The ☀ BEST ☀ of 2024

These are a few of your favorite things…

The year-end newsletter is always my favorite to write—it’s an opportunity to look back on a year full of ups and downs and celebrate all of the good that happened. 

This issue is all about your favorites from 2024:  

• The most-read careers & training articles on Trellis
• The most helpful new job search resources 
• Three new sustainability conferences
• The most popular LinkedIn posts from the year

Most of this year’s top articles and posts were inspired by real conversations with sustainability professionals about how they were feeling:

• The heart-wrenching experience of a layoff
• The mixed emotions surrounding global reporting mandates
• The possibilities arising from a global green skills shortage
• The frustration when our work doesn’t feel like ‘enough’ 

The common thread across these pieces is the acknowledgment of the (often unspoken) “hard” paired with actionable guidance for moving forward.

I hope this newsletter leaves you feeling caught up on 2024 and inspired to make great things happen in 2025.

Wishing you a restorative winter break filled with love, connection, and everything that makes your heart sing.

Happy holidays,
Trish

The most-read sustainability careers & training articles on Trellis

1. Which of these 46 sustainability certifications is right for you?
2. A two-part mini-series with over 60 courses to help you understand global sustainability reporting and disclosure standards and master GRI, ESRS, IFRS and CDP. 
3. How to become more competitive during the global green skills shortage
4. Feeling stuck in your sustainability job? Here are 8 steps to reclaim your job satisfaction
5. Learn how to drive supply chain and procurement sustainability with these 14 training resources

The most helpful new job search resources

1. The Sustainability Consulting Firm Directory from the University of Vermont’s Sustainable Innovation MBA and Climate Social lists over 400 firms delivering services with impact. This is a fantastic place to start building your list of dream firms to work for. 
2. The Climate Solutions Companies map lists over 2,600 climate tech companies, VCs, accelerators, and other solutions providers at 3,700+ sites around the world. This map would be my very first stop if I were looking for location-specific opportunities. 
3. The Design Your Climate Career program is a transformative job search support experience that I co-founded with Voiz Academy. The next cohort starts March 8, and you can use code “TK10” for 10% off.  

Three new sustainability conferences

1. The 2nd annual Music Sustainability Summit will be in Los Angeles, CA on February 3, 2025, tickets are on sale now.
2. The inaugural DC Climate Week will be in Washington, DC from April 28 to May 2nd, 2025. Applications for sponsors, speakers and volunteers are open. 
3. The 2nd annual National Sustainability Society conference will be at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN October 20 to 23rd, 2025. Calls for contributions will be announced in February.

The most popular LinkedIn posts of 2024

1. In my 2025 sustainability jobs outlook post I break down the economic, political, and corporate trends that are likely to shape the jobs market next year, and share tips for what job seekers can do to stay ahead. 
2. It’s not always obvious how we can best be of service in times of crisis; my post with 8 tips for supporting a friend who’s been laid off provides concrete steps for helping people impacted by layoffs this year.  
3. This list of 35 popular climate & sustainability events (mostly) in the United States includes tips for how to secure free tickets, discounts, or fellowships. 
4. If you were not one the 100,000 people who descended upon New York for climate week this year, you probably missed a few things.  This post covers the top 9 climate week announcements related to climate and sustainability jobs, training and tools that can help you advance in your climate career. 
5. The loneliness epidemic is affecting us personally, professionally, and socially. In this post I provide almost 40 ideas for communities that can boost your job search (& happiness).