Cincinnati State to launch Center of Sustainability Excellence
April 28, 2011
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College is partnering with the National Sustainability Coalition and the International Sustainability Institute of Applied Sciences to launch an initiative designed to cement its standing as a regional leader in sustainability education.
Cincinnati State President Dr. O’Dell M. Owens today announced the establishment of a “Center of Sustainability Excellence.”
The program will begin with an 8-hour online course that provides an in-depth overview of sustainability concepts and the business case for sustainable development. Those who complete the prerequisite e-course earn a certificate in addition to one credit hour and qualify to take an entire sustainability program consisting of seven additional accredited courses being offered this summer and fall at Cincinnati State’s Workforce Development Center in Evendale.
“The Sustainability Center will serve as a regional resource to the labor market by offering sustainability education that is sensitive to real-life experience and relevant to what people are doing in the workplace,” Dr. Owens said. “With the concept of sustainability firmly imbedded into our lives and the immediate future of our society, now is the time to apply ecological knowledge to decision making at every level.”
According to Dr. Dennis Ulrich, Executive Director of the Workforce Development Center, the new offerings will play a pivotal role in linking the application of sustainability with workforce development curriculum. “Cincinnati State already has one of the strongest energy management and environmental technologies programs in the region,” Ulrich said. “The Center of Sustainability Excellence will educate and supply an ever demanding 21st Century workforce that will make better environmental decisions in jobs and careers requiring sustainable applications and solutions.”
The Center’s curriculum will focus primarily on the technical and scientific application of sustainability. Courses were developed by a team of professionals led by Dr. Calvin Green, an environmental engineer and scientist who recently retired from The Procter & Gamble Co. Dr. Green, who currently serves as president of the International Sustainability Institute of Applied Sciences, said the Center of Sustainability Excellence will become a leader in providing advice and training to a variety of industries and organizations throughout North America.
“Companies want to know how to improve technical job performance and operational efficiencies through the application of sustainability,” Dr. Green said.
There are eight accredited courses in the Center’s Sustainability Program that will be available in 2011:
• Introduction to Environmental and Social Management
• Certified Sustainability Manager
• Sustainability Auditing Techniques
• Sustainability Solutions to Technical Issues
• Energy RRR (Reduction, Recycle, Reuse)
• Sustainable Supply Chain
• Sustainability Program Management Techniques
• Sustainable Solutions to Economics & Community Development
The Workforce Development Center in Evendale also offers traditional-style green energy courses (including one that prepares students to test for certification as photo-voltaic system installers), as well as customized assistance to businesses trying to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and operating systems.
Courses at the WDC’s Center of Sustainability Excellence are competitively priced and cost-effective, with a direct impact on sustainable development, productivity, performance, and efficiency. In many cases, financial assistance may be available. For employees with tuition reimbursement benefits, training costs may be paid in full or in part.
A listing of members of the Advisory Committee for the Center of Sustainability Excellence is attached.
