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Environmental jobs aren't limited to the science lab or the recycling plant. These days, the buzzwords for eco-careers are interdisciplinary, integrated, cross-sectoral, hybrid. And the industry is booming as Canadian governments, companies and citizens become more responsive to environmental issues.

"I call it the Swiss Army knife approach to environmental careers," says Rick Searle, a University of Victoria teacher, communications expert and environmental entrepreneur.

"You don't have to have a science background to work in the environmental field. You need a rudimentary understanding so you know what questions to ask, but if your inclination isn't toward the technical aspect, you don't need to be intimidated," Mr. Searles says. "There's lots of opportunity to work in policy areas, public engagement, media and more."

Consider articling law student Kaitlyn Mitchell, who earned her undergraduate degree in religious and justice studies.

Now 24, she's on course for a career in public interest environmental law. Yet until the second year of her law studies at Dalhousie University, she says she "wasn't even aware that environmental law was a practice area. I had no science background and hadn't taken any courses at the undergraduate level."

Armed with a law degree including courses for a specialization in marine and environmental law, Ms. Mitchell landed an articling placement at the Canadian Environmental Law Association in Toronto, working with lawyers and environmental experts on staff. "Most areas of law have a technical component," she notes, "and we do rely on experts."

In other words, you don't have to know everything about technical sciences to forge an environmental career, but you do need to be a good communicator and work effectively in teams.

"Integration is the buzzword," agrees Todd Latham, who has been part of the environment industry for 20 years. Currently publisher of two Toronto-based environmental magazines (Canadian Water Treatment and ReNew Canada), he describes himself as a "hybrid" in terms of his career path.

The environment needs people who are passionate, Mr. Latham says, and this includes journalists, marketing experts, economists, builders, lawyers and accountants, as well as those with technical, scientific skills.

"The opportunities in environmental careers are exploding," says Grant Trump, president of the Calgary-based Environmental Careers Organization of Canada. "Demand is outstripping supply and it's affecting industry's ability to meet the environmental challenge.

"Right now, there are 530,000 jobs in Canada related to the environment, and we are projecting job growth over the next five years to increase by 8.8 per cent. This represents a rate that is 24-per-cent faster than the overall Canadian employment increase," Mr. Trump says.

Environmental jobs have moved far beyond stereotypical science-based positions, such as counting tree rings, taking soil samples, doing conservation work or cleaning up contaminants and waste. The growing emphasis is on cross-industry skills and experience.

Most people working in eco-careers shrug off narrow definitions of what constitutes environmental work. "The environment is everyone — and it's our home," explains Jonathan Cheszes, a 30-year-old York University student in the masters of environmental studies program.

Mr. Cheszes's story exemplifies the circuitous path many environmental careers take. He graduated eight years ago from McGill University with a business degree and went to work in the jewellery business. Finding it lacked a sense of fulfilment, he began attending a social networking group called Green Drinks (its members meet in pubs) that attracts an eclectic group of environmental enthusiasts, from amateurs to experts.

Kate Holloway was one of those enthusiasts. After being downsized from a dot-com position, she found a passion for environmental issues and turned it into a new career. At 39 she heads a small non-profit organization that is working with Mr. Cheszes and other students from the York Sustainable Enterprise Consultancy (a hybrid of post-graduate students in environmental studies and the MBA business program).

Ms. Holloway also embodies another eco-career buzzword: entrepreneur. She's a partner in CarbonZero, a Toronto firm involved in measuring carbon emissions for clients and offering carbon offsets at $22 a tonne that are invested in sustainable energy products.

With an undergraduate degree in Celtic studies and an MBA in management, both from the University of Toronto, Ms. Holloway describes herself as an environmentalist who started out "with no education or experience in science or in the environment. When I was in university I didn't even know such studies existed."

To build her new career, she tapped into a business skill — networking, which has included environmental conferences, courses, research, workshops and learning from the experts.

Even those with science and engineering backgrounds find there's lots of room for on-the-job learning once they're at work in the environmental field.

"I have an undergrad degree in chemistry and a master's in engineering, but the most important skill I learned is how to communicate with people," says Michael Gerbis, president of Delphi Group, an Ottawa-based consulting firm that focuses on corporate sustainability, climate change and clean energy for corporate clients.

"I understood technology, but I had to learn to understand people. I've learned all the business skills on the job," says Mr. Gerbis, who was one of 20 Canadians trained by former U.S. vice-president, and climate-change crusader, Al Gore on communicating about climate issues.

Mr. Gerbis says that when hiring for his company, he looks for qualities beyond education or technical expertise: "I hire people who are eager to learn, and have good communication skills."

Amber Smith, 24, is one of those people. She works as a research analyst for Delphi, supporting projects and clients in the climate change and corporate sustainability spheres. "I don't think it was my degree specifically that helped me get where I am but more that I was a well-rounded person," says Ms. Smith, who has a B.Sc. in biology."There seems to be misperception that the environmental field only involves traditional roles and jobs. What is less known is that there is a huge amount of work dealing with strategy, politics, economics, policy ... It is truly multi-disciplinary."

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Industry snapshot

530,000 -- Number of environmental employees in Canada — 3 per cent of work force

8.8% -- Expected rate of environmental job growth over next five years

10% -- Portion of Canadian organizations that have one or more environmental employees

Main industries employing environmental workers

• Public administration
• Mining, oil, gas extraction
• Waste management and remediation

Where the jobs are

• 42 per cent of environmental employees work in Ontario
• 18 per cent are found in British Columbia
• 17 per cent work in Quebec

Female workers

• 37 per cent of environmental employees are women (compared with 47 per cent in Canadian labour force as a whole).

Management ranks

• 54 per cent in managerial positions are 45 years or older (compared with 44 per cent national average).

Source: Environmental Careers Organization of Canada

Special to The Globe and Mail