Local News

Courtesy Photo / amazon.ca

New green jobs guide showcases university's programs

By Molly Waite GVL Staff Writer
2/7/2010

With the recent publishing of Peterson's "Green Jobs for a New Economy: the Career Guide to Emerging Opportunities," Grand Valley State University has a reason to be proud of sustainability efforts on and around campus. The guide to green jobs listed GVSU among the top 50 four-year colleges and universities with excellently rated green programs.

"Peterson's believes that sustainability is an important part of the higher education market," said Stephen Clemente, president of Peterson's. "More students and parents are looking for colleges and universities that take sustainability seriously and have sustainable programs in place to address the myriad of issues and challenges that face our environment today. These colleges and universities will be at the forefront of the next generation of students who choose their college and university based on the school's environmental footprint."

Peterson's, a leading higher-education information provider in the U.S., provided the opportunity for all accredited U.S. two-year and four-year universities and colleges to answer a survey regarding sustainability programs at each respective school, Clemente said.

GVSU was listed in Peterson's guide for the university's sustainability initiatives and academic programs that focus on sustainability, student services, green events, buildings and grounds, transportation, food, recycling and alternative energy. University efforts in RecycleMania, a 10-week competition among schools to recycle the most campus waste, were also featured.

In addition, the inside front cover displayed a full-page, color advertisement for GVSU.

"There were additional opportunities for colleges and universities to expand upon their sustainability programs and provide the readers of this with added visibility into a school's various programs and initiatives on campus," Clemente said. "This added visibility will enable Grand Valley State University to be the first school that readers of this publication will see when they purchase this product."

Norman Christopher, executive director of the Sustainable Community Development Initiative at GVSU, said he was very pleased to discover the university's inclusion in the book.

"This shows that Grand Valley has made a commitment to sustainability, both inside and outside the classroom," Christopher said. "This guide is for people who are looking for schools with green programs, or people who are looking for a job in the new economy and want to come to a university with a great reputation for education in sustainability best practices."

Christopher stressed the importance of knowing where sustainable jobs are, describing it as a critical part of the new economy.

"Sustainability increases job opportunities," Christopher said. "Students need to know how to find jobs in sustainability, which is what Peterson's is doing,"

Clemente said jobs within the sustainability sector are expected to grow in the next five to 10 years. More and more schools now offer new majors that target these areas, including wind energy, solar power, biofuels, hybrid vehicle design and many other emerging areas of importance to the environment.

"Today's colleges and universities need to think about how they will prepare the next generation of students to address tomorrow's challenges in the area of sustainability," Clemente said. "This area has the potential to become the 'new frontier' for not only learning but jobs as well."

mwaite@lanthorn.com

Comments: