Supporting community colleges in educating for and building a green economy
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Resource Center

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Educational resources from SEED Center partners and corporate sponsors
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Resource Center

Instructions

The Resource Center is a curated collection of information organized around 7 green economy “Sectors” and 7 “Topics.” In time, more Sectors will be added. Topics represent those areas in which educators and workforce development professionals continue to seek direction.

You can search by sector or by topic. Or across all sectors and/or all topics.

You can also perform a keyword search of all resources on the top right of this page.

Overview

Solar

The solar industry is expected to show steady growth over the coming decade largely due to rising energy prices, advances in technology through public/private partnerships and investments, and continued enactment of federal and state policies and financial incentives. more >>

Wind

Wind power is considered a leading source of new electricity generation in the United States, with the potential of providing 20% of the nation’s energy needs by 2030. more >>

Green Building

The green building market has expanded five fold over the last three years to a $48 billion national market—and is projected to triple in the next five years. more >>

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is considered the foundation of a vibrant and sustainable green economy, and one of the most cost effective ways to lower energy consumption, reduce operating costs, and mitigate carbon emissions. more >>

Sustainability Education

Sustainability education refers generally to learning experiences that enable students to develop the knowledge, behaviors and skills to help create healthier ecosystems, social systems, and economies. For the purposes of the SEED Center, this includes resources to help build non-credit continuing education for the incumbent workforce and integrating sustainability curriculum into existing credit programs. more >>

Sustainable Ag., Food & Land

The Sustainable Ag., Food & Land sector covers the areas of organic farming, horticulture, culinary art, and landscaping. This sector includes organizations and resources that integrate environmental, social and economic factors into land use, food preparation, and land specific practices in an attempt to create a more sustainable future. more >>

General Clean Tech

The General Clean Tech sector is a space for resources that encompass multiple ‘green’ sectors. Many are applicable to the broader clean economy and sustainability-related technology and will serve the general clean tech community. Resources also provide valuable information on sectors that are experiencing substantive development in the sustainability realm, like manufacturing and smart grid. more >>

Transportation and Fuels

The Transportation & Fuels sector covers the area of electric and hybrid vehicle development and maintenance, other forms of alternative and sustainable transportation, natural gas, fuel cells, battery storage, and renewable fuels sources including ethanol, biodiesel, algae, and methane. more >>

Certifications and Industry Credentials

Certainly, one of the biggest challenges facing green educators is the rapid and mostly uncoordinated emergence of green certifications and credentials. more >>
 

Curricular Materials

These resources and materials have been vetted by industry and education experts, and while not in the form of specific educator tools, will assist in creating quality curricula for your classroom. more >>

You will find more specific educator tools (e.g. syllabi, lab manuals, lesson plans, special classroom projects, equipment lists, etc.) submitted by SEED member colleges in our Curricular Materials Sharing Portal.

Employment Industry Projections

While job training providers have been quite active in past years working with local industry to define the emerging green jobs market and potential job growth areas, most still struggle to forecast accurately regional occupational demand. The U.S. Department of Labor has made recent strides toward classifying green occupations and competencies which will help communities define and track green jobs (and colleges to design appropriate education and training programs). Given the uncertain renewable energy and efficiency industry outlook, and rapidly changing technologies, access to the most up-to-date industry studies and employment projections will be critical. more >>

Innovative Practices & Partnerships

The job creation potential of the green economy has led to some unique job training and economic development partnerships and collaborations. more >>

Professional Development Resources

This section includes promising facilitated learning opportunities, including “train the trainer” programs, standing conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice for faculty and staff seeking to further their knowledge of industry trends and requirements. more >>

Policy & Funding Sources

Included you will find links and descriptions of agencies and organizations that typically fund sustainability and green job training initiatives as well as those that provide important information on national legislation and policies relevant to the clean energy sector. CHECK BACK AS MORE ARE ADDED. This section also highlights resources that provide guidance on how to supply input into program and grant design for certain agency solicitations. more >>

Skill sets, Competencies & Career Pathways

This section includes lists and assessments of skill sets and competencies tied to the green economy – across the broad industry as well as within specific sectors. It also includes some critical resources that colleges can use to align programs and facilitate student transitions. Included are green energy competency models and newly-developed career pathways that allow movement across educational and training programs. more >>

Sector: Topic:

Featured Resources

Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) Seminars
AEE seminar listings, where you can register online for both Live and Online training programs. AEE seminars will earn you Continuing Education Units (CEU) and Professional Development Hours (PDH) credit, which can be applied toward training requirements for P.E. license renewal in most states, as well as toward maintaining all AEE professional certifications.
Free Energy Efficiency Online Training Materials
This Energy Star website includes annimated and self-guided presentation as well as pre-recorded training on how-to improve energy performance.
Advanced Manufacturing Office Training Sessions and Downloadable Webinars (EERE)
The Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) office of Advanced Manufacturing offers system-wide and component-specific training programs to help run plants and businesses more efficiently. The training is offered throughout the year and around the country.
Sustainable Building Advisor Institute (SBAi) 9-month Certification Program

The Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) Program is offered over the course of nine months, with two full days of class each month. Upon completion of the SBA Program and CSBA Exam, students will earn the designation of Certified Sustainable Building Advisor (CSBA). Local SBA Providers are encouraged to augment the national curriculum with a regional perspective.

Webinar: Help Your Students and Their Employers Understand How to Grow Green Jobs
This webinar shares concepts, learning outcomes and learning activities you can easily incorporate in your courses to create more success for your students and for the businesses where they will work. Educating our students for green jobs and careers often requires going beyond the teaching of technological skills and knowledge. A successful green business employee also needs an understanding of how to effectively communicate about the green product and how to help the employer understand and utilize the successful green business models. Yet these items are often missing in our curricula. Standard marketing, sales and business courses do not address this problem.
Weatherization Assistance Program Technical Assistance Center (WAPTAC) Weatherization Curricula, Competencies, and Training Tool
Weatherization Curricula, Competencies, and Training Tool from the Weatherization Assistance Program Technical Assistance Center (WAPTAC).

More Resources

Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC)
The Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC) has free materials in energy efficiency, renewable energies, and other environmental topics. In addition to curricula and instructional materials, it includes occupational analyses and workforce analyses and trends.
DOE Smart Grid Investment Grants Information
Information on Recovery Act: Smart Grid Investment Grants - For Recipients, Archived News & Other Press Releases, and Case Studies. Also view the main page for other information as well as the Workforce Training Programs and Projects page to find locations in your region.
Energy Education & Workforce Development (DOE: EERE)
The Energy Education & Workforce Development website, brought to you by the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy resource, provides you with clean energy literacy and career information, teaching materials, and information on programs and other topics. Also view the Teach page for many creative lesson plans, labs and projects.
CareerOneStop - Competency Model Clearinghouse
A clearinghouse of competency model frameworks. Includes high-growth industries such as Energy Generation, Transmission, and Distribution and Advanced Manufacturing (including green manufacturing principles). Developed through a collaborative effort involving the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and various industry organizations.
North Carolina Solar Center
The North Carolina Solar Center, at N.C. State University, advances a sustainable energy economy by educating, demonstrating and providing support for clean energy technologies, practices, and policies. The N.C. Solar Center serves as a resource for innovative, clean energy technologies through demonstration, technical assistance, outreach and training. It also administers the Database of Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE), a resource providing financial incentives and policies.
Problem & Case Based Learning: Making Learning Real
This site provides informational resources on a desired pedagogy for quality sustainability education - how to educate via real world problem based learning, Education for a sustainable future teaches students systemic thinking and change agent skills so they can help solve societal problems.
Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) Seminars
AEE seminar listings, where you can register online for both Live and Online training programs. AEE seminars will earn you Continuing Education Units (CEU) and Professional Development Hours (PDH) credit, which can be applied toward training requirements for P.E. license renewal in most states, as well as toward maintaining all AEE professional certifications.
Building Performance Institute (BPI) Professional Development Training Offerings
BPI's listing of professional development training events related to primarily residential energy auditing and retrofits. This section lists primary training events that lead to BPI certification and is limited to events reported to BPI by their affiliates.
Consortium for Education in Renewable Energy Technology (CERET) Technical Training and Education in Renewable Energy Technologies
CERET offers in-person and online technical training to incumbent workers, students, K-12 and higher education teachers in renewable energy technologies and energy management. Educational institutions can adopt all or part of the CERET educational materials. CERET partners collaborate to offer a Renewable Energy Certificate.
Free Energy Efficiency Online Training Materials
This Energy Star website includes annimated and self-guided presentation as well as pre-recorded training on how-to improve energy performance.
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This resource made possible with the generous support from the Kresge Foundation