According to the Center for Sustainable Systems, over 83% of Americans live in cities or their surrounding metropolitan areas.

Reducing resource consumption, suburban sprawl, and pollution has become a major focus for cities and counties in the past few decades.

Local Governments Lead the Way in Sustainable Practices

In addition to creating new paid positions to promote sustainable practices, local governments have encouraged ride sharing, recycling, water conservation, community gardens, urban reforestation, green building, and the use of solar energy.

Want to do your part in helping to protect the environment?

Tips for Promoting Environmental Sustainability in Recruitment

Here are some tips for promoting environmental sustainability in your recruitment practices.

• Use online advertising whenever possible. It’s more affordable and better for the environment.
• When advertising positions, list bus lines or alternative modes of transportation that serve city hall/county administration or other locations for testing and interviews.
• As much as possible, promote online (paper-free) applications.
• When listing the benefits of working for your city, be sure to include a sentence or two about job perks that promote sustainability such as free bus tokens for commuters, the availability of CSA (community supported agriculture) deliveries, city employee sponsored tree plantings, etc.
• Add your community’s statement about its commitment to environmental sustainability to the Human Resources home page.
• To reduce car trips by job candidates, consider doing first-round interviews by telephone or Zoom.
• To cut down on the brochures and flyers you pass out at job fairs, make it easy for job seekers to learn more about available positions by creating a QR code for your employment page.

Have you implemented policies or practices to support environmental sustainability in staff recruitment? Email your best ideas to info@mynpsj.com for a chance to win Nationwide Public Sector Job’s first ever Green Recruiter Recognition Award.

🏆 Nationwide Public Sector Jobs Green Recruiter Recognition Award – Terms and Conditions

We’re inviting submissions for our first-ever Green Recruiter Recognition Award. Have you implemented policies or practices to support environmental sustainability in staff recruitment? Send us a description of your sustainable practices, and your agency could win an award!

This contest is open to all public sector agencies (city, county, special districts). To enter, submit a 100-word or less description of your sustainable practices in recruitment on or before April 22, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. Pacific to info@mynpsj.com.

Four winners will receive a Green Recruiter Recognition Award. Entries will be judged by Nationwide Public Sector Jobs staff based on creativity and relevance. Winners will be notified via email on or around April 25, 2025.

By submitting your entry, you grant Nationwide Public Sector Jobs permission to use your entry with attribution in print, online, or in promotional materials. Contact information collected will only be used to notify the winner and will not be shared or used for any other purpose. No purchase or payment is necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited by law. Nationwide Public Sector Jobs reserves the right to modify or cancel the contest at any time.