BROWN &ER& United States Environmental Protection Agency Green Jobs Training Curriculum for Nonprofit in Portland Sustainability Pilot Background OREGON EPA's Brownfields Sustainability Pilots provide technical assistance to assist communities in achieving greener, more sustainable results when redeveloping brownfields. These pilots also provide models for other communities across the country. Oregon Tradeswomen, a community training nonprofit in Portland, Oregon, is developing a green jobs training curriculum as part of its job training program that will give participants skills to enter the green workforce. EPA provided technical assistance to help the Oregon Tradeswomen develop a green jobs training curriculum. Tabor Commons Project Background The Tabor Commons site was a commercial site with past uses varied from a gas station to a coffee shop and a deli. When the deli closed, underground storage tanks and soil contamination were identified from the previous uses of the site. The site is now owned by SouthEast Uplift, a community based organization that intends to redevelop the property into a community center. Oregon Tradeswomen, an EPA Brownfields Job Training grant recipient, will use the site as a training ground to host the green jobs training sessions of its job training program. The green jobs training program will last for seven weeks and includes a mix of classroom, field and hands on learning. Oregon Tradeswoman anticipates that participants will be able to apply their new green job skills at the redevelopment of the Tabor Commons site. Project Highlights EPA's technical assistance to Oregon Tradeswomen covered the development of a green jobs training curriculum for its job training program. In general, the curriculum provided case studies, examples and resources on green jobs and green building practices, as well as defined key terms and concepts. The technical curriculum included topics such as: Energy Efficiency Passive Solar Natural Resource Conservation Building Lifecycle Solar Panels Green Roofs Photovoltaic Cells Solar Thermal Panels Green Remediation Deconstruction Solar Roofing Stormwater Management Weatherization The curriculum covers both the technical aspects of these topics and the practical implementation of the technique. For example, after discussing the technical aspects of deconstruction, instructors cover how these materials may be reused for their original function or reused in additional innovative ways. The intent of the curriculum is for participants to gain an understanding of the difference between recyclable materials and those classified as solid waste. Since the Tabor Commons site is a brownfield, it serves as an onsite case study for some of the subject matter that is presented in classroom sessions such as stormwater management, passive solar, deconstruction and green building principles. The curriculum also includes training on the following green building certifications: Earth Advantage, U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, ENERGY STAR, Net-Zero energy, and the Living Building Challenge. The curriculum lists necessary job skills and potential employers. ------- Challenges and Lessons Learned Project Definition and Scope Preliminary discussions were necessary to better define the scope of the project and specific project needs. The EPA technical assistance team convened the Oregon Tradeswomen and other project stakeholders, which led to a decision to use the Tabor Commons site as a case study for designing a green jobs curriculum. Multiple Brownfields Grants While the technical assistance was being provided, the Oregon Tradeswoman also received an EPA Brownfields Job Training grant. The pilot's technical assistance team coordinated with the Oregon Tradeswoman to coordinate the separately funded initiatives. Technical assistance funded through this Sustainability Pilot developed the green job training portion of the job training curriculum that will be implemented with the Brownfields Job Training grant. The Tabor Commons site before redevelopment construction begins. Sources for Additional Information For more information on this project, please see the full Tabor Commons technical assistance report at: http://epa.gov/brownfields/sustain_plts/reports/Tabor_Commons_Green_Jobs_Training.pdf Additionally, please see the Tabor Commons project Web site at: http://www.cafeauplay.org/index.html Regional Contact Information For more information on the Tabor Commons project, please contact: Mike Slater EPA Reg ion 10 503-326-5872 slater.mike@epa.gov Green Jobs Training Curriculum for Nonprofit in Portland EPA-560-F-09-509 October 2009 www, epa.gov/brownfields ------- |