Most kids want to be firemen or princesses when they grow up. But Jeni Rogers was different--she wanted to save the world.

Now Rogers is living her dream. The 35-year-old is working a job she helped define, as director of strategy and sustainability at the brand strategy and design firm Addis Creson in Berkeley, Calif. That means she brainstorms eco-friendly branding ideas for green companies. So not only is she working toward making the planet green, she is making a pretty decent living, too.

These days, you can make green by being green. No longer do environmentalists need to take a vow of poverty before starting their careers. Global giants ranging from Google to General Motors are making room in the corner office for executives with titles like chief sustainability officer and chief environmental officer.

Rogers believes there are many career opportunities that integrate sustainability into mainstream businesses. Many companies don't understand what to change because they don't have the experience or expertise. "There is a tremendous opportunity for people with the understanding and tools to implement more sustainable businesses," she says.

In further proof that it's possible to support the environment while living a comfortable lifestyle, postings for environment-related jobs on TheLadders.com, a job search site for $100,000-a-year and more jobs, have increased by 25% over the past year.

As companies become more open-minded about corporate sustainability, Rogers believes the flexibility she found in her company will become more common. Others agree.

"We've gotten to the point where the environment is way too important to be left to environmental departments," says Joel Makower, author of Strategies for the Green Economy.

Environmental engineers are well positioned to profit from this trend. Demand is predicted to grow more than 25% over the next eight years and many of these engineers will make well over $100,000 a year. Many environmental engineers work as consultants, helping their clients find ways to decrease the environmental impact of their projects.

For those in law school, environmental law has a bright future. Environmental lawyers have the potential to earn just as much as their counterparts in other areas of law, with salaries exceeding $145,000 a year.

Those with a more creative bent may find an outlet in industrial design. Industrial designers have control over many elements of manufacturing from selecting the materials to designing the packaging, and they can directly impact the creation of environmentally friendly products.

Mathematicians and scientists hold many of the best paying green jobs. Climatologists, who study climate changes, may be consulted in the design of anything from buildings to heating systems. They can expect to make in the six digits at an experienced level. And environmental scientists can also make more than $100,000 a year studying our air, food and soil.

What can you do to develop your own eco-friendly career? One option is to work for a company that will train you in the field, or you can search executive job sites such as TheLadders.com for green jobs you may not even know exist.

Another option is to consider getting a formal education in the field. Rogers got an MBA in 2003 at Presidio School of Management, a business school in San Francisco that focuses on sustainability. Stanford also offers a sustainable-business MBA, as does Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vt.

"Rather than flooding the business world with environmentalists," Makower says, "we need people with traditional skills that understand challenges and opportunities in a growing green economy."

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