Environmental Education, 21st

Century Style:
Preparing Students for Green Jobs
A Green Pathway to CTE
and 21st Century Learning

Laura Downey
Kansas Association for Conservation and
Environmental Education (KACEE)
www.kacee.org and
www.kansasgreenschools.org
 A Look at Green Jobs in Kansas
• In May 2010, the Kansas
Department of Labor
released the first-ever
Kansas Green Jobs Report, a
survey of 6,000 Kansas
employers.
• Employers were asked to
estimate how many
employees they would be
hiring to perform “green”
jobs.
• http://www.dol.ks.gov/LMIS
/doc/KansasGreenJobsRepo
rt.pdf
 What is a “Green Job?”
• Primary Green Jobs
produce a green product
or provide a green
service:
– Conducting research to
develop wind turbines or
solar panels
– Increase green practices
and activities within a
company
– Manufacture and/or install
solar panels, energy
efficient windows, etc.
• Support Green Jobs assist
those performing Primary
Green Jobs:
– Teaching courses and/or
training programs related
to green knowledge or
skills
– Providing financial, legal,
personnel, or other
products/services to
companies engaging in
green activities
– Selling solar panels, low-
flush toilets, etc.
 Kansas is well-positioned
to add Green Jobs
• In 2009, Kansas • Of the green jobs already
already had more existing:
than 20,000 primary
green jobs and
26,000 support
green jobs!
• This is equivalent to
1.5 percent and 1.9
percent of Kansas
employment, so
there is lots of room
to grow.
 What is the future for
Green Jobs in Kansas?
• Kansas is projected to • Increases are also
have more than 30,000 expected in the areas of
primary green jobs by increasing energy
2012 efficiency, clean
• The largest increases transportation and
will be in the renewable fuels, agriculture and
energy area (121.4 natural resource
percent) conservation and
pollution
prevention/environmen
tal clean-up
 Educational Requirements of
Green Jobs in Kansas
• 41.5 percent required • 58.6 percent of employers
only a high school are using on-the-job
diploma or GED training to prepare
• 28 percent had no workers for green jobs
educational requirement • The most common green
• Just 10.5 percent required skills and knowledge
a bachelor’s degree needed by employers is
related to waste
minimization, energy
conservation, and
environmental
policies/regulations
 Career and Technical Education
• Connecting students to the real world
• Creating interest in fields with growing
demand for workers, such as green jobs
 How can Environmental Education
Help Prepare Students for Green Jobs?
• EE can serve as a real
world entry point for
students to discover an
interest in the
environment
• EE can provide a basic
understanding of how
ecosystems work and
how human actions
affect the environment
 How can Environmental Education
Help Prepare Students for Green Jobs?

• EE can introduce
students to
environmental issues
such as energy
production and use,
and help them learn the
skills needed to solve
challenges
Small wind turbine at
Goddard HS used to power an
aerator for the school pond.
EE can set students up for success in
Green Jobs through 21st Century
Learning Skills
EE’s learning approach models processes
for problem-solving and critical thinking
• Consensus building
• Inquiry-driven
• Connection to service
learning
• Involving the community
• Project-based
• Working in teams
• Presenting your case, ie
town hall meetings
• Representing viewpoints
different than your own
21st Century Learning and CTE
21st Century Unifying
Themes:
•Global Awareness
•Financial, Economic,
Business and Entrepreneurial
Literacy
•Civic Literacy
•Health Literacy
•Environmental Literacy
 21st Century Unifying Theme:
Environmental Literacy
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the
environment and the circumstances and conditions affecting
it, particularly as relates to air, climate, land, food, energy,
water and ecosystems
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of society’s
impact on the natural world (e.g., population growth,
population development, resource consumption rate, etc.)
• Investigate and analyze environmental issues, and make
accurate conclusions about effective solutions
• Take individual and collective action towards addressing
environmental challenges (e.g., participating in global actions,
designing solutions that inspire action on environmental
issues)
 Kansas Green Schools Program
• School projects connect
students to “real world”
experiences
– Explore ways to make schools
more environmentally
friendly (collecting and
analyzing assessment data)
– Make presentations,
communicate ideas through
video and social media
– Project planning,
implementation, and
management
– Raise funds, learn about
processes for project approval
(school board meetings)
Olathe South HS
Compostable trays and
bottle recycling in
Olathe South HS
Cafeteria
 Clifton-Clyde School District
• USD 224 Superintendent
Brian Pekarek and students
from Clifton-Clyde High
School during their "Wind
Energy Day”
• USD 224 elementary
students using composting
tumblers for lunch waste
 Starside Elementary, Desoto

• “Mother Nature,”
Bob the Ball and
students at Starside
Elementary Pond
• Students digging
into the
vermicompost they
harvested
EE can help prepare students for jobs
that haven’t been invented yet!
• Supports school CTE
efforts
• Provides opportunities
to connect with
community
• Project-based learning =
experience with career-
building challenges and
successes
 Thanks for coming!
• How else might EE
support CTE and 21st
Century Skills? Laura Downey
• How can we support KACEE
your CTE efforts? ldowney@kacee.org
785-532-3322