Community colleges to provide green jobs training

A new paper looks at the role the nation’s community colleges will play in the green collar economy.

Wed, Mar 18 2009 at 6:22 PM

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The National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE) and the Academy for Educational Development (AED) have joined forces on a paper that looks at the role community colleges will play in the nation’s emerging green collar economy. The report, Going Green: The Vital Role of Community Colleges in Building a Sustainable Future and Green Workforce (PDF), looks at the importance of community colleges as consumers and businesses embrace the green economy trend.

“Community colleges are at the forefront of this growing momentum for action on climate change, sustainability, and green workforce development. Across the country, colleges are exercising leadership and meeting their social mandate to create a thriving, healthy society by modeling ways to eliminate global warming emissions, creating living classrooms on campuses, integrating sustainability principles into curricula, and educating and preparing workers for new, reoriented, or emerging jobs in the clean energy economy.” Source: Going Green Report (PDF)

The report includes a few examples of sustainability projects currently used on community college campuses across the nation. Two of the projects spotlighted include the use of a biomass heating system at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Mass., and a geothermal heating and cooling system at John Wood Community College in Quincy, Ill.

The report ends with a list of six actionable items that will help community colleges get involved in this green economy and sustainability movement.

Read the entire report: Going Green: The Vital Role of Community Colleges in Building a Sustainable Future and Green Workforce (PDF).

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Comment: 1

Guest Mar 18 2009 at 8:20 PM

There could be no better investment in America than to invest in America becoming energy independent! We need to utilize everything in out power to reduce our dependence on foreign oil including using our own natural resources. Create cheap clean energy, new badly needed green jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.The high cost of fuel this past year seriously damaged our economy and society. The cost of fuel effects every facet of consumer goods from production to shipping costs. It costs

.... More

the equivalent of 60 cents per gallon to charge and drive an electric car. If all gasoline cars, trucks, and SUV's instead had plug-in electric drive trains the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota.We have so much available to us such as wind and solar. Let's spend some of those bail out billions and get busy harnessing this energy. Create cheap clean energy, badly needed new jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. What a win-win situation that would be for our nation at large! There is a really good new book out by Jeff Wilson called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now. http://www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com