A story in the Community College Times notes that creating new training programs for clean energy jobs isn't always an easy path. As budgets tighten, school-to-school collaborations like the one at Laramie Community College for wind training, which also includes students from Delta College and Pueblo Community College, help to ease the strain. 

The story notes, "Given the high start-up costs for wind energy programs, Schmidt said he thought LCCC’s resources could be more fully utilized to help other colleges. The collaboration with Delta and PCC, which have well-established industrial maintenance and engineering technology programs, is the demonstration test. Beginning in June 2010, LCCC will offer intense, month-long wind technology courses to Delta and PCC students. The students will stay in LCCC dorms and will likely pay out-of-state tuition, though this is among the details still being worked out by the colleges. The students’ degree programs will require them to return to LCCC for a second intense session the following summer."

Michael Schmidt, program director of wind energy technology at LCCC, says that the school's partnership could help to reduce the burden of teaching new curriculum, but adds, "It’s an immature industry. We’re not really sure how things are going to develop over the next several years."

Over 300 young people and students showed up at Lansing last weekend for Power Shift Michigan, an event intended to give activists, students, and community members a chance to take action on climate issues. Power Shift events are also taking place in other states this fall, such as Virginia and Missouri, all following up from the national Power Shift conference and rally that took place at the beginning of the year and brought more than 12,000 young people to the U.S. Capitol.

During a rally on Sunday, October 11th, Michigan students marched to the state capitol, carrying banners which said, “Senators Stabenow and Levin: We Want Bold Climate Action Now” and “Michigan wants Green Jobs Now.” Participants also signed hundreds of post cards and wrote letters to the two Senators, telling them that the youth of Michigan want strong, comprehensive climate legislation in 2009.

Not content with carrying signs, students also incorporated community service projects into the weekend's activities: 

• A bike co-op was started for the City of Lansing: two days after the conference the Power Shift committee was told that people have already begun to use the co-op for alternative transportation methods
• An urban garden was planted that the Michigan State University students will help maintain
• GreenNation was launched to address social equity through the green movement

Power Shift Michigan was covered by The Collegiate, Central Michigan Life, BusinessLansing, The State News, WLNS, and The Detroit News. The Power Shift Michigan site also has video uploads and blog entries about the event. 

USA TODAY has a new story on campus sustainability, focused on the rise of degree programs that prepare students to work in sustainability fields, such as green construction or sustainable business:

"David Soto of The Princeton Review says student interest is driving colleges to create programs that offer training in sustainability. Two-thirds of students surveyed for the company's recent "College Hopes and Worries" survey said a college's 'environmental commitment' would be a factor in where they applied."

The story also highlights the rise in technical programs at community colleges, such as Kalamazoo's 26-week program in wind turbine operation:

"Jim DeHaven, vice president for economic and business development at the college, says the school is offering the program to meet the needs of wind farms that are "scrambling" for trained technicians.'They can really write their own future at this point because they're needed at all the wind farms,' he says. 'They don't want us to wait and put people through a two-year program or a one-year certification — they want a fast track to employment.'"

What's interesting is the assumption that students will be able to find jobs easily in these disciplines, and that trained workers are already in demand for certain energy fields. Even a recession won't dampen hiring in all sectors: economists say that certain careers, such as health care, are usually immune to all but the most dramatic market fluctuations. However, it's less common to see climbing demand during bad economic times. The shift may signify that green careers in energy, environmental engineering and other sustainability fields are not only popular among students, but also make up a growing segment of the workforce.

Last week, President Obama announced the creation of the American Graduation Initiative, which is expected to funnel $12 billion to community colleges to educate underemployed or unemployed workers in preparation for the day when the economy swings upwards again.

"..[T]he hard truth is that some of the jobs that have been lost in the auto industry and elsewhere won’t be coming back," said Obama. "They are casualties of a changing economy. And that only underscores the importance of generating new businesses and industries to replace the ones we’ve lost, and of preparing our workers to fill the jobs they create." 

The plan calls for an additional 5 million community college graduates by 2020--about 6 million are currently attending--and provides those students with a pathway to completing a four-year degree, if they so choose. About $9 billion will go towards two grant programs intended to better track promising strategies for teaching and learning and increase completion rates. Some money will also go towards renovating facilities, providing more guidance to students exiting high school, and expanding online educational opportunities.

So, is this good news for green jobs education and training, which we've talked about here, here, and here? Maybe.

While clean energy is a platform of the Obama administration, the $12 billion, which would be disbursed over the next ten years, hasn't been specifically dedicated to green jobs training. Until the budget committee makes its allocations, the focus on renewable energy training won't be clear, but so far it looks as if the program is making immediate employment, not clean energy, its primary concern.

However, the shift towards training workers for careers in sustainability may not need federal support, simply because it's already inevitable. A recent UN report predicted the creation of more than 20 million jobs worldwide in clean energy and other green fields by 2030, and many of those jobs are what's termed "middle-skilled," requiring a level of education that is greater than high school but less than a Bachelor's degree. (Job opportunities in health care are also expected to rise.)

Community colleges are expected to take on the bulk of this training because they are typically more agile and diverse than liberal arts schools, and have access to different populations of students. These schools also tend to be very connected to local employers, and have good data on the jobs available to their graduates, which means that in many regions, they are expanding their clean energy programs in response to demand. So, the AGI funds that go to those schools may help to support green jobs by default, though it's not yet the explicit support that advocates, including National Wildlife Federation, hope for.

We'll watch as the allocations are made in the next few months, and see where this goes.

A new amendment to the 2009 energy bill is designed to fund job training at community colleges in renewable and alternative energy fields.

This amendment, sponsored by Senator Wyden (D-Ore.) would authorize $500 million ($100 million per year for five years) to ensure that workers are ready to create, install and maintain wind, solar, biomass and geothermal projects. Once passed, the bill authorizes the Department of Energy to fund programs at 1,200 American community colleges, with half of the funds going towards schools who already have strong programs in place. 

A letter sent on Monday by National Wildlife Federation to Senators Bingaman and Murkowski, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, supported the inclusion of provisions for community colleges and stated, "This amendment would establish a community college-based training and education program for sustainable and alternative energy technologies such as wind energy technicians, energy auditors, geothermal energy technicians, and energy efficient construction."

Organizations such as NWF and the American Association of Community Colleges also point out that this amended bill supports education and training for workers in sustainable agriculture and farming. Recent articles in ClimateEdu and the Chronicle of Higher Education have explored the issue of teaching sustainable agriculture, but focused on liberal arts schools like Warren Wilson College and the University of Montana. Community colleges have largely stayed out of the farming arena (Central Carolina Community College being one of a few notable exceptions), but may soon be able to take advantage of federal funds for such projects.

However, such a day is still far off. The New York Times reports that the bill is still in early drafting stages, and due to the inclusion of mandatory limits on carbon emissions through a cap-and-trade market, lacks Republican support.

Our own Xarissa Holdaway has a story at WorldChanging that describes how some California community colleges are experimenting with green-collar training programs.

In many regions, early reports suggest there are not enough workers to meet demand for wind, solar and geothermal projects, while some states find the opposite: that there are more trained professionals than there are jobs. A report from the National Council on Workforce Education states,

"[M]any jobs that are currently, or predicted to be, in demand are ‘middle-skilled’ jobs that require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree. It is important to note that although there will be a growing number of new green occupations requiring new knowledge, skills, and abilities, it is expected that the majority will be transformed from existing jobs, requiring a redefinition of skill sets, methods, and occupational profiles."

To more accurately predict when and where workers will be required, not to mention training these workers, she reports that community colleges are turning to local organizations and pioneering a new collaborative model that can "respond to trends in clean and green technology." One such project, the New Energy Workforce (NEW) Initiative, a partnership between Bay Area community colleges and regional workforce investment boards, is able to conduct courses, research employment opportunities, and share successful curricula between schools. 

Kitty O'Doherty, convener of the NEW project, says, "This is a call for new levels of collaboration. We convened the Workforce Investment Boards and the colleges in our region in February, and both groups are extremely committed. They [WIBs] are going to have the funding to place people in these jobs, and we're going to have the training. The common mission of preparing individuals for meaningful careers and creating a well-qualified workforce for our region is a very compelling motivator."

Tomorrow ASU celebrates the new home of its Global Institute of Sustainability, which was recently renovated with an eye towards purchasing as many recycled and recyclable materials as possible. Recycled milk-jugs and aluminum cans are incorporated into countertops, light and motion-sensor lamps respond to natural light to save energy, and conference room chairs are made from 95% recycled materials.

Six wind turbines, each expected to provide about 1,000 watts, have been installed on the roof and will be turned on as soon as roof renovations are complete. Room has also been left for future solar panels, and the building is currently pursuing LEED certification.

While some of these features are cool, we're more interested in what will be going on in the building: the 30-year-old Global Institute of Sustainability is dedicated to conducting research and education programs supporting ecologically-friendly cities and communities, often using nearby Phoenix as a living laboratory. GIOS has developed curricula for k-12 education as well as graduate and undergraduate degrees, and helps to support ASU's goals of sustainable campus development.

Image: ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability, via ASU News

Christopher Hill, a biochemistry professor at the University of Utah, recently published a great op-ed in the Daily Utah Chronicle about the potential of wind power at his campus. Currently about 9% of the university's grid power comes from wind turbines, but with a very small percentage of additional per-student costs, this amount could be increased dramatically:

"One hundred percent of the U's share of grid electricity would come from new wind sources if the ASUU [Associated Students of the University of Utah] donation were increased by $10 per student per semester, each faculty and staff member donated $30 per year, or the administration contributed less than 0.04 percent of total U revenue."

We are especially impressed that individual departments can campaign for wind power (see the breakdown here) to cover their share of electricity needs. Many are already at 100% or more! It's a very tangible way for campus offices to get involved on a voluntary basis, and see the results of their involvement.

Photo credit www.nrel.gov

Babson College, a Boston-area university that is consistently ranked #1 by US News and World Report for Entrepreneurship programs, recently announced plans for the installation of a demonstration wind turbine. It's more than just a pretty face: the residential-scale Skystream 3.7 will not only provide instruction, but will also generate approximately 400 kilowatt-hours per month--more than half the energy required for school's entrepreneurship gallery.

Executed by a diligent student-led effort, the plan's success can be attributed to the Babson Energy and Environmental Club (BEEC). This group, spear-headed by three graduate students, raised $5,000 towards the turbine's purchase price with an e-waste recycling campaign and donations. The club is also involved in other sustainability initiatives on campus, such as a fleet of electric and biofuel vehicles, the installation of electricity and water metering devices, and programs designed to slash energy use during school holidays.

The ground-breaking ceremony, as well as a campus Entrepreneurial Energy Expo, is scheduled for March 27th, 2008.

It's hard to forget about the renewable power of wind when you're in the presence of the 365 foot, 1.65 megawatt wind turbine perched near the summit of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. A few miles from St. Olaf I get my first glimpse of the tower, which fades in and out of sight as I drive through the contours of farmland. Three huge blades spin across an otherwise unblemished skyline, efficiently harvesting "a crop of kilowatts" from the air while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

A few minutes later, I meet Pete Sandberg, Assistant Vice President of Facilities, who has agreed to give me a tour of the many green facets of campus. At each stop –- the composting building, the wetlands, the prairie, and the organic farm –- I look for the turbine to orient myself. It stands as a perpetual witness of St. Olaf’s environmental commitment, described on St. Olaf’s sustainability website as "a Statue of Liberty and a declaration of independence, freeing people from their unthinking dependence on fossil fuels." Pete informs me that the project cost a total of $2.5 million to build; $1.5 million came from the utility Xcel Energy, which Minnesota’s legislature has required to fund renewable energy projects. Annually, the turbine provides up to 1/3 of St. Olaf’s electricity, or 5.7 million kWh, and a savings of about $295,000 per year.

While the bottom line is an important consideration for St. Olaf, Pete reveals that the college is equally or more concerned about doing what is right – right for the education of its students, right for its relationship with the land, and right from a perspective of moral values and its Lutheran faith. What does this mean in practice? A diverse and dedicated group of environmental stewards on campus have worked on projects like reforesting previously mowed areas with groves of trees (which store carbon and save on fuel, equipment, and labor), developing sustainable design guidelines, which declare that the college will reuse and recycle all demolition waste (90% on a recent project, which slashed tipping fees and the energy used to manufacture new materials), and restoring agricultural and other surrounding lands to their natural condition before European settlers arrived. By incorporating a range of educational, environmental, social, and financial considerations into its decision-making processes, St. Olaf has seamlessly integrated an environmental ethic throughout the work of the college.

We head back toward the core of campus and contemplate the turbine from up close, its steady motion audible in the crisp, May breeze. I close my eyes and hear the ocean advancing and retreating along an ever-shifting shoreline. Pete tells me that initially there were comments from students in the nearest residence hall that they could hear the turbine and were concerned it might be an issue. But after a while, the concern subsided as the gentle sound receded further into the background and the structure simply became another feature of their environment.  A feature, I imagine, that is a source of pride, a symbol of our potential to safeguard the livelihoods of our children and co-exist peacefully with other species. Most of all, it is proof that colleges have the power -- whether wind, solar, geothermal, or biomass – to rekindle hope in human ingenuity and reverse our toll on the Earth’s climate.