Michigan

Donate

The Greenforce® Initiative is working with a network of schools that are interested in green jobs training programs and campus sustainability efforts. Coordinating with other programs and initiatives, Greenforce® is assisting colleges in connecting the dots as it relates to sustainability, hands-on learning, employer engagement and career pathway programs for lower skilled adults.

FEATURED RESOURCES

Wayne County Community College District NASA Professional Development Institute, June 26, 2014; Building a Diverse, Green Workforce- Resources and Materials

Michigan Labor Market Reports: Detroit and Grand Rapids Regions

COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNERS

The following Michigan Greenforce® Initiative partners were awarded innovation grants to advance their efforts in the areas of green workforce development and campus sustainability:

Delta College: The Sustainability Ambassadors Program builds on the accomplishments of Delta College of furthering sustainability across the campus but with much farther and sustained reach. The program acts as the breeding ground for sustainable operations, projects, processes, and educational venues. The program acts as the communication link between the Sustainability Coordinators and their discipline, service area, or department to bring forth issues and ideas for projects in their respective areas, and to suggest, consider, and bring about new projects to grow campus sustainability. The group also serves as the advisory to the Sustainability Coordinator and Academic Sustainability Officer who, in turn, identifies projects and programs to incorporate into learning venues for our students, that is, to utilize the campus as a learning lab.

Lake Michigan College: Researched and created a "How-To Guide" on the topic of repurposing and converting shipping containers into eco-friendly functional space. Check out their blog post about how they engaged the community in this effort.

Lansing Community College: Through their college's Restoration Works program and the Allen Neighborhood Center, LCC is involving over 200 students from 12 classes to take part in retrofitting at least 2 local residential homes in the revitalization of the Allen Neighborhood of Lansing. The homes were scheduled for demolition, and through this project, the homes will be rebuilt with the environment and energy efficiency in mind. This is the first time that the program will have students conducting hands-on energy efficiency and green construction work on a residential home in the community.

Grand Rapids Community College: Students are participating in the remodeling and relocation of a model green home and converting it into a functional learning lab for teaching sustainable construction, energy efficiency and conservation, and renewable energy. Upon completion of the program, students will serve up to 300 hours in a paid internship related to their training that may lead to full time employment.

St. Clair County Community College: Through two mini-grants, SC4 is working on promotional materials for their green/sustainability programming. Their first mini-grant assisted in the development of an interpretive sign that will kick start their green walking tour. Their second mini-grant is in the works now and when finished, three new short videos will showcase the green features on campus, including their alternative energy (wind, solar, and geothermal) and their green roof. All these materials will help put SC4 on the map for their hands-on training programs and green campus.

Take a visual tour of our innovation grant projects in action.