This blog post explores how experience with environmental organizations can serve as a strength in a resume for the environmental consulting field.
My Upbringing
As a child, I was terrified that the civilization and technology humanity had developed would one day completely destroy the Earth. Comparing the past, when life was abundant and pollution wasn’t rampant, to the present, it felt like the end was already one step closer. After all, we now live in an era where we can’t even drink tap water carelessly and must buy bottled water instead. Everywhere I went, factory smokestacks or artificial urban environments stretched out before me. The system, which could only function by scraping together scattered resources to fuel economic power, plunged me into despair—wasn’t humanity hurtling toward extinction? Driving a nail is relatively easy, but even if you pull it out, the mark it left remains. Similarly, the despair that no matter how much effort we belatedly put into preserving the natural environment, we could never restore it to its former state, frustrated me deeply.
Humanity has already committed countless acts of profound regret against nature while building our civilization. Far from repenting these mistakes, we persist in exploiting nature relentlessly, waving the banner of “utilizing every asset given to us” through our human-centered mindset. This reality made me feel that even if I became an adult, all that might remain would be watching an Earth growing ever more depleted than it is now. This thought made me feel sad. For a while, I was tormented by guilt and fell into a depression, thinking, ‘Living like this only destroys the environment; it’s meaningless.’ Because I felt sorry when I realized that most of the things I do to live a smooth daily life act as a driving force pushing nature into an even more irreversible situation.
School Days
It was a period when I felt powerless, wondering if it was acceptable for us to recklessly damage and waste the Earth, which was given equally to all living things, not just humans. I lived without motivation for a while. Unlike my peers, who positively envisioned their futures, clearly defined what they wanted to do and what kind of adults they aspired to be, and were honest about their desires, I found it difficult to think positively about any future I might strive for. I believed that whatever I did for that future would ultimately push the Earth closer to the brink. I felt that no effort could restore things to how they once were. In a situation where an unstoppable tide was raging like a storm, beyond my power to change, I found it hard to pin any hope on any possibility. I was often consumed by the thought that perhaps it would be fine to quietly fade away.
What changed me was an activist from an environmental group I met through my parents’ suggestion. They reminded me that to leave a better world for our descendants, we must take responsibility and improve the current situation. They showed me that even someone like me, once trapped in the helplessness of thinking life might be worth giving up, still had a role to play. Their efforts, focused on grassroots environmentalism aiming for harmonious coexistence with nature in basic human needs like food, clothing, and shelter, and their interest in renewable energy and eco-architecture, inspired me to explore integrating eco-friendly elements into the most essential human space—our homes—to fundamentally shift humanity’s life orientation.
Personality Introduction
I believe even the most insignificant effort or will can have an impact. My nature strives to create massive ripple effects from small acts of consideration, rather than grand gestures. I once firmly believed humanity had already pushed the Earth beyond the point of no return. I thought any effort to restore the environment was meaningless unless we possessed energy capable of completely reshaping the planet. However, I realized that simply halting the ever-deepening pollution itself is a sufficiently meaningful endeavor. This insight led me to reconsider the value of making small, incremental efforts to do my part, however modest. I used to think that unless an effort could fundamentally reverse an uncontrollable situation, it made little difference. Yet, encountering countless examples where such basic efforts accumulate and gradually impact the environment, I came to regret my mistake of believing only immense power could bring about recovery.
Furthermore, regarding the task of building one’s life, I realized that even if it isn’t something grand or spectacular that immediately catches others’ eyes, the foundation of effort—building bit by bit from one’s daily life to eventually achieve something significant—is crucial. This insight helped me change my mindset, preventing me from just wallowing in frustration, wasting time day after day.
Values
We believe the Earth we inhabit is a space given to us to coexist and achieve harmony with all living things. Moving beyond an era where we focused solely on competitive growth and viewed the nature around us merely as undeveloped resources, we have reached a point where we slow our pace, look more closely at our surroundings, and seek paths to achieve harmony together. To achieve more progressive outcomes in the future, we must recognize the environment we stand upon not as an immortal entity, but as a space capable of both destruction and regeneration.
I wish to personally experience and practice the truth that our lives can thrive not by destroying the environment and disrupting harmony with our surroundings, but by caring for and considering each other, achieving smooth coexistence. This is my duty to do my utmost to preserve the natural environment for future generations.
Career History
After gaining one year of experience at ○○ Environmental Movement Organization, I transitioned to ○○ Consulting Office. There, I worked diligently for three years to accumulate expertise based on my experience.
Reasons for Applying and Future Aspirations
Even if we cannot completely reverse past environmental damage, the fact that people paying more attention to environmental conservation and regeneration in their daily lives can yield significant results has become the foundation for me to pursue a principle that brings environmental activism closer to everyday life, making it something naturally accepted. Your company, driven by a similar conviction, has fully entered the environmental consulting industry. It pursues the grand principle that ‘our work can ultimately serve the Earth.’ This aligns with my own purpose, which is why I am applying with great interest.
If I were to work at your company as an employee contributing to environmental conservation and regeneration, I would dedicate myself to the lifestyle care aspect. I want to help people practice environmentalism—which often feels like “something you have to go out of your way to do, making it somehow unappealing”—in a way that is deeply integrated into daily life. This way, people can live lives that contribute to nature without feeling any sense of incongruity. Because even without taking specific actions to aid the Earth’s regeneration, simply agreeing to a residential system that indirectly shares that purpose can enrich our lives.
