks into paychecks and tracks job trends as part of our popular What People Earn series. In honor of Earth Day, April 22, we’re launching this year’s coverage with a look at planetfriendly jobs. (Read our complete WPE issues April 23 and 30.) If you’re passionate about environmental issues (and lots of people are, including 88 percent of millennials, who say jobs are more fulfilling when there’s an opportunity to make a positive impact), there is work for you.

Some jobs affect the environment directly (creating renewable energy, for example) or indirectly, through working for a company with strong social responsibility practices, such as Lego, which recycles 93 percent of the waste from its production sites.

For those who want to go green—and get outside— consider these trending jobs. —Kathleen McCleary

Forest and conservation worker

Median pay: $26,190/year Help plant new forests and maintain and protect existing forests, usually working for state or local governments or on private forest lands. Entry-level jobs require a high school degree.

Wind turbine technician

Median pay: $51,050/year This field, expected to grow by 108 percent from 2014 to 2024, offers the opportunity to work outside and “often at great heights” (says the Bureau of Labor Statistics) installing, maintaining and repairing wind turbines. No college degree required; most wind techs attend technical school.

Landscape architect

Median pay: $63,810/year Design green roofs on urban buildings, or gardens and green spaces. BLS says demand will be average from now to 2024, but it’s a career that gets you outside. You can enter the field with a bachelor’s degree.