Archive for the 'Green Living' Category
Feb
6
The surprising range of career opportunities in the landscape industry
February 6, 2020 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – Planning your next career move? Job seekers may think they have explored every possible option after attending job seminars or visiting career counselors, but the landscape industry is an often-overlooked field that’s full of diverse opportunities from entry level to management positions.
According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), the landscape industry needs to fill 300,000 positions this year, and now is peak hiring season. While you might have a preconceived notion of what landscape professionals do, consider that the NALP represents an industry employing nearly 1 million people in positions as diverse as landscape designers, architects, project managers, management and sales executives, arborists, agronomists, hardscape installers and more. While some careers in the field require a college degree, there are many that offer on-the-job training or apprenticeships to help job seekers launch a career. The industry also welcomes aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners that dream of owning their own company and helping others launch their careers one day.
An interest in the outdoors is certainly a plus, but a wide array of skills and professional roles are needed to design, build and maintain healthy green spaces in communities across the country. For example, professionals looking for meaningful careers in creative design, management, finance and technology are encouraged to explore the landscape industry.
Machinery and Technology
For those interested in computers or the latest technology, the landscape industry provides an opportunity to utilize the latest tech and equipment to streamline the work and be environmentally efficient. Landscape professionals routinely use cutting-edge tools, including electronic imaging and GPS tracking, whereas arborists rely on sonograms to assess the health of trees. Innovative technology and digital programs are used in many behind-the-scenes functions of landscape projects. Drones are employed to save time and get a project overview, and robotic mowers help crews complete projects more efficiently. Irrigation specialists use programmable systems to conserve water, and landscape designers employ sophisticated computer programs to provide clients with realistic renderings of their outdoor space. On the management side, technology is essential for project managers and estimators to coordinate important tasks and track finances so operations run smoothly.
Environment and Outdoors
If you want to spend more time outdoors, there are a variety of positions in the field that include designing, creating, installing and maintaining healthy, outdoor spaces for commercial and residential clients. Entry-level positions include lawn care technicians, irrigation installers and service technicians. Each role allows you to be outside, helping the environment, by caring for plants, trees and grasses. If you don’t have a green thumb but want to be outdoors, landscape teams also need professionals to install hardscapes and operate machinery.
Communication and Management
If you have good people skills, the landscape industry offers many opportunities to interact with, assist and manage teams. Entry-level positions can include customer service at a landscape company, nursery or greenhouse. Crew leaders or foremen are also needed to supervise teams completing projects in the field. Managers, account executives and business developers are also in demand to help direct projects, attract sales leads, manage purchasing decisions and grow the business.
Science and Math
Those interested in science may consider exploring a degree in a field such as agronomy (soil science), horticulture, irrigation technology and arboriculture. Professionals in these areas of the landscape industry spend time in a lab, as well as in the field, depending on the position. Studying how plants grow and thrive is an integral part of the landscape profession. If you’re more of a numbers person, estimators are needed to calculate material costs and markups for projects. Businesses in the landscape industry also need accountants and bookkeepers.
Creativity and Innovation
The landscape industry taps the creative minds of licensed landscape architects and designers to envision the possibilities for beautifying outdoor environments. Interiorscape professionals are responsible for bringing plants and greenery indoors, adding beauty and clean air to commercial and residential locations. Landscape architects and designers create beautiful outdoor spaces in varying environments with the clients’ vision in mind. All of these positions — and more — provide rewarding jobs with competitive compensation and opportunities for advancement, while making a difference for families, communities and the environment.
To explore career possibilities in the landscape industry, visit LandscapeIndustryCareers.org or apply for openings in your area at Jobs.LandscapeIndustryCareers.org.
Feb
6
The surprising range of career opportunities in the landscape industry
February 6, 2020 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – Planning your next career move? Job seekers may think they have explored every possible option after attending job seminars or visiting career counselors, but the landscape industry is an often-overlooked field that’s full of diverse opportunities from entry level to management positions.
According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), the landscape industry needs to fill 300,000 positions this year, and now is peak hiring season. While you might have a preconceived notion of what landscape professionals do, consider that the NALP represents an industry employing nearly 1 million people in positions as diverse as landscape designers, architects, project managers, management and sales executives, arborists, agronomists, hardscape installers and more. While some careers in the field require a college degree, there are many that offer on-the-job training or apprenticeships to help job seekers launch a career. The industry also welcomes aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners that dream of owning their own company and helping others launch their careers one day.
An interest in the outdoors is certainly a plus, but a wide array of skills and professional roles are needed to design, build and maintain healthy green spaces in communities across the country. For example, professionals looking for meaningful careers in creative design, management, finance and technology are encouraged to explore the landscape industry.
Machinery and Technology
For those interested in computers or the latest technology, the landscape industry provides an opportunity to utilize the latest tech and equipment to streamline the work and be environmentally efficient. Landscape professionals routinely use cutting-edge tools, including electronic imaging and GPS tracking, whereas arborists rely on sonograms to assess the health of trees. Innovative technology and digital programs are used in many behind-the-scenes functions of landscape projects. Drones are employed to save time and get a project overview, and robotic mowers help crews complete projects more efficiently. Irrigation specialists use programmable systems to conserve water, and landscape designers employ sophisticated computer programs to provide clients with realistic renderings of their outdoor space. On the management side, technology is essential for project managers and estimators to coordinate important tasks and track finances so operations run smoothly.
Environment and Outdoors
If you want to spend more time outdoors, there are a variety of positions in the field that include designing, creating, installing and maintaining healthy, outdoor spaces for commercial and residential clients. Entry-level positions include lawn care technicians, irrigation installers and service technicians. Each role allows you to be outside, helping the environment, by caring for plants, trees and grasses. If you don’t have a green thumb but want to be outdoors, landscape teams also need professionals to install hardscapes and operate machinery.
Communication and Management
If you have good people skills, the landscape industry offers many opportunities to interact with, assist and manage teams. Entry-level positions can include customer service at a landscape company, nursery or greenhouse. Crew leaders or foremen are also needed to supervise teams completing projects in the field. Managers, account executives and business developers are also in demand to help direct projects, attract sales leads, manage purchasing decisions and grow the business.
Science and Math
Those interested in science may consider exploring a degree in a field such as agronomy (soil science), horticulture, irrigation technology and arboriculture. Professionals in these areas of the landscape industry spend time in a lab, as well as in the field, depending on the position. Studying how plants grow and thrive is an integral part of the landscape profession. If you’re more of a numbers person, estimators are needed to calculate material costs and markups for projects. Businesses in the landscape industry also need accountants and bookkeepers.
Creativity and Innovation
The landscape industry taps the creative minds of licensed landscape architects and designers to envision the possibilities for beautifying outdoor environments. Interiorscape professionals are responsible for bringing plants and greenery indoors, adding beauty and clean air to commercial and residential locations. Landscape architects and designers create beautiful outdoor spaces in varying environments with the clients’ vision in mind. All of these positions — and more — provide rewarding jobs with competitive compensation and opportunities for advancement, while making a difference for families, communities and the environment.
To explore career possibilities in the landscape industry, visit LandscapeIndustryCareers.org or apply for openings in your area at Jobs.LandscapeIndustryCareers.org.
Jan
31
Dairy-free? Plant-based? Tips to keep everyone happy at dinner
January 31, 2020 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – While we love getting together with our loved ones, the thought of coming up with a meal that pleases everyone can be a bit intimidating. But with a little prep work, planning and new healthy takes on cooking and baking staples, making meals th…
Jan
31
Dairy-free? Plant-based? Tips to keep everyone happy at dinner
January 31, 2020 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – While we love getting together with our loved ones, the thought of coming up with a meal that pleases everyone can be a bit intimidating. But with a little prep work, planning and new healthy takes on cooking and baking staples, making meals th…
Jan
29
Bringing the indoors out: 2020 outdoor living trends
January 29, 2020 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – 2020 outdoor living trends are all about enjoying your backyard alfresco — but with the comfort and ease you expect from your indoor spaces. Today’s outdoor spaces are transforming into an extension of the home. The current outdoor design…
Jan
22
Top 2020 food trends
January 22, 2020 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – A new year always brings predictions about what trends will rise to popularity, and when it comes to food, there are plenty of trends already underway that will no doubt continue to surge over the next several months. The good news is both your taste buds and your health will likely benefit from the latest trends in eating and cooking.
1. A celebration of global flavors
2020 is an exciting time to explore new flavors from around the world.
A rich array of tantalizing ingredients and dishes from Latin America, the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia can now be found in restaurants and even grocery stores almost everywhere — and if you can’t find it in store, you can most certainly find what you’re looking for online.
Thanks to the internet, recipes showcasing global cultures are also easy to access. Americans are more interested in expanding their palates than ever before, unveiling a whole new world of culinary experiences at the click of a button.
2. A bumper crop of plant-based foods
A growing concern for environmentally sustainable diets — alongside the piqued interest in a healthy approach to eating — has combined to create an increased demand for plant-based foods.
This trend goes beyond traditional salads and fruit into a world of deeply creative cooking, using a wide array of vegetables in all sorts of innovative ways. This also means incorporating more plant-based protein sources like beans and legumes in dishes, using non-dairy milk substitutes like almond and oat milk, finding meatless protein substitutions and cooking with natural plant-based sweeteners like agave syrup.
3. Customization is all the rage
Noodles & Company is a great example of a fast-casual restaurant that showcases all these 2020 food trends, including allowing customers to make personalized substitutions. You can dine in or conveniently order for pickup or delivery via the NoodlesRewards app. Menu options range from classic favorite Wisconsin Mac & Cheese to new global delights like the Grilled Orange Chicken Lo Mein, available in restaurants nationwide beginning January 22. This worldly dish boasts authentic Asian flavors in a slightly sweet and tangy orange sauce, complemented by traditional Lo Mein noodles sauteed with fresh broccoli, carrots, snap peas, Napa and red cabbage, then finished with grilled chicken, green onions, black sesame seeds and cilantro.
You can even customize any dish on the menu to suit your taste or diet. Eating more plant-based foods in 2020? Swap out Lo Mein for zucchini noodles (Zoodles) or the cauliflower-infused Caulifloodles while packing extra veggies and nutrients into your diet. Going vegan? Simply remove the chicken!
No matter how it’s ordered, there are never any artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives, so clean eating in the new year is convenient and easily customizable to any dietary preference or need.
4. Conscious eating
Clean eating means eating foods without additives and artificial ingredients. Today’s diners and home cooks demand transparency about ingredients and preparation. People interested in clean eating want to see respect for the ingredients. In other words, they want to be able to recognize everything that’s on the plate. They want their food to be less processed, with as few additives as possible — resulting in big, bold natural flavors.
5. Seasonings with added health benefits
Seeking more flavorful food can also provide health benefits. Certain herbs and spices are trending not just due to their unique, strong flavors, but also because they have been shown to boost the body’s immune system, provide anti-inflammatory effects and contain antioxidants. Ginger, turmeric, garlic, cayenne and cinnamon are just some of the latest spices touted as being especially good for you.
Keep up with the latest food trends and check out all the easy ways to make clean eating easy and delicious at more than 450 Noodles & Company restaurants nationwide at noodles.com.