Getting A Degree In Environmental Studies Is A Good Choice
These days, it seems to be all about the environment: More people are conserving water and energy, even moving to alternative energy. They're driving hybrid and electric vehicles, planting trees and shrubs that require less water and more cooling shade than others. They're switching from petroleum and natural gas power to solar and wind energy.
This increased attention to the environment affects job responsibilities, as well as educational programs to prepare workers for them. Degree programs offered by colleges, universities and technical schools as a result are more often related to the environment. Some institutions are adding new degree programs in the environment and sustainability; others are changing existing programs to keep students current. Among the programs that have been taking on a sustainability focus are those related to technology.
Students interested in "green" building and alternative energy might this year look toward a new associate's degree in Sustainable Technology at Central Carolina Community College. Those intrigued by the lifecycle costs of new construction methods and energy technologies have an opportunity to examine them as part of a Sustainable Technology certificate program at the New York City College of Technology. Still other students might explore technologies that reduce waste from a building and increase its energy efficiency and water resources as part of an associate degree program in Green and Sustainable Construction Technology at Minnesota's Rainy River Community College.
At the Oregon Institute of Technology, even an Environmental Sciences bachelor's degree program has transitioned to an Environmental Sciences/Sustainable Technology program. Students who participate in the program study civil engineering, business management, mechanical engineering technologies and renewable energy engineering, according to an article in The Oregonian. The non-profit National Center for Appropriate Technology works to promote sustainable technology systems and on its website lists an array of partners - including Salish Kootenai College in Montana and a University of Idaho Biodiesel Fuel Education program.
With the environment becoming more of a concern, students who take sustainable technologies courses might find that they have an edge over other job candidates and employees. Companies that work with environmentally-friendly systems also have growing demands that students through sustainable technology programs might meet, the New York City College of Technology website notes. The Cape Wind Project is one particular environmentally friendly system that made news when it was approved for the Nantucket, Massachusetts, area.
More than 100 wind turbines expected to rise along the Massachusetts coast as part of Cape Wind could promote green energy and decrease the area's reliance on fossil fuels, proponents said. The project could also help Massachusetts become a pioneer in green energy technology and create many jobs, according to The Boston Globe article. Even with these positives, however, the project is said to have drawn the ire of people concerned that views from Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard would be obstructed.
While wind turbines might not be seen on the average college, university and technical school campus, institutions throughout the country are going green. Some 166 green campus structures last year alone either opened or received environmental certifications and awards, according to a June Association for the Advancement of Sustainability report. Northern California's Butte College recently announced that, by May 2011, it anticipates becoming the only U.S. Institution producing more solar power than it uses.
Studies in the area of sustainable technology might lead to careers in renewable energy, biofuels, green construction or consulting, the Central Carolina Community College website suggests. Working adults with technology degrees might consider satisfying lifelong learning needs through sustainability courses that might help them update their skills or knowledge.
Adult learners who are planning or hoping to work at the forefront of new systems that take concerns about the environment into account might consider online school so that they might more easily schedule degree programs online between outside responsibilities. Students are extending their personal passion for the planet by getting environmental degrees online and then putting into practice what they've learned.
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