College District to Create 6,000 Green Jobs

[irishbobcat]

College District to Create 6,000 Green Jobs
Written by Cassie Walker
Published on January 29th, 2009

If it's true that green jobs will be plentiful in coming years, perhaps it will be due to forward-looking initiatives that persist despite the weak economy. A case in point: the $400 million in design, construction and technology contracts that the Los Angeles Community College District's trustees recently approved, expected to create about 6,000 jobs.
That's a lot of jobs for Southern California, a region suffering more than some from weakness in the housing market, in a state facing higher than average unemployment and a massive budget crisis.
The projects involve new construction and upgrades to the District's nine campuses. According to the District's website, it represents the largest public-sector sustainable building project in the country. Funding comes from a voter-approved $2.2 billion bond (in other words, you and I are paying for it – an investment I'm happy to make).
The projects, spread across all of the District's campuses, include alternative energy and new LEED certified buildings. The "9 Megawatt Solar Energy Plan" calls for enough PV installation to support each campuses' daytime energy needs; however, the ultimate goal is for each campus to be entirely off the grid.


When will Universities and colleges in Ohio adopt the same philosophy?
Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party
Ohio Green Party
www.ohiogreens.org
www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen/