Maricopa District Office
Sustainability

Sustainability and Green Technologies

Sustainability and green technologies are broad terms used to describe the redesign and transformation of products and processes in all sectors of the economy to have a lighter impact on the environment. The objectives of this green movement can be distilled into four main motives:
  1. Environmental protection and sustainability.
  2. Economic development and job creation.
  3. National security.
  4. Moral obligation.
Examples of sustainability and green technologies include the following:
  • Alternative energy generation (solar, wind, geothermal, etc…)
  • Automotive production, repair, and conversion related to alternative fuels.
  • Food production using organic and/or sustainable techniques.
  • Green building, landscaping, and retrofits to increase efficiency and conservation.
  • Recycling, composting, and use of recycled materials in new products.
  • Hazardous waste remediation.
  • Manufacturing related to a wide range of sustainable technologies (alternative energy, alternative transportation, sustainable home products, etc…).
  • Parks and open space maintenance and expansion.
  • Public transportation.
  • Water and wastewater treatment.
In the coming years workers at every skill level will be in demand to fill jobs in sustainability and green technologies, and these workers will enjoy greater job security. As industries and jobs are transformed to include greater elements of green, some will change very little, while others will be transformed completely. The majority of these jobs are in the same areas of employment that people already work in today, and millions of U.S. workers have the majority of skills and experience necessary to fill them.

The Maricopa Community Colleges began a sustainability initiative in the spring 2006 to prepare students for the unique challenges facing today’s world. The Maricopa Sustainability Initiative is a cross-disciplinary program that recognizes that our students need to be appropriately educated to make informed choices on the social, environmental and economic issues facing us today. The goal is to answer the call to prepare our students to meet the needs of the present and improve the quality of life for us and for people around the world without jeopardizing the future.

To learn more about the Maricopa Sustainability Initiative and programs at the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges, please click here.