Environmental jobs may be just the shade of green that both the Earth and your sagging career have been looking for. On a global scale, the United Nations is urging countries to bolster unemployment by investing in green jobs in "sustainable forest management." In the United States, newly named "green jobs czar" Van Jones is looking ahead at all the jobs created as we retrofit our infrastructure—weatherizing buildings, putting up solar panels, manufacturing parts for wind turbines and wind towers.

Does working in an eco-savvy setting turn you green with envy? We've pulled out what we think are the best five eco-employment opportunities spots for college-educated, urban professionals who'd like to nudge their careers into greener pastures.

1. Green entrepreneur Plenty of people like you are looking for a greener way to get any given product or service. Give it to them, and you've got yourself a profitable niche market.
2. Green geek Whether you hook up with an eco-corporation or green your existing company's practices, demand remains high for information technology (IT) professionals. Be the eco-savvy expert and score one for the green side.
3. Power monger America is an energy-hungry nation in dire need of a green power-up. Solar energy, wind energy, hydropower and geothermal energy—we need tech-savvy types to figure out how to harness power for the people.
4. Urban planner As an urban planner or city employee, it's your job to provide the structure that allow your neighbors to lower their carbon footprint. Design mass transit systems, contain sprawl, encourage bicycling while discouraging driving, corral waste and recycling, curb power use ...
5. Sustainability expert From small companies to large corporations, we need savvy types who can show us how to green up our businesses without sacrificing productivity and profits.

(Photo credit:biewoef, stock.xchng)

Cold out, isn't it? But you don't want to crank that expensive wasteful gas heater, and blankets are just so 19th Century. Not to despair, my frigid eco-friends. Webecoist describes some unorthodox home-powering strategies that will impress your neighbors if you can actually pull them off.

A micro-trigeneration process is being developed at Newcastle University to use vegetable oil to provide heat, electricity and even functional air-conditioning to homes. Think of all the energy In-N-Out burger could glean from their excess vegetable oil. It's an energy that's not only clean but also cholesterol-free!

Continue reading 4 ways to power your home (and irk the energy company) ›

(Photo credit:hans s, flickr)