He may have lost the 2000 presidential election, but Al Gore definitely won for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Throughout the film, the former veep highlights various environmental lowlights with a bevy of facts and eye-opening images. Though many experts dispute the severity of global warming, there’s no doubt the dialogue has spawned government agencies, corporations, and universities across the country to ’sharpen their gaze’ when it comes to the environment.

If you’re a current or future college student looking to rush to arms and join the Green Revolution, consider one of the following environmental career paths:

Environmental Engineering: Though not new, constant technological and demographic changes make this an extremely dynamic field. Environmental engineers are constantly searching for safe and sustainable ways to harness natural resources for the betterment of society.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Those who work with geographic information systems capture and analyze large amounts of earth-related data using state-of-the-art computer systems and databases. Both government agencies and private corporations employ GIS technicians and analysts to plan, survey, and digitally map locations of environmental interest, e.g. wetlands and proposed construction sites.

Bio-fuel Technology: At $105 a barrel, the petroleum market is waaaaay out of hand. Bio-fuel technology programs throughout the nation are currently searching for ways to implement renewable fuel sources, especially corn- and sugar-based ethanol and bio-diesel.

Environmental & Natural Resources Law: With large corporations and small businesses adapting to new environmental standards, someone has to make sure they’re not cutting any corners. Though some believe that all lawyers should be super-glued to a downed ocean liner at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, attorneys working for the environment actually serve an important purpose.

Environmental Medicine: Those involved in this fast-growing field investigate how environmental issues impact the health of certain demographics. Harvard’s School of Public Health, for example, is currently researching the effects of ozone depletion on those with asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

The gamut of undergraduate and graduate programs related to environmental studies seems to be growing on a daily basis. Whether or not we’re actually in the middle of an energy crisis, or doomed to suffer from the sweltering heat of year-round triple-digit temperatures, it certainly couldn’t hurt to be prepared.