The US economy is slowly recovering we hear but for many people it doesn’t feel that way, with high unemployment and slow economic growth still challenging millions of Americans. As hard as it can be our changing economy is also creating great opportunities for businesses that deliver sustainability, creating healthy, balanced, and productive lives. The greater our challenges the more we need solutions like these and yet most of us still don’t know how to unlock the potential of sustainability. The key is- sustainability training and education.

There has been quite a bit in the news recently about the need for training programs to help people move into new careers and businesses, particularly green business training. Opportunities for new careers and businesses haven’t gone away, but are moving to growing fields like sustainability that require a new knowledge base.

Renewable Energy Programs

For some, green business training comes in the form of vocational programs for growing fields like solar power and wind power that have a bright future ahead as our energy sector shifts toward clean, renewable resources. There are many great programs available in these fields, such as the Solar Living Institute, and a growing number of community colleges have programs related to renewable energy and energy efficiency contracting.

MBA in Sustainability?

The opportunities for sustainability training are not limited to renewable energy though. Universities and business schools like the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco are training a new generation of MBAs to incorporate sustainability in the business world, following the examples of green leaders like Hunter Lovins and Fortune 500 companies like Wal-Mart who have invested heavily in sustainability and reaped significant rewards.

Eco-Consultant Certification

Getting an MBA might not be for everyone, but there are other more accessible options as well, such as training with companies like GoEco Certified, based in Newport Beach, California. GoEco Certified is training people how to be eco consultants for homes and businesses. If your business can’t afford to hire a full-time Chief Sustainability Officer, their Certified Eco Consultants can be your CSO for a day or a week, giving you the benefits of sustainability in your business while working within your budget. To create a healthier living space and save money, their Certified Eco Consultants can help at home as well.

The eco consultant training courses at GoEco Certified take place over a period of four to six weeks, two live classes a week over the internet in a small setting, so each individual can learn the material at home in their own time, either on their own schedule or with live classes over the internet. Material in the course is designed to help students start their own eco consulting business, teaching business skills as well as the practical ins and outs of putting sustainability to work for us in our homes and businesses.

GoEco Certified was founded to address the need for green business training that is accessible to the greatest number, and helps more people realize the benefits of sustainability, whether they think of themselves as green or not.

Michael Williams of GoEco Certified says -

“The field of Eco Consulting has really been booming over the years. The main reason is because Eco Consultants help homes and businesses with their comprehensive situation, not just electricity or water. The changes that Eco Consultants suggest are usually very cost-effective.”

Working as a Certified Eco-Consultant helping homes and businesses develop sustainability plans is more than a job – it is a mission to create a bright future for yourself and those you help, a future which is good for profits, people, and planet. Training and education like this could be an important first step toward a making this future a reality.

Article by Glenn Croston, founder of Starting Up Green, and the author of “75 Green Businesses” and “Starting Green”, helping businesses to start green and grow greener with communications and consulting.

Article appearing courtesy 3BL Media.

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If the headline doesn’t get you, the price tag might: $500 million.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis was in Memphis last week to announce five grant competitions, totaling $500 million, to fund projects that will prepare workers for green jobs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.

Sharpen your pencils. Four of the contests are aimed at training workers through various national, state and community outlets, according to Solis:

• Energy Training Partnership Grants;
• Pathways Out of Poverty Grants;
• State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grants;
• Green Capacity Building Grants.

Competition No. 5, for State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants, will fund workforce agencies to point people to careers in green industries.

The grants, of course, will come from the federal stimulus package, aka the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

More details are in the Federal Register (.pdf) and at the Department of Labor Web site.

Contests can bring out the best in people, so let’s see who wins.

Any predictions? Is this the best way to spend $500 million on green jobs?

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