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Nurturing Green Industry Through Education 

By Wendy Evers, Senior Director of Program Development, SDSU College of Extended Studies & Jean LeBlanc, Marketing, CES

In every corner of the globe, green energy and sustainability projects are emerging. More than two million people in advanced industrial nations currently work in renewable energy.

By year-end 2008, more than 4,200 green energy and sustainability projects were in operation or under construction worldwide, up from only 60 initiatives in 2004. A quick look at a few of the countries involved in green industry reveals the following:

• China’s 1,557 green energy projects in place or underway employ more than a million people.
• India has 1,135 renewable energy projects underway.
• Brazil's biofuels sector has created nearly a million jobs annually.
• Germany's $240 billion renewable-energy industry employs 250,000 people, and by 2020 is expected to surpass the auto industry as the nation’s largest employer.
• Britain is investing $100 billion on 7,000 wind turbines by 2020, creating 160,000 jobs.
• France has committed hundreds of millions of euros for energy-conserving retrofits, generating 200,000 jobs over the next dozen years.

"By 2012, we estimate that over 8,000 projects may be up and running or in the pipeline generating financial flows...of well over $30 billion,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director.

“Globally, the U.N. Environment Program estimates that investment in low-greenhouse energy will reach $1.9 trillion by 2020,” added Ban Ki Moon, secretary-general of the United Nations. “The financial crisis may slow this trend. But capital will continue to flow into green ventures despite harder economic times.

“I think of it as seed money for a wholesale reconfiguration of global industry,” he stated.

A transition to a green economy can only heighten the demand for skilled workers. Filling these positions requires access to relevant training programs, and higher education institutions are meeting the need with certificate and degree programs.

San Diego State University (SDSU) has recognized an increasing demand for employees and leaders with a working knowledge of sustainability who can approach its complex problems and solutions by drawing from different disciplines. “How do we turn today’s dreams of a sustainable future into tomorrow’s reality?” stated Joe Shapiro, San Diego State University’s dean of the College of Extended Studies (CES). “By collaboration between the City of San Diego, business, government, industry, education and individuals, beginning with green certificate programs like these. Sustainability is no longer an option, it’s a mandate - a responsibility we all need to embrace with a passion and a life-long commitment.”

San Diego State University (SDSU) offers two professional certificates in green industry that can be earned online: Green Building Construction and also Renewable Energy and Green Energy Management. The programs have earned such high marks that the City of San Diego elected to sponsor the program. "We are pleased to be partnering with the SDSU on these cutting-edge online green industry career programs to encourage sustainability efforts and develop a green workforce, vital to attracting and retaining cleantech companies in the region," said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders.

The Online Professional Green Building Construction Program attracts professionals interested in the implementation of sustainable building tools and strategies, including designers, contractors, subcontractors and builders, planners and commissioners, facilities managers, and environmental engineers. Five online classes offered year-round include “Fundamentals of Green Building Design and Construction,” “Construction Materials and Processes,” “Building Information Modeling (BIM) with an Emphasis on Green Construction,” “Building Green Buildings - The Contractor's Perspective,” and “LEED for New Construction - Applying the Guidelines.”

The Online Professional Certificate in Renewable Energy and Green Energy Management teaches the fundamentals and components of green energy management, and is designed for environmental engineers, architects, contractors and subcontractors, along with plant facility managers and corporate managers. The five courses offered year-round online include “Introduction to Green Thermal Systems,” “Energy Conversion and Management,” “HVAC for Green Buildings,” “Solar Energy Conversion,” and “Energy Audit and Management.”

By acquiring the skills to integrate various fields of knowledge, SDSU’s sustainability students are preparing themselves for a variety of careers finding solutions to challenges involving energy, materials and technology, climate, water, economy and society, governance and policy, and urbanization. Director Wendy Evers says, “Green jobs are the wave of the future. As states and countries pass legislative green initiatives, a new workforce will emerge, similar to the IT industry.”

For additional information on the certificate programs or individual classes, along with registration information, visit www.neverstoplearning.net/greenindustry or email wevers@mail.sdsu.edu.

SDSU's College of Extended Studies offers courses and certificate programs globally via the Internet. Career advancement courses are offered in many areas of management, leadership, and quality improvement while self-enrichment courses range from astronomy to web design.