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Showing posts with label skills. Show all posts

Noesis Energy 101 Webinar Series

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Noesis Energy designed the Energy 101 series for both energy novices and energy professionals. This is a complimentary webinar where industry experts discuss popular energy management topics and walk through real-life scenarios with a live demonstration of the no-cost Noesis tools. Below are our most popular webinars of the series. Register today!

Calculating Savings (M&V) for Efficiency Projects

March 7, 2013 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST

Learn how to measure your facility's energy performance and the results of projects aimed at reducing energy consumption using IPMVP Option C Whole Building measurement and verification (M&V). To register for this webinar click here.

Energy Star for Buildings

March 14, 2013 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST

This webinar will provide an overview of Energy Star building ratings and Portfolio Manager, and will demonstrate how to use Noesis (an Energy Star partner) for additional analysis, reporting and efficiency project tracking of your facilities in Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

To register for this webinar click here.

Calculating Weather-Normalized Baselines

March 21, 2013 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST

Learn about key energy management concepts and get an in-depth look into baseline modeling using the complimentary Noesis energy management website. Watch a demonstration of how to calculate and use weather-normalized energy baselines for analysis.

To register for this webinar click here.

Facility Manager Tips & Tricks for Energy Savings

March 28, 2013 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST

Join us for a discussion on the most popular and effective no-cost/low-cost best practices to reduce energy spend for facility managers and energy professionals. Learn how these simple tips and tricks can result in cost savings with little to no capital investment.

To register for this webinar click here.

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Event - The Natural Step Canada's MBA Sustainability Leadership Bootcamp

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This learning event will take place on Wednesday, February 20 to Saturday February 23, 2013, in Edmonton, Alberta. The MBA sustainability leadership event will explore a wide range of complex issues, provide techniques for creating innovative solutions, and help participants to develop sustainability leadership skills.

Purpose

To train, empower, and create a network of 30 MBA students and recent graduates to help Alberta shift toward a prosperous and sustainable future.

Summary

The bootcamp is designed to help participants take their MBA skills to the next level by applying strategy, project management, sales, marketing, negotiation, and facilitation learning to the sustainability field through a week of applied exercises, simulations, and live case studies.

Participants will be able to hone your skills through practical real-life cases and presentations. Coaching will continue for three months following the camp with an expert advisory team who work with clients such as Nike, Pratt & Whitney Canada, The Co-operators Group, David Suzuki Foundation, and Research in Motion (RIM).

The program includes lunch, coffee/tea, and light snacks each day of the Bootcamp session, as well as one evening networking event. Note that travel and accommodation are not included. A small number of bursaries will be available based on need. Please indicate in your application if you would like to be considered for a bursary. 

The program includes the following components:

• A one-year license to The Natural Step Canada’s Sustainability 101 e-learning course.
• A dynamic, interactive, and intensive four-day in-person workshop.
• Two follow-up group coaching webinars for participants as they apply workshop learning to their studies or jobs.

 Who Should Apply?

• MBA students or recent graduates who are interested in learning more about sustainability and becoming sustainability change agents.
• Early to mid-career professionals who want to develop their skills, gain practical experience communicating sustainability concepts, and become sustainability leaders to effect change in Alberta and throughout Canada.

Cost

• $250 (Student or Unemployed)
• $350 (Self-Employed or Non-Profit)
• $550 (Corporate / For-Profit)

To apply

1. Please fill out our online application form, which includes questions about your motivation for participating in the program. To ensure a quality learning environment space is limited. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 20.

2. Send your resume to emergingleaders@naturalstep.ca. Please include your first and last name in the subject line of your email as well as the title: 'Edmonton MBA Bootcamp'.

* To ensure an intimate and top-quality learning environment, registration will be limited to 30 participants. Applicants will be selected based on merit. Applications will be accepted until the program has been filled.

Past Bootcamp Speakers and Panelists 

• Bob Willard, sustainability expert and author of The Sustainability Advantage, The Next Sustainability Wave, and The Sustainability Champion’s Guidebook

• Claude Ouimet, Senior VP and General Manager (Canada and Latin America) of InterfaceFLOR

• Mark Anielski, President and CEO of Anielski Management Inc (AMI), author of The Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta in the School of Business

• Nicholas Parker, Founding Managing Partner, Cleantech Global Partners. Chairman, Blue Economy Initiative, Cleantech Group LLC, Corporate Knights Media Ltd, and WaterTAP Corp.

 For more information and to get involved, please contact emergingleaders(at)naturalstep.ca

For more information and to apply, click here.

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Event - Carbon Professional Path: Fast Track

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Carbon Professional Path – Fast Track will take place on Feb 26 to Wed Feb 27, 2013, in Toronto, Ontario. The 2-Day program offers CSA Groups globally recognized, professional GHG Inventory Quantifier Certification. Completion of  ‘Carbon Professional Path – Fast Track’ program builds competence to develop, quantify, assess and report GHG Inventories.

HRCarbon’s Carbon Professional Path to CSA GHG Inventory Quantifier Certification Fast-Track Program includes the following two courses:

• Corporate Carbon Management
• CSA Examination Review

For more information click here or phone 416.628.4196 E-mail: courses(at)hrcarbon.com

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Green Jobs Infographic

Green Jobs Infographic
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Romney Lied about the Success of Obama's Green Stimulus

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During the presidential debate, Mitt Romney lied to the American public about the success of President Obama's green stimulus spending. A big part of the success of the Democrat's stimulus spending concerned the creation of green jobs. The US unemployment rate is now at 7.8 percent, this is the first time since the President took office that they have dropped below 8 percent. The President's support for green jobs are part of this favorable employment trend. According to a study from the Bureau of Labor as of 2010 there were already 3.1 million green jobs in the US. While the Obama administration was growing the number of green jobs, the Republicans were pushing legislation that undermines green job growth.

As reviewed by Wonkblog, Mitt Romney criticized the Obama administration for putting “$90 billion into green jobs.” A closer inspection of this statement reveals that Romney's criticisms are unfounded, the facts indicate that Obama's green energy investments have been very successful.

One of Romney's many lies during the presidential debate concerned his claims that half the companies funded by these energy programs have “gone out of business.” The truth is less than less than 1 percent of the President's energy programs have failed.

After fact checkers disputed Romney’s lies, his camp claimed the Republican presidential nominee was referring to the Energy Department’s 1705 loan program, which provides about $16.1 billion to clean-energy companies. Even if we accept this explanation, of the 33 companies that have received loan guarantees, only three are in bankruptcy. This puts the default rate at just 2.6 percent for this one program in the stimulus.

Failure is an inevitable part of any business endeavor, but the rate is far below what Congress anticipated for the 1705 loan program. As explained by energy analyst Gregory Kats, the loan program’s final cost will likely end up well below the $2.47 billion Congress set aside to cover losses.

Romeny is right on one count, the Obama administration has provided a $90 billion stimulus for a wide array of clean energy programs. According to the White House, here is a breakdown of clean energy stimulus spending.
  • $29 billion for improving energy efficiency, including home retrofits (One million US homes have been weatherized)
  • $21 billion in incentives for renewable generation, such as solar and wind 
  • $10 billion for modernizing the electric grid $6 billion to promote advanced vehicles and a domestic battery industry 
  • $18 billion for high-speed rail and other trains 
  • $3 billion for research into carbon capture for coal plants 
  • $3 billion for job training 
  • $3 billion for clean manufacturing tax credits
Under the Obama administration non-hydro renewable energy sources have almost doubled. From January 1 to June 30, 2012 non-hydro renewable energy sources (geothermal, biomass, solar, and wind) provided 5.76 percent of net electrical generation, an increase of 10.97 percent for the same period last year. Utility scale solar increased 97.2 percent from one year ago, wind generation grew 16.3 percent and geothermal by 0.2 percent. Biomass declined by 0.8 percent.

As stated by Mike Grunwald with a top-line summary: Wind power has doubled from 25 gigawatts (GW) before President Obama took office, the U.S. to 50 GW. Solar has increased by six times since Obama was elected from less than 1 GW to 5 GW of solar.

The Obama administration has also seen costs of renewable energy fall, which is crucial if they are ever to compete with cheap fossil fuels. The price of photovoltaic systems has fallen by half, from $7.20 per watt in 2007 to $3.47 per watt in 2011. The cost of new wind turbines fell 27 percent from 2008 to 2011.

Renewable energy technologies like solar, wind and geothermal have received about $21 billion from the stimulus. If spread out over 15 years, renewables are still getting far less support than oil, gas, and nuclear did in their first two decades. Even today oil and gas companies continue to receive a number of tax breaks conservatively estimated to be worth about $2.8 billion per year.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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10 Jobs that Serve the Environment

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Here are ten careers that give you a chance to help reduce human impacts on the environment. No matter how you look at it, green jobs are are on the increase all around the world. In addition to the important field of green energy contractors here are ten areas that are vital for the health and well being of our environment.


1. Renewable Energy Engineer

Whatever the future holds for the energy sector, we will have to transition away from fossil fuels sooner or later. Either because we seek to avert the worst impacts of global warming or as a worst case scenario, because of the growing scarcity of oil. Engineers that specialize in technologies like solar, wind, and geothermal are required to conceive and develop new approaches to energy post oil. We will continue to investigate new ways to develop a cleaner and more efficient sources of energy and renewable energy engineers are a crucial part of it.

2. Sustainable Fisherman

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish a little too well, with a worldwide fleet of ships, vast inescapable nets, and 21st-century technology, and you end up with a crisis. It's the "tragedy of the commons" in its purest form. Many of our most delectable seafood favorites are being fished nearly into oblivion and will face extinction shockingly soon if we don't make some intelligent collective decisions.

3. Seed Banker

The priceless importance of biodiversity has become clear to us, as we watch many of the world's species of plants and animals meet their end. In agriculture this risk takes on a special human significance, as mankind's dabbling "improves" crops (we've been genetic engineers for 10,000 years) but can ultimately homogenize them, leaving them vulnerable to disease and other problems. Seed banks aim to provide back-up copies of all the plants we use, in case of famine or global catastrophe. Though seed banks exist all over the world, the most impressive must be the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, where nearly a million varieties are stored under a mountain on a an island in the Arctic, just outside the world's northernmost town.

4. Park Ranger

Conservation matters, an insight that may have been new and radical over a century ago, coming from Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir, but we should accept it as obvious by now. Unfortunately, we can expect economic factors to increase pressure on governments to divest themselves of protected public land for energy and mineral extraction and other commercial uses. That would be a shame. National parks are some of our most valuable assets … and not all assets are for spending.

5. Bioethicist

The amazing things going on in biotechnology are going to change not only our individual lives, but our idea of what humanity itself is. We'll need to develop new moral norms to adapt to this brave new world and keep our souls.

6. Schoolteacher

Education is our future, it is ultimately what children learn in their formative years will translate to what they do as adults. Learning about our planet and human impacts will go a long way to helping young people to get involved in efforts to make things better.

7. Writer

Communicating with large numbers of people about the state of our planet and our impacts upon it is crucial, as is sharing ways we can improve our relationship to the Earth. Writing has the potential to change the world and the alphabet remains our most powerful technology to hack minds and alter society.

8. Sustainability Officer

A sustainability officer is an increasingly important position within a corporation. More companies are coming to understand that sustainability is also about profitability. They help to develop, measure and coordinate a companies sustainability initiatives. An increasing number of institutions offer training to help people become corporate sustainability officers.

9. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager:

This position is an invaluable occupation in a society where businesses are leading the charge to reduce their impacts on the Earth. They work to ensure that corporations are more benevolent. It's good PR for them, and just plain good for the rest of us.

10. Elected Official

Never more than today we need to see elected officials who have the courage to put environmental issues on the map. The failure of elected officials to act on climate change is a travesty. We need to see more people entering public service with the aim of making environmental issues issues a top priority.

Some of these career choices have been derived from an article entitled 30 Jobs that Will Save the Planet.

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Green Skills You Need to Become an Energy Contractor

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Since 2005, the nonresidential green construction market has grown from two percent to 41 percent of market revenues in 2011. That amounts to $58 billion for the nonresidential green construction sector. Electricians are among the trades that enjoy the highest demand. Here is a look at skills that will help electricians 'green' their skill set and land a job.

Familiarity with LEED certification and energy auditing are on the top of the list but there are many other important knowledge sets.

Two years ago, Software Advice reported that growth in the green construction market would require electrical contractors to become energy contractors. They based this theory on a widely distributed report which predicted that electrical contractors would be in high demand for renewable energy and energy conservation projects. In 2012, it appears that their theory is playing out.

Although the construction market is still in hard times, green construction is an industry bright spot.  The growth in the green construction market presents electrical contractors with a lucrative opportunity to become energy contractors.

In fact, recent research by McGraw Hill indicates that the electrical trade is among the trades in highest demand. Here are some of the skills that electrical contractors need to become an energy contractor.

Energy Contracting Requires Continual Skills Development

Anyone interested in “greening” their skill set needs to understand that they’re entering a nascent industry. In the United States, we’re just starting to develop technologies that will help energy contractors complement green construction efforts. As these technologies evolve, the skill set needed in the industry will change in lockstep.

Sal Ferrara, Owner of the Electrical Training Center on Long Island, sees this as one of the biggest challenges facing individuals who want to capitalize on the green opportunity.

"What’s happening is that electrical contractors are having to stay on the bleeding edge of technology, and having to learn entirely new systems such as photovoltaics, building management systems and wind turbines," Ferrara said.

To make things even more challenging, Ferrara says that individuals often have to learn multiple systems so that they can be a skilled worker flexible enough to work on multiple types of projects. This broad knowledge is also helpful since, as Michele Russo of McGraw Hill Construction notes, “general contractors working on green projects are increasingly looking for individuals that can collaborate and provide input across an entire project.”

While the types of projects that individuals will work on vary, the skill set can be broken into two general groups: renewable energy installation and energy management projects. What follows are examples for each project category illustrating how the green skill set might be employed.

Skills Required for Renewable Energy Installations

Currently, the two major types of renewable energy projects that require an electrician are solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine installations. While there is some overlap between the skills needed to install these systems, each requires unique skills.

Solar PV – Working on these types of projects requires a deep understanding of photovoltaic materials, equipment and codes–particularly article 690 of the electrical code, which addresses safety procedures. Beyond that, individuals need to know how to re-configure panels while maintaining functional modules, inverters and wiring. To get a detailed idea of the daily tasks and skills expected of a PV installer, visit the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners’ website.

Wind Turbine – The installation of wind turbines has its own set of challenges. Namely, the electrician needs to be able to install connections at high altitudes and connect and distribute power from low, medium and high voltages. Additionally, these electricians need an understanding of hydraulics, torquing and gearing. To help individuals obtain this blend of electrical and mechanical skills, a variety of industry-specific degrees and training programs have cropped up to support the wind industry.

Skills Required for Energy Management Projects

There are significant opportunities beyond installing renewable energy systems. Many green projects that electricians will be asked to work on will be in making an existing buildings more energy-efficient or creating an energy-efficient building from the ground up. These types of projects require slightly different skills.

Energy Auditing – Energy auditors require analytical abilities to understand how small changes impact overall consumption. Since HVAC and lighting generally represent the biggest chances for reduction, familiarity with lumens per watt ratios for common lighting types such as incandescents, CFLs and T8s is helpful. Additionally, an understanding of how to integrate electrical and communication systems is useful.

Familiarity with Building Management Systems (BMS) – These professionals need knowledge of integrated systems and an ability to work with things like programmable logic controls and motion-activated sensors. Because of the complexity of these systems, electricians that work with BMS need to know how to install and configure highly computerized systems.

Familiarity with LEED is essential as roughly 40 percent of LEED certification is covered by the work of an electrical contractor. Clearly, this requires extensive knowledge of LEED certification standards. However, it also requires an ability to see the relationships that exist between energy retrofitting, monitoring, materials, lighting selection, and on-site renewable energy.

To help electricians understand the skills and technical process that goes into achieving energy efficiency, the US Green Building Council publishes extensive information on LEED certification. Meanwhile, the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) offers a green jobs training program that helps electricians obtains the skills needed in the green construction industry.

Start Developing Green Skills Now

It’s important to understand that developing these skills will not happen overnight. Because green energy systems are becoming more complex, it takes more time to develop the skills that green construction projects demand. According to the McGraw Hill report, green contractors are demanding that their workers have more educational experience than ever before.

Source: Green Skills to Become an Energy Contractor

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The New Era of Green Schools

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In February 2012 at the Green Schools National Conference in Denver, Colo., U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed the view that green schools are no longer part of a fringe movement. EE is, in fact, necessary to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

Duncan, whose administration launched the Green Ribbon Schools Program, called for inclusion of EE in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The U.S. Senate voted in favor of the change in 2011, thus marking the first time EE has been formally included in federal K-12 education policy. The Campaign for Environmental Literacy lists approximately one dozen states with requirements for EE in their K-12 curriculums. And, according to the North American Association for Environmental Education, some 47 states and the District of Columbia are in the process of developing new or revised Environmental Literacy Plans.

Despite growing support for EE by state and federal governments, and studies proving that EE improves academic performance across the curriculum, its prevalence in U.S. schools is far from universal. And, few states have legislative mandates for it. Numerous factors, including lack of funding and narrowly defined lesson plans, have hindered widespread EE integration into K-12 curriculums.

Notwithstanding these realities, motivated teachers, students and parents have sought ways to incorporate environmental education activities into classrooms either as enrichment during school hours or after school. This includes starting environmental clubs and recycling programs, and participating in national conservation challenges. Through these channels, non-profit organizations have become increasingly involved with EE efforts in schools. The Green Schools Alliance (GSA) is one non-profit that has brought innovative environmental programs into K-12 schools within the U.S. and abroad.

Source: Sustainable Solutions Green Schools: A 21st Century Imperative : Center for a Better Life

Emily Alix Fano is a consultant with the Green Schools Alliance. She has a Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University and writes on green schools, biotechnology and the environment for national and international forums. A passionate environmentalist devoted to the goal of zero-waste schools, Fano is an active member of the District 3 Green Schools Group – a coalition of parents creating model green programs in New York City public schools. She has been recognized as a Changemaker by Planet Green. E: efano@greenschoolsalliance.org

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The Need for Global Environmental Education

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In a paper prepared for the 2012 Rio +20 Earth Summit, leading scientists issued a warning that humans are facing “an unprecedented [planetary] emergency” driven by overpopulation, over-consumption and use of environmentally damaging technologies. Climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, environmental degradation, economic instability and a host of environmentally related illnesses will threaten civilization’s very survival if people do not act. Unfortunately, say the authors, “humanity’s behavior remains utterly inappropriate” for dealing with the problems people face, and their continued “failure to act will impoverish current and future generations.”

Indeed, the world’s children will be called upon to solve unimaginable challenges in their lifetime. They will desperately need the knowledge and tools necessary for survival in the 21st Century. According to Michael K. Stone in his book, Smart by Nature (2009), “This generation will require leaders and citizens who can think ecologically, understand the interconnectedness of human and natural systems and have the will, ability and courage to act.”

The need for global environmental education (EE), starting with the very youngest children, is urgent. In the United States alone, more than 130,000 public, private and independent K-12 schools educate approximately 55 million students each day. As keepers of the world’s most precious resource – its future leaders and problem solvers – schools have an obligation to prepare the next generation for the environmental challenges of the coming decades. They must actively engage children in global efforts to conserve resources, mitigate climate change, reduce pollution and transition humanity into a clean energy economy.

Source: Sustainable Solutions Green Schools: A 21st Century Imperative : Center for a Better Life

Emily Alix Fano is a consultant with the Green Schools Alliance. She has a Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University and writes on green schools, biotechnology and the environment for national and international forums. A passionate environmentalist devoted to the goal of zero-waste schools, Fano is an active member of the District 3 Green Schools Group – a coalition of parents creating model green programs in New York City public schools. She has been recognized as a Changemaker by Planet Green. E: efano@greenschoolsalliance.org

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The School of Earth and Environment (SEE)

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The UK's School of Earth and Environment (SEE) was ranked second nationally in terms of research power in earth and environmental sciences in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. The school is at the forefront of tackling global issues such as climate change, energy, water and sustainable development. Its research is organized across four institutes and two national research centers.

The School of Earth and Environment is one of the largest and most vibrant Schools in the UK. Experts within the School study the Earth from its core to the atmosphere, with expertise ranging from geophysics and surface processes to atmospheric science, climate change and environmental sustainability. Leeds is in fact, one of just a few universities that has brought the complete range of disciplines from geology and geophysics, environmental science, meteorology and climate science, to environmental social science together under one banner.

Undergraduate Degrees

The School offers 3-year BSc (Hons) and BA (Hons) courses, with several variants, and 4-year integrated undergraduate Masters (MGeol/MGeophys) programmes which include a year of International study in North America or Australasia.

For more information click here

Masters Degrees

Still unsure what to do with your degree? Stand out from the crowd with a postgraduate qualification in Sustainability or in one of our Earth Science-facing programmes.

For more information click here.

Research Degrees

The School of Earth and Environment has one of the largest research clusters of Earth, environmental and social scientists in the UK and internationally. Our research mission is to combine world-class Earth and environmental sciences with environmental social sciences in both fundamental and applied research.

For more information click here.

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Leading the Green Job Market with a Sustainable MBA

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A sustainable MBA, also known as a green MBA, enhances an individual's marketability and maximizes remuneration potential. A green MBA program addresses environmental and social sustainability, as they relate to the traditional subjects of finance, management, economics, and business ethics.

There is growing demand for well-trained green oriented individuals, particularly at the leadership level and studies indicate that well-paying green jobs are on the rise. With the increasing demand for qualified professionals and millions of new green jobs being projected, there is a noticeable absence of qualified leaders in the green jobs market.

The green market is an awe inspiring opportunity. Energy alone represents a multi-trillion dollar global market. Yet specialized skill sets are required to capitalize on these opportunities.

To lead a business that is both profitable and sustainable, executives, consultants, and entrepreneurs need the right tools, training, and skills. These skills include business strategy, performance, marketing, branding and finance. A sustainable MBA provides the essential skills required for graduates to help lead the transition to a sustainable economy.

A sustainable MBA provides people with the skills that are much in demand and this affords the freedom to consider diverse career opportunities. According to a 2009 report from Net Impact, the number of publicly advertised Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) jobs has gone up by 37 percent since 2004. This reflects a growing demand for managers and senior executives knowledgeable about issues like sustainability, leaders who can show initiative and create new profit centers.

The demand for green business leadership will keep growing. A sustainable MBA program can launch careers and position people to take advantage of one of the greatest opportunities our economy has ever known. A sustainable MBA is for those who want to position themselves as the business leaders of tomorrow.

In the future there will no longer be a need to designate an MBA as green because sustainability will be incorporated into all MBA programs. Until then, these degrees are the keys to business leadership in the new green economy.
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UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

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For more than five years, the UN has been behind efforts to broaden sustainable development education initiatives around the world.

Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations. This simple definition encompasses a complex dynamic that implicates values and value systems as well as interdisciplinary knowledge and experience, and stresses the interdependence of the environment, society and the economy.

In December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 57/254 to put in place the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), spanning the years 2005 to 2014. UNESCO was designated as the lead agency for the Decade.

The overall goal of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is the integration of the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning.

The Decade’s four key objectives are facilitating networking and collaboration among stakeholders in ESD; fostering greater quality of teaching and learning in ESD; supporting countries in achieving their millennium development goals through ESD efforts; providing countries with new opportunities and tools to incorporate ESD in education reform efforts.

The role of the ESD is to help people develop the attitudes, skills, and knowledge to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and for the future, and to act upon those decisions.

ESD is an approach to teaching and learning based on the ideals and principles that underlie sustainability – human rights, poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods, peace, environmental protection, democracy, health, biological and landscape diversity, climate change, gender equality, and protection of indigenous cultures.

The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development – Moving into the Second Half of the UN Decade took place in Bonn, Germany from March 31 to April 2, 2009. The Conference was a forum for sharing experiences and best practices, bringing together close to 700 participants representing UNESCO Member States, UN agencies, civil society organizations, youth, and the private sector.

UNESCO’s major areas of activity under the DESD include education, natural and social sciences, culture, and communication.

UNESCO believes that education is a human right and the primary agent of transformation towards sustainable development. To implement education for sustainable development, UNESCO seeks to promote and improve basic education, reorient existing education programs at all levels to address sustainable development, develop public awareness and understanding of sustainability, and provide training.

UNESCO's goal is to promote multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches for the wise use of natural resources and to improve the understanding of human–environment relationships, as well as to promote principles, policies, and ethical norms to guide scientific and technological development that is sustainable.

Culture is also important to UNESCO because it is concerned with the identities and values that shape the way people live, their responsiveness to educational programs, and the degree to which they feel involved in preserving for the future. UNESCO encourages an approach to sustainable development in which people are addressed with a discourse linked to their immediate concerns.

UNESCO acknowledges that communication is virtually instantaneous and this serves as a powerful driver of social transformation. In this context, UNESCO acts as a broker for effective sustainable development by encouraging the sharing of knowledge, information, expertise and best practices, producing and disseminating scientific knowledge, and sensitizing the media to sustainable development issues.

The UN effort to implement education for sustainable development is a long-term process that calls upon all stakeholders, including governments, educational institutions, business and industry, communities, civil society, and individuals to play a role and to embrace the ideas of sustainable development.
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Sustainable Education is Key to Accessing the Green Economy

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High unemployment rates and the rising cost of college are causing many students to seek a college education that offers marketable skills.

Education is an increasingly crucial component of preparing a prospective workforce for the new economy. From preschool to post graduate studies, education supplies us with the tools we require to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

In the US, there were 76 million children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in 2007, comprising 27 percent of the entire population 3 and older.

In 2007, almost half of all college students were 18 and 19 years of age, however with 15 percent of all college students 35 and older, higher education is not only for the young. The older age group made up 36 percent of those attending school part time.

Recent university attendance numbers show an increasing number of people are enrolling in school for advanced degrees or specialty training. The projected number of students enrolled in US colleges and universities for fall 2010 is 19 million, up from 13.5 million 20 years ago.

With many losing their jobs or having trouble finding employment going back to school is a logical way to upgrade skills.

A new trend study from the University of California San Diego Extension reveals that sustainability is one of the hottest career options for college graduates in this challenging economy. Sustainable education aims to help people to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the future, and to act upon these decisions.

By the mid-21st century, all jobs will be sustainable jobs. Organizations must prepare themselves for inevitable legislative and regulatory changes, some of which are already well underway. We know that the future will be much greener than it is today and increasingly diverse sectors are looking for business growth opportunities in the area of sustainability. People who understand these challenges will be well positioned to benefit.

In the new era of environmental economics, sustainable jobs will be in high demand and have unparalleled growth opportunities.
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