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Environmental planner vs environmental educator

The differences between environmental planners and environmental educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an environmental planner, becoming an environmental educator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an environmental planner has an average salary of $71,174, which is higher than the $43,754 average annual salary of an environmental educator.

The top three skills for an environmental planner include federal regulations, water quality and wetland delineations. The most important skills for an environmental educator are CPR, natural history, and curriculum development.

Environmental planner vs environmental educator overview

Environmental PlannerEnvironmental Educator
Yearly salary$71,174$43,754
Hourly rate$34.22$21.04
Growth rate4%12%
Number of jobs30,22722,600
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4346
Years of experience124

What does an environmental planner do?

Environmental planners are in charge of performing research and analysis to reduce the environmental impact of a company's business procedures and operations. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to attain environmentally friendly operations, optimizing processes for sustainability, liaising with clients to gain perspective, and coordinating with different departments to ensure that all processes adhere to the company's environmental policies and regulations. Furthermore, as an environmental planner, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, all while addressing and resolving any issues or concerns with the subject.

What does an environmental educator do?

An Environmental Educator engages youth, teachers, and the public in raising the awareness of environmental issues. They work with elementary or high schools, nature reserves, or nonprofit organizations.

Environmental planner vs environmental educator salary

Environmental planners and environmental educators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Environmental PlannerEnvironmental Educator
Average salary$71,174$43,754
Salary rangeBetween $52,000 And $95,000Between $28,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAChicago, IL
Highest paying stateWest VirginiaAlaska
Best paying companySanta Clara Valley Water DistrictStudent Conservation Association
Best paying industryRetailConstruction

Differences between environmental planner and environmental educator education

There are a few differences between an environmental planner and an environmental educator in terms of educational background:

Environmental PlannerEnvironmental Educator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorEnvironmental ScienceEnvironmental Science
Most common collegeUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of Pennsylvania

Environmental planner vs environmental educator demographics

Here are the differences between environmental planners' and environmental educators' demographics:

Environmental PlannerEnvironmental Educator
Average age4346
Gender ratioMale, 52.7% Female, 47.3%Male, 34.6% Female, 65.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 13.1% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage13%16%

Differences between environmental planner and environmental educator duties and responsibilities

Environmental planner example responsibilities.

  • Lead multiple asbestos abatement projects.
  • Manage multiple-site environmental due diligence and asbestos remediation projects.
  • Prepare community profiles, statistical summaries and maps using ArcGIS.
  • Work closely with FEMA program managers to ensure comprehensive NEPA compliance for multiple sites.
  • Conduct desktop analyses using ArcGIS software, prepare final maps, and perform field verification of environmental resources.
  • Apply GIS analysis of development proposals to identify and verify design conflicts.
  • Show more

Environmental educator example responsibilities.

  • Collect GPS data with Trimble unit for interactive map.
  • Contract at end of term for assignments and train new AmeriCorps.
  • Develop hands on educational programs and activities for students' grades k-12.
  • Develop, plan and instruct outdoor and animal education programs for Pre-K to adult students.
  • Plan, organize and instruct various public environmental outreach programs to pre-k through adult audiences.
  • Participate in IEP meetings, parent- teacher conferences as well as faculty and staff meetings.
  • Show more

Environmental planner vs environmental educator skills

Common environmental planner skills
  • Federal Regulations, 21%
  • Water Quality, 19%
  • Wetland Delineations, 7%
  • FEMA, 6%
  • Environmental Assessments, 5%
  • Private Client, 5%
Common environmental educator skills
  • CPR, 13%
  • Natural History, 8%
  • Curriculum Development, 8%
  • Environmental Education Programs, 6%
  • Environmental Science, 5%
  • Outdoor Education, 5%

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