Blue Ridge Community College
Blue Ridge Community College received a Greenforce Initiative innovation grant award to expand the sustainable garden program, a project that has been ongoing since January 2010. The yield from these gardens has been provided to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to provide high-quality, organic produce to persons in need. The expansion will include a wider variety of produce, will enable the placement of "mini-gardens" around the campus that will allow members of the campus community to learn about and practice high-yield low-impact gardening, and will be used to educate students on sustainable agriculture topics and become a living laboratory. Stay tuned for updates on this project, and see below for more current initiatives.
Current Green Jobs Courses and Programs
- Building Analyst
- Weatherization Technician
- CET Training
- CSC (Career Services Certificate) in Alternative Energy
- Green Technology Courses:
- Building Green to Protect Your Bottom Line
- Certified Environmental Technician
- Energy Savings and Conservation for the Home
- Understanding Your Home: Going Green and Saving Green
- Applied Energy Technologies for Residential Retrofits
- Building Science for Energy Auditors (Knowledge-Based Learning)
- Diagnostic Approaches for Energy Auditors (Field-Based Learning)
Future Green Workforce and Sustainability Goals
- Building Envelope Specialist
- Air Sealer/Installer
- CSC in Weatherization
- PV technician
- Edible/Sustainable landscaping
Campus Sustainability Projects and Initiatives
- Science and Technology Building – LEED
- Campus Activities Center – LEED Silver
- Retrofit of existing buildings
- Campus shuttle bus
- SIFE 100% Organic Coffee Shop
Future campus sustainability initiatives:
- Replace All Remaining Windows with Double-Pane
- Complete Replacement of Manual Switches with Sensors
- Capture Waste Heat from Computer Labs
- PV Installation on Flat Roofs (supports CSC)
- Edible/Zero-Impact Landscaping
- Micro Wind Installation (supports CSC)
Utilization of Campus Sustainability as Hands-on Training
- Weatherization Students Hands-On Training During Campus Construction
- Building Analyst Students Hands-On Practice in Campus Buildings
- On-Campus “Living Laboratory”
- Alternative Energy CSC Students Participate in Working Campus Projects
- Establish Edible/Sustainable Landscape Training to Support On-Campus Efforts
- PV Installer Training to Support On-Campus Efforts
Contacts
Patty Lotts, Coordinator of Professional Development and Small Business Outreach, lottsp@nwf.org
David Wiggins, Workforce Services Program Manager, wigginsd@nwf.org