Code Green

For almost 50 years, North Carolina Community Colleges have been national leaders in developing the connection between economic and workforce development. We have been leaders in training for biotechnology and life science job opportunities with our BioNetwork program, and now, we are developing our program for the next economic development wave - green-collar jobs. Our Code Green Initiative borrows its name from Thomas Friedman's book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, but the end result will be very much North Carolina focused. Our initial efforts have started with the naming of a President-level committee that is laying out the framework for how we train for green economy jobs, how we foster sustainability on our campuses and how we might use our campuses as learning labs for our students and our communities. We have conducted a "green" inventory of all our educational and training opportunities related to the green workforce including short-term job training, longer-term degrees and career pathways that involve our university partners.

The emphasis on green from both an internal and external perspective is not new to our community colleges. Since opening for students in August 2007, Wake Technical Community College's Northern Wake Campus has saved thousands of dollars through sustainable practices, reduced water and energy use, and cut down on construction waste. Its buildings were designed and constructed according to the strictest of the environmental standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Northern Wake Campus is registered to receive certification though the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and will be the first all-LEED campus in the nation.

At Wilson Community College, the college campus is becoming a living laboratory as students assisted with installing photovoltaics in the college's new Green Student Services Building, and community tours demonstrate the technology used to create this USGB C-registered building. Wilson's Green Building is expected to achieve a LEED Gold Rating.

But creating a green campus is only part of the story. Our "green" inventory revealed six areas of emphasis among our community colleges - sustainable construction, green fuels such as bio-fuels, green transportation, sustainable agriculture, advanced manufacturing in green-related industries and sustainable energy. We are working with the University of North Carolina System to establish the framework for educating the green workforce of tomorrow and to develop resource "hubs" across North Carolina that would bring together regionally located and similarly focused community colleges and universities in developing much needed expertise for those educational opportunities. Our efforts are focused on engaging both those seeking a beginning career as well as those seeking a new career.

Nearly every one of our 58 colleges is engaged in Code Green - some are just beginning and others, serving as leaders. More than 20 presidents participate in the Presidents-level coordinating committee. Green is truly educational and career gold for our students, our communities, our partners, our colleges and our state.