EPA Apps for the Environment Contest

We all need help making informed decisions about environmental issues.

The EPA has put this challenge to the IT community.

Developers--student, academic, professional, or hobbyist--put your talents work to create an application that helps people make informed decisions about environmental issues that can affect their health.

Welcome 12 New Members, June

• Blackhawk Technical College, Wi.

• Elizabethtown Community & Technical College, Ky

• Gateway Community & Technical College, Ky

• Harrisburg Area Community College, Pa

• Hazard Community & Technical College, Ky

• Henderson Community College, Ky

• Maysville Community & Technical College, Ky

• Owensboro Community & Technical College, Ky

• Mid-State Technical College, Wi

• Northeast State Community College, Tn

• Pratt Community College, Ks

• Spokane Community & Technical College, Wa

Special thank you to AACC Sustainability Task Force Member Dr. Jay Box, Chancellor of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.   

Dr. Box's leadership has provided strong peer outreach throughout the state of Kentucky in the month of June, resulting in six new college members.  SEED looks forward to providing all member colleges strong green economy resources in the months to come.

SEED Center

Featured Resource

Learn how the National Science Foundation has made the grant process easier for, and is broadening it's impact on community colleges.

The AACC Community College Times has published helpful articles recently about the NSF funding process and opportunities for colleges, don't miss these key pieces:

NSF funding opportunities available to community colleges

NSF aims to make grant process easier for two-year colleges

Don't Miss... 

 Find a comprehensive list of events and announcements on theseedcenter.org.

Conferences:  

 National Harbor, Md.

July 23-27, 2011

See AACC & SEED featured at these upcoming partner conferences:

 USGBC's GREENBUILD

Toronto, Canada

Oct 4-7, 2011

 AASHE Conference & Expo

Pittsburg, Pa.

Oct 9-12, 2011

League for Innovation STEMtech 

Indianapolis, IN

October 2-5, 2011

Events & Webinars:

 Brookings Institution  

Webcast 7/13/11, 9 AM, EST 

Policy

What's Up on the Hill?

 7/14/11, 2PM EST

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) are local government/community initiatives that create permanent private sector jobs promote energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in our homes and commercial buildings.

Legislation recently introduced in Congress will enable municipalities to move ahead with PACE energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofit programs. Join PACENow.org to learn more.

Community College Monthly Sustainability Web Conf.

7/20/11, 1PM EST

Jim Elder from the Campaign for Environmental Literacy will discuss the current state of sustainability issues on Capitol Hill and how community colleges can help drive policy.

Issue 6, July 12, 2011

Green Wisconsin:  

First State with 100% AACC SEED Membership

This month I'd like to draw attention to the green economy successes of my Northern neighbor, Wisconsin.  With organic farming in the west, wind power in the central region, and clean diesel technology near Milwaukee and Kenosha, the green economy is diverse and growing in Wisconsin.  The state's technical college system is responding with over 30 certificate and degree programs directly tied to renewable energy and energy efficiency, and the "greening" of curriculum in nearly all of its over 300 occupational program areas. 

Wisconsin's 16 technical colleges have developed a comprehensive and coordinated job training system providing students with long-term careers meeting specific industry needs.  All 16 colleges are members of the SEED initiative-the first state to garner 100 % membership!  

My presidential colleague, and president of Lakeshore Technical College (LTC), Dr. Michael Lanser shared, "Clean energy is an important sector in Wisconsin and all our state's technical colleges are responding en force.  Through SEED we are able to showcase to industry and others that we are already building a skilled and technologically-savvy green workforce."

Congratulations to Wisconsin, your state's system offers many comprehensive green economy programs for student success and other colleges to learn from.  My own state of Illinois is in the race to 100% SEED participation, what will be the next state to earn this distinction?  Join us, and begin taking advantage of all the free resources SEED offers today. 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Jerry Weber

Chair, AACC Sustainability Task Force

President, College of Lake County

Success Stories  

Showcase Growing Green Economy Leadership

The SEED Success Stories series provides an in-depth look at community college strategies and best practices to creatively and successfully address local and regional workforce needs.  Published regularly after interviews and often site visits, SEED continues celebrating innovators in community college green workforce programs.

Newly published this month, explore:

Lakeshore Technical College (Wi.) Prepares Students and the Region for a Future in Clean Energies

Santa Fe Community College (Nm.) Organizational Change Built Around Sustainability 

Looking ahead, SEED will continue to feature institutions that have created innovative industry and community partnerships, training programs, and/or curriculum to support this green training.  We look forward to sharing the successes of our colleagues and their green programming initiatives at:

• Alfred State College, Ny.
• Community College of Philadelphia, Pa.
• Grand Rapids Community College, Mi.
• Kentucky Community & Technical College
• Los Rios Community College District, Ca.
• Milwaukee Area Technical College, Wi.
• Northern Maine Community College
• St. Louis Community College at Wildwood, Mo.

In addition to the in-depth Success Stories, don't miss SEED's Sustainability Snapshots, quick spotlights on member colleges' effective efforts to align job training today with labor market needs of tomorrow.  If your college has a Success Story or Sustainability Snapshot to share, let us know!

They're talking about us!

CNBC Highlights SEED,

Green Job Training at  

Community Colleges

More than $500 million of stimulus money for education is targeted for green job training, says recent CNBC article, "Hype Aside, Green Jobs Are For Real." The SEED Center is cited for it's free curricular resources and case studies.   

AACC Sustainability Task Force Chair, Dr. Jerry Weber, president College of Lake County, Il. said, "From health care to computer technology, community colleges have always provided the needed skilled workforce.  The emerging green economy is no different."

The article highlights the growing green industry and the efforts

Lane Community College Students, Solar Technician Program

of higher education institutions to meet the challenge of training students for green-collar jobs. Oregon SEED members Columbia Gorge and Lane Community Colleges are featured. 

SEED Colleges in the News

Butte College, Goes Grid Positive!

SEED Charter Member Butte College (Oroville, Ca.) made history June 29 by being the first higher education institution in the country to go 'grid positive'.  Butte will generate more electricity from its solar arrays than it consumes and it will deliver power back to the electrical grid. 

Hear from Butte's President, Dr. Diana Van Der Ploeg, and others at the college, about going grid positive. Click photo.

The college, which sits on a 928 acre wildlife refuge will save between $50 million and $75 million from its solar arrays over the next 15 years.

"Butte College has had a longstanding commitment to sustainability. Achieving grid-positive status marks the culmination of years of effort to build Butte College's supply of solar power and to improve energy efficiency on campus," said Dr. Diana Van Der Ploeg, Butte College president. "Having the support of the board of trustees, faculty, staff, and students was essential to making this achievement possible."

Butte College now operates a total of 25,000 solar panels that will generate enough electricity per year to power over 900 average-sized homes.

In addition to the solar projects, the college has developed sustainability related career and technical education programs; infused sustainability into existing curriculum; created a sustainability studies certificate; conducted numerous student-led green events and activities; gained Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification on its Arts Building and is awaiting final approval of Gold Certification on Student and Administrative Services, developed and implemented a number of sustainability-related workforce development activities; recycles over 75 percent of its waste stream and operates the largest community college transportation system in California.

Butte's leadership team has been at work to share their knowledge with the SEED community; President, Van Der Ploeg is an AACC Sustainability Task Force Member and Les Juaron, the college's Vice President for planning and information is on SEED's technical advisory committee.

SEED Member Colleges Win at ACUPCC Summit

Second Nature's Climate Leadership Award given at the Annual American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) Summit in Washington, DC last month went to Massachusetts' Bunker Hill and Mount Wachusett Community Colleges!

Bunker Hill Community College (Ma.) President, Mary Fifield has been working with the Executive staff to establish one of the College's goals of "Cultivating College-Wide Sustainability Initiatives" in an effort to develop new degree programming, integrate sustainability within existing programs and to promote the conservation of natural resources.  BHCC recently launched the Sustainability Mini-Grant program that provides incentives to promote and integrate sustainability within existing or new curriculum.  Read more... 

Mount Wachusett Community College (Ma.) President, Daniel Asquino, has led the college for more than twenty years at the forefront of the national climate movement. This was initiated when they converted its all-electric campus to biomass heating in 2002. The college dedicated two wind turbines late April, 2011 that are expected to produce 97 percent of the college's energy needs. With the college's biomass heating, 100KW photovoltaic array, and solar domestic hot water technologies incorporated into the mix, MWCC anticipates operating as a zero net energy campus and nearing carbon neutrality. Read more... 

Nominees for this prestigious award also included Alamo (Tx.), Chabot-Las-Positas (Ca.), El Paso (Tx.), Maricopa (Az.), and Wake Technical Community Colleges (Nc).  

SEED on the Road with UNCF

The UNCF Building Green Learning Institute convened its second workshop last month to bring together colleges and universities with nonprofits, government agencies, and business to further sustainability efforts at minority-serving institutions.  Two promising-practice colleges were highlighted as well as SEED and it's green economy resources, free to colleges.

Pam Daniel, program director of the Sustainable Communities Institute at Cedar Valley College, Tx. described the college's role in leading central Texas higher education efforts to train workers for careers in residential and commercial building performance. The college has trained hundreds of workers in this area who have received industry-recognized credentials and high wage jobs.

Frank Mercado, vice president of operations at Hudson County Community College, Nj. described his college's ongoing efforts to weave new sustainable campus design projects into Jersey City's urban community green planning activities.

Congratulations to Cedar Valley and Hudson County Community Colleges on advancing their green economy programs.