In the 1967 movie “The Graduate,” Benjamin Braddock (played by Dustin Hoffman) is advised to go into “plastics” as the hot career field of the future. A lot changes in 46 years, and increased environmental awareness, population growth and climate change have made “sustainability” the buzzword for the future.
“Green jobs” — those that help manage, conserve and protect the environment or improve manufacturing and building systems to make them more efficient — are in great demand.
For those who want to turn their passion for the environment into a viable career, the Technical College System of Georgia is a good place to start. Last year Chattahoochee Technical College launched an environmental technology associate degree program. This year the school is opening a new lab built to industry standards and is accepting more students into the program.
“Before we launched this program to train environmental science and protection technicians we did our research,” said Bejie Herrin, environmental technology and horticulture instructor at Chattahoochee Tech. “We learned that the jobs were expected to grow by 24 percent through 2020 (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) due to heightened awareness of environmental hazards, population growth and new laws and regulations.
“When we asked local industry if they would welcome our trained graduates, they said that they had been wishing someone would start a program like this for a long time.”
Environmental technology workers monitor the environment through field and lab tests, investigating sources of pollution and health hazards. Students in the two-year program take courses in biology, chemistry, math, geographic information systems, forest stream and wetland ecology, environmental law and ethics, and quantitative field sampling and analysis.
“We chose to focus our program on water first,” Herrin said. “It’s something none of us can live without and only a small amount of the water on the Earth is available for drinking. It’s a resource we need to know how to protect.”
Graduates of the program will be qualified to work for public utilities, wastewater management companies, hazardous waste cleanup companies, environmental analysis consulting firms, construction and engineering companies, urban planners, pollution control organizations and government agencies, with salaries starting in the $35,000 to $45,000 range, Herrin said.
“We’ve already been to streams, two water plants and talked to numerous professionals in the water industry,” said David Lindsey, a student in the environmental technology program. “What I like about this program is the hands-on learning. It’s a lot better to learn about water by going from site to site and talking to people working in the field, and learning how to test in a lab.”
During the recession, Lindsey earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and found a job as assistant comptroller for a restaurant chain, but he hated working behind a desk.
“I inherited a love of farming from my grandma. I live in a townhouse, but I’ve planted fruit trees, blueberries, blackberries, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots and other vegetables in my tiny backyard. I could use an acre,” he said.
Lindsey was reading an article about how permeable membranes were being used in Saudi Arabia for desalinization when his wife suggested he find a technical program and job that would better suit his interests.
"This is a great program. I'm about three-quarters of the way through and my goal is to work for a county or state government and work my way up," Lindsey said.
Career transition
After 22 years working as a veterinary technician, Amy Kropacek is also aiming for a second career.
“I was studying horticulture because I love being outside and planting things, but then Bejie told me about the environmental technology program,” she said. “I wanted a job where I could work outside, preferably around water, and doing something to help the environment is even better. My interest right now is in wetlands delineation.”
The beauty of environmental technology is that there’s a workplace to fit a variety of people, Herrin said. “There are desk jobs, such as analyzing data and writing reports; lab jobs, like testing samples; and jobs in the field, such as locating wetlands, assessing water runoff and collecting samples.”
Chattahoochee Tech officials intend to broaden the program by offering courses in soil and air quality, and they are discussing articulation agreements with universities, for students who want to continue their education and earn four-year degrees.
“We are proud to have the only water-quality environmental technology program in metro Atlanta, but all of our courses address sustainability and protecting the environment. As a technical college, we embrace 'green’ technologies,” said Shane Evans, associate dean of technical studies and emerging programs at Chattahoochee Tech. “Automotive technology has put hybrid cars in its labs and added course work in alternative fueled vehicles, such as electricity and propane.”
Chattahoochee Tech’s industrial maintenance and electrical technology program includes building energy audit instruction. A new building and facilities management program has an environmental focus that includes the training and qualifications needed for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Horticulture technology covers irrigation systems, green practices, including green roof technology and phytoremediation — the use of plants to mitigate environmental problems.
“Companies that emphasize sustainability will be hiring employees who are familiar with those techniques and technologies, and will have the money to do it,” Evans said.
Those who work in construction or HVAC might consider adding skills with the green building technician certificate program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. For sustainable building technologies and management, the Green Technologies Academy at Georgia Piedmont Technical College is an option. The Solar Energy Program at Lanier Technical College is geared toward those who are interested in energy conservation.
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