ADULT LEARNING February 2013

Refereed Articles

Community Education and Green Jobs

Acknowledging Existing Connection

Wendy Griswold,

Abstract: Green jobs are currently a much-discussed Keywords: green jobs, sustainability, community
topic in political, economic, and educational forums. education, STEM education, workforce development
Millions of Americans would be very glad to have
one. But what are they exactly? Or more pointedly, ommunity educa-
what should they be and how tion has a long his-
can the field of adult education tory of support-
support their development? From T o SUPPORT ing social change efforts,
the perspective of a community including women's suffrage
MOVEMENT
educator who has worked (Addams, 2012), labor legis-
in the field of environmental TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE lation and unions (Addams,
education and environmental 2012; Horton, 1998), and
WORLD, PROGRAMS civil rights (Horton, 1998).
justice for more than 15 years,
green jobs should be more FACILITATING WORKFORCE According to Tett (2010),
than environmentally friendly "Community education's pri-
employment, as defined by DEVELOPMENT IN THE mary purpose is education
the Bureau of Labor Statistics. GREEN JOBS SECTOR within and for communities"
They should serve to advance (p. 1), and its primary audi-
the development of sustainable SHOULD MIRROR THE ence are the adults who make
societies. To do this, there are PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES up that community.
three elements that, woven Community education
together, can create green OF COMMUNITY
addresses the self-identi-
jobs that will serve society in EDUCATION." fied needs of learners and
significant ways. These elements solves problems at a social
are workforce development; level beyond the individual,
science, technology, engineering, although individual growth
and mathematics (STEM) education; and community and action are crucial elements in the process. Many
education for sustainability. Examples of existing outcomes of community education include increased
programs that address these elements will be empowerment and agency of individuals, groups, and
discussed below. communities. Popular education is a means to engage

DOI: 10.1177/1045159512467322. From ^Kansas State University, Lawrence. Address correspondence to: Wendy Griswold, Kansas State
University, P.O. Box 442612, Lawrence, KS 66044; email: griswold@ksu.edu.
For reprints and permissions queries, please visit SAGE's Web site at http://wvw.sagepub.com/journaisPermission.nav.
Copyright © 2013 The Author(s)

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Vol. 24 No. 1
communities through nonacademic strategies. Address-
ing issues of sustainability and preparing workers for
green jobs fits naturally into adult popular education
and addresses the challenges of the 21st century
This article will provide a brief background on the
key elements to developing community education pro-
grams that serve to support green jobs and explore
how they could function more effectively to develop
a green economy In the second section, "Examples
of Community Education Programs", two examples of
community programs will be profiled.
Key Elements to Develop Community
Education Programs Supporting Green Jobs
Green jobs are currently a much-discussed topic in
political, economic, and educational forums. Millions of
Americans would be very glad to have one, but what
are they exactly? Or more pointedly, what should they
be and how can the field of adult education support
their development? Erom the perspective of a commu-
nity educator who has worked in the field of environ-
mental education and environmental justice for more
than 15 years, green jobs should be more than envi-
ronmentally friendly employment, as defined by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012). They should serve to
advarKe the development of sustainable societies. To
do this, there are three elements that, woven together,
can create green jobs that will serve society in signif-
icant ways. These three elements, workforce develop-
ment; science, technology, engineering, and mathe-
matics (STEM) education; and sustainability values, are
existing movements within the American society. Uni-
fying these elements could create a web that would
strengthen each of them and create an interlocking sup-
port system in which green jobs address economic,
environmental, and societal concerns.
Progress toward the development of a green economy,
an equitable present, and a sustainable future should
include acknowledging and utilizing the existing con-
nections between community (where and how we live)
and work (what we do). To support movement toward
a sustainable world, programs facilitating workforce
development in the green jobs sector should mirror
the principles and practices of community education.
In practical terms, this requires an emphasis on collab-
oration, critical reflection, and authenticity, and valu-
ing process as well as progress. This is how we will
ADULT LEARNING
develop a workforce and a citizenry capable of creating
solutions to environmental, economic, and social ineq-
uities, along with the ability to maintain balance (Lai-
ken, 2004).
Green jobs, particularly those embedded in commu-
nity education and sustainability values, hold the prom-
ise of addressing an element of societal transformation
needed to achieve a sustainable world, namely, revis-
ing the notion that humans are "primarily economic
beings whose purpose is to produce and to consume"
(Takahashi, 2004, p. 173). Green jobs, as defined by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012), involve either provid-
ing or producing goods and services that benefit the
environment and conserve resources or making a pro-
duction process more environmentally friendly Work
(and the values and assumptions we hold about work)
helps to shape other aspects of our lives, such as our
interpersonal relationships, personal well-being, self-
concept, and notions about our place in the world and
relationship to it. Green jobs (which are about taking
care of the environment) have the potential to influence
other aspects of our lives and change our behaviors
(Lange, 2009). This is particularly true if community
education practices inform the development of a green
workforce in making explicit the connections between
performing the job (what we do) and the impact or
benefit of that job on the development of sustainable
communities (how and where we live). There is per-
haps no faster and more effective means of connecting
environmental issues to our personal issues, providing
us with a source of empowerment to make a difference
(Takahashi, 2004).
Workforce Development
The term workforce development is broadly used to
refer to myriad programs and policies related to learn-
ing for work Qacobs, 2006). As such, it is a diverse
field with many perspectives and approaches. Accord-
ing to Jacobs and Hawley (2008), "Workforce devel-
opment is the coordination of public and private-sec-
tor policies and programs that provides individuals
with the opportunity for a sustainable livelihood and
helps organizations achieve exemplary goals, consis-
tent with the societal context" (p. 12). Their definition
unifies the differing perspectives in the field and coinci-
dentally is well suited to the development of green jobs
and sustainable societies. Workforce development initia-
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ADULT LEARNING
tives concerned with the creation and support of a sus-
tainable society will focus on the development of green
jobs and an economy that promotes equality and social
justice. Community education practices, with their focus
on individual and community empowerment, offer
models that will foster the development of workers and
jobs suited to creating a sustainable economy.
STEM Education
Current discussions of green jobs emphasize the
importance of STEM education in supporting the cre-
ation of a green economy and in addressing environ-
mental challenges. STEM stands for science, technology,
engineering and mathematics and refers to the inte-
gration of these fields into a trans-disciplinary subject
in formal education (Dugger, n.d.). A study conducted
by the National Research Council (2011) reports future
jobs at all levels will require STEM knowledge, and
this trend will increase. Efforts to prepare the future
workforce for green jobs are increasingly emphasized
in youth educational programs. There is a growing
need for STEM education for adults as well (Joint G8+,
2011). The field of community education is well suited
to address this given its focus on solving community-
identified issues, which are frequently related to STEM
fields. In addition to the STEM skills needed by current
workers in green jobs, in-service teachers and trainers
responsible for educating the current and future work-
force need to incorporate STEM perspectives into their
practice (National Research Council, 2011).
Sustainability Values
The most commonly recognized definition of sustain-
ability comes from the Brundtland Commission: "meet-
ing the needs of the present, without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs"
(United Nations, 1987). However, a definition that
accounts for community sustainability and more fully
articulates expectations of equity and balance in the
present provides a richer perspective and a more imme-
diate connection to the concerns that many of us have.
Lange (2009) gives us such a definition: "I have defined
a sustainable society to be one that satisfies its needs
without diminishing the prospects for the health and
well-being of self, other peoples, future generations, or
the environment" (p. 193). To create such
societies, their associated values must be explicitly
32
February 2013
articulated and embedded at individual and community
levels. Community education processes can help clarify
sustainability values and incorporate them into policy
and decision making at all levels.
Supporting the Development of Green Jobs
Community education practices could be the
binding force unifying workforce development, STEM
education, and sustainability values, and linking them
to the economy to grow green jobs. Community
education is focused on creating a citizenry with the
capacity to study issues, understand the role that
individuals and communities can play in developing
responses, and the ability to work effectively to include
diverse voices in decision making and problem solving.
Imagine those foci brought to bear in workforce
development programs, STEM education efforts, and
the sustainability movement. One result could be
empowered workers invested in jobs that serve the
environment, the communities in which they live, and
their employers. STEM education that incorporates
participatory action research strategies will help
children and adults connect STEM concepts to their
daily lives. We could expect a more scientifically literate
citizenry and an increase in the number of young
people pursuing STEM careers. Sustainability values
could be developed and articulated in community
contexts. The sustainability movement could be seen as
relevant for every citizen, not just those who can afford
it, which is the current state of the movement in many
parts of the nation.
An ecologically literate citizenry, capable of question-
ing assumptions and making decisions leading to equi-
table solutions to current and future local, national, and
global challenges, is needed to support the creation of
a green economy and the jobs within that economy.
Using community education tactics within the spheres
of workforce development, STEM education, and sus-
tainability values will aid in the development of that cit-
izenry, particularly if those tactics are used to infuse
each of those spheres with the knowledge and tools of
the other.
Examples of Community Education
Programs
Below are examples of community education
programs woven into workforce development, STEM
Vol. 24 No. 1
education, and sustainability values. The Sustainability
Living Center focuses on the development of
sustainable values in a rural Midwestern context.
Community education practices are utilized to meet
participants' needs. This effort led to the creation
of a workforce development program focused on
sustainability and green jobs. The Breaking the
Silence Conference focuses on making sustainability
values a relevant concept in urban African American
communities. Using the tools of community education,
it places emphasis on the role that communities
can play as both consumers and creators of STEM
education to gain support for the entry of more
underrepresented populations in STEM careers.
Sustainable Living Center
The Sustainable Living Center at Flint Hills Technical
College in Emporia, Kansas, helps communities develop
their capacity for creating sustainable neighborhoods
and developing future green jobs. The center's mission
is to help the community and region address environ-
mental and energy concerns through training programs,
workshops, classes, and conferences. The center's com-
munity education focus on individual and community
needs created awareness that an additional step was
needed to help people create their own green jobs.
Working with Flint Hills Technical College, the center's
advisory board pushed for the creation of the Sustain-
ability Studies Program, a new associate's degree debut-
ing in fall 2012. The focus of the program is to pre-
pare students for future green jobs, with an empha-
sis on entrepreneurial skills and community advocacy.
The program's director, Amy Becker (personal commu-
nication, April 2, 2012), stated the program intends "to
engage students in skill building to prepare them to
create the jobs of the future . . . .[The ultimate goal is]
developing citizens to do better in their communities,
sustainability-wise.
The course offerings in the Sustainability Studies Pro-
gram mirror the community education courses offered
by the center, with a focus on local food, energy effi-
ciency, and carbon mitigation. Courses related to the
local food movement will include sustainable agricul-
ture, sustainable food production and culinary applica-
tions, and small farm management. Courses related to
energy efficiency include alternative energies, fuel sys-
tems, energy management, and high efficiency and
green building in residential construction. Courses
ADULT LEARNING
related to carbon mitigation include community health
and environment, ecological landscape, and ways to
reduce, reuse, and recycle. The program also offers a
course in starting one's own business. Ideally, the Sus-
tainability Studies Program and the Sustainable Living
Center will complement each other, providing a path-
way for citizens to develop job skills and the opportu-
nity for students to engage directly with communities in
real-world settings.
The center works with people to implement project
ideas in their own homes or their communities. The
center sponsors a wide array of courses and workshops
representing common issues related to sustainability:
local food, energy-efficient home improvement, and
mitigating carbon impacts. In the course on local
food, participants are taught about growing and
preserving their own harvests. A course on building
technology for energy-efficient homes includes
information about energy-efficient design, alternative
building systems and products, and the Energy Star
program. Other classes related to mitigating carbon
impacts include cloth diapering, solar cooking, and
bike repair. The courses offered by the center reflect
community demand and interest. The center also
sponsors an annual sustainability fair, designed to
educate a larger segment of the population about
what it means to live sustainably. The fair provides
access to information on local food systems, recycling,
energy efficiency, alternative energy, sustainable arts,
and recreation activities. The Sustainable Living Center
is most visible in the area of local food production.
The center sponsors a community garden, which has
increased in popularity each year and is near capacity
for the current growing season. More notable and
more directly connected to the center's work is the
proliferation of high tunnels in the center's service area.
A high tunnel is an unheated greenhouse that helps
extend the growing season, increasing food production
for individual gardeners and profitability for market
growers. The center provides daylong workshops on
high tunnels, which include panel discussions and
presenters from the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and
experienced regional farmers.
The efforts of the Sustainable Living Center and the
Sustainability Studies Program have the potential to
sow deep-rooted change in society Increasing the
capacity of individuals and communities to produce
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ADULT LEARNING
their own food, energy, and products increases their
ability to create employment opportunities under
their direct control. Controlling one's own labor and
production increases individual and community
resiliency, necessary elements of an economy less
resource intensive and driven by consumerism.
Breaking the Silence/Building a
Sustainable Earth Community
A second program working to educate citizens and
promote the development of green jobs is Breaking
the Silence/Building a Sustainable Earth Community,
based in Kansas City, Kansas. This organization serves
an urban population and uses regional partnerships to
create opportunities for environmental literacy learning.
Since 2007, Breaking the Silence has facilitated an
annual conference to address environmental justice,
with topics including engaging people of color in
environmental movements, environmental health, and
energy production. The conferences are an outcome
of local community activists participating in the Green
for All Fellowship and Academy Program. Green for
All is a national organization whose mission is to
create a green economy with the capacity to eliminate
poverty (Green For All, 2012). The Breaking the Silence
conferences work to address two major issues: low
rates of environmental literacy among low-income
residents and an environmental movement whose
voice does not include the needs and interests of many
constituencies. The solution to these issues devised
by conference organizers was to initiate dialog and
collaboration between environmental organizations and
community members.
The fifth annual Breaking the Silence Environmental
Conference was held in March 2012. The theme of the
conference was Environmental Literacy with a specific
focus on energy production and STEM education. The
conference was a 2-day event sponsored by a coalition
of diverse stakeholders representing community
organizations, environmental organizations, educational
institutions, advocacy organizations, local government,
economic development interests, and industry Sponsors
included Building a Sustainable Earth Community; the
Kansas Black Chamber of Commerce; Kansas City,
Kansas Community College; the Unified Government of
Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas; Physicians
for Social Responsibility; Sierra Club; Friends of the
34
February 2013
Kaw; J. Gordon Community Development Corporation;
the Kansas PTA; and Tetra Tech, an environmental
consulting firm.
Two key events highlighted the event's foci on energy
production and STEM education: the Beyond Coal
Campaign panel discussion and a keynote address
by Dave Oberbillig, a fellow of the U.S. Department
of Energy. The Beyond Coal Campaign is an effort of
the Sierra Club focused on promoting transparent and
public discussions about alternative energy and the
development of a green economy The principle tools
of this campaign are grassroots community organizing,
communication strategies, and litigation. A panel
discussion of the campaign at the conference focused
on the health and environmental impacts of coal on
neighborhoods adjacent to local coal-powered plants
and ways communities could facilitate the development
of alternative energy.
Dr. Oberbillig spoke on the topic of workforce
development for teachers and scientists, focusing
his comments on the importance of developing
relationships between educators and scientists in
providing project-based learning opportunities in
the fields of STEM to our nation's youth. The role of
communities is critical in the success of such STEM
education endeavors. Communities that value STEM
educational priorities support, encourage, and reward
their children for pursuing STEM education and career
paths. Communities also serve as real-world settings
for project-based learning that connects STEM solutions
to the environment and to the lived experience and
realities of daily life.
Potential Outcomes
These are only two examples of the ways in which
workforce development, STEM education, and
community education are intertwined to support green
jobs. Emerging from a community education context,
the Sustainable Living Center has developed a pathway
for its participants to be creators of green jobs, putting
the sustainability values and STEM knowledge they
gained toward implementing community-level and
higher solutions. The Breaking the Silence effort has
utilized community education to make sustainability
values more accessible to a wider audience as well as
position STEM education as a valuable and relevant
endeavor. An important end goal of this effort is to
Vol. 24 No. 1
diversify and increase the number of young people
interested in and qualified for green jobs.
If a significant number of us are working in the green
sector and aware of how our work is connected to
shaping the world we share, a cultural perspective shift
from a consumer-driven society to one that is capable
of more equitable, harmonious relationships between
ourselves and others becomes more and more possible.
At the very least, our choices about the products and
services we purchase will be informed and shaped by a
different relationship to the earth than we now have.
Conclusion
Currently, a significant share of STEM and
sustainability education is concentrated in the sphere
of formal education. At a minimum, there are at least
200 associate's, minor's, bachelor's, master's, PhD,
and certificate programs offered by universities in the
United States (Association for the Advancement of
Sustainability in Higher Education, 2012). Although
this supports the development of green jobs,
community education is another realm that can support
a transformational shift in our society, providing
an additional impetus for transitioning to a green
economy Community education that incorporates
sustainability values carries the intention of building
the capacity of communities and citizens to understand
the natural world and their place within it. According to
Lange (2002), "This encounter can enlarge the sense of
self, from seeing oneself as separate and autonomous
to seeing one's embeddedness in a web of living
relations, both human and nonhuman, constitutive of
an ecological consciousness" (p. 197). Efforts to engage
and educate communities and citizens in enhancing
their ecological literacy can create a space in which
sustainable solutions will emerge. Identifying problems
and their solutions at a community level ensures they
will address the needs of a large, diverse segment of
the population. A higher level of ecological literacy
among the citizenry will translate into collective
action and political support for the creation of a green
economy
Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest
with respect to the authorship and/or publication of
this article.
ADULT LEARNING
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the
research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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Bio
Wendy Griswold is an assistant research professor
for the Centerfor Hazardous Substance Research
at Kansas State University. She has worked with
communities addressing environmental issues for over
14 years.
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