With the rise of an economy placing an increasing importance in environmental sustainability, there also comes a need for leaders educated in matters of green technology. For this, community colleges have begun offering training through new courses and degree programs.

According to a March 2010 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory financed by the Energy Department, the sector devoted to energy efficiency has an estimated growth of as much as fourfold in the next decade to some 1.3 million people. Already, the federal government has poured $500 million into training for the industry. Educational institutions have picked up on this growth as well.

At community colleges, managers can look into programs to train them for the industry. Among those available are two-year degrees in environmental management and certificates for those who want to include green qualifications into their resumes. Depending on the college, these courses and other similar ones are available both on campus and online.

One such college offering training in the green industry is Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. Among its offerings are two year programs for associate degrees in applied sciences. These degrees include a choice of energy management, renewable energy or water conservation. The college also offers other continuing education courses that include cross-disciplinary ones such as natural resource economics, global ecology and environmental politics.

Last year, the federal government awarded grants to Lane Community College and 10 other community colleges across the country to begin or enhance their programs in energy management over a three year period.

But it isn’t only colleges in the city that are offering these training courses. Rural areas also provide training through online environmental degrees and certificates. Four year degrees directly relevant to the energy efficiency sector are also available in about two dozen colleges and universities across the country.

With the growing strength and importance being placed on environmental sustainability, I believe it is only natural that training and education has developed to follow suit and prepare managers to handle the changes that science has uncovered. Through training programs such as these, I think that today’s managers are able to adapt and begin thinking with an environmentally-conscious mindset, making it possible for industries to make the full shift to greener practices.