Mission:

Students completing the course of study through the Sustainable Living Center at Flint Hills Technical college and Emporia State University will develop an overall concept of sustainability. Through this understanding the student can evaluate his/her role in the environmental issues facing society and future generations.

Important Information:

Sustainability students will: 

• Be problem-solvers and critical thinkers
• Connect with communities
• Know the environmental impact of a business’s actions
• Be able to make recommendations that lessen a business’s impact and increase efficiencies
• Be fluent in conservation and reduction of waste
• Be familiar with environmental policies/regulations

Description:

The Department of Labor defines “green jobs” in two ways. Primary green jobs are those jobs which produce a green product or provide a green service while the second type, green support jobs, assists the performance of a primary green jobs by making a businesses’ production processes more environmentally friendly. They both can be tied into the core areas of producing renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency, agriculture and natural resource conservation, pollution prevention and environmental cleanup, and clean transportation and fuels. There are a large number of fields that a student can enter with an understanding of sustainability, and the demand is rising.

Career Paths:

Graduates will be prepared to seek career opportunities in a variety of areas, including:

• Agriculture and organic food production
• Energy management
• Conservation
• Transportation and fuels
• And more

The Industry:

A dramatic shift is occurring in business: companies are thinking bigger and longer term about sustainability, and even during these challenging economic times, many have increased their sustainability activities and commitments. This is an impressive indicator of the health of the green economy, as companies invest in green initiatives to decrease costs and gain competitive advantage rather than merely complying with regulations.
    
In 2009 a Clean Energy Economy study was done by Pew Charitable Trusts, and it showed that the number of jobs in the energy economy had grown 51% between 1998 and 2007.  This indicates that the growth of green jobs in Kansas was much faster than growth nationwide—sixth highest in the nation, in fact.  The importance of this knowledge will increase greatly in the coming years due to the rapid growth of careers that deal directly with environmental issues.

Many green jobs of the future have not even been developed yet so students will also be provided with skills to assist in identifying and creating opportunities.  Individuals will be trained to meet the needs of their communities by addressing the emerging issues of environmental change and sustainable development.

The Program:

Instructor(s):

Amy Becker, John Crisp