A leader in green jobs training, community education, and environmental sustainability
The Green Center promotes sustainable practices in our region through workforce training and community education. Partnering with residents, students and educators, local business leaders, and community organizations, we are working to make Southeastern Massachusetts a healthier and more sustainable place to live. Our variety of programs, whether focused on home weatherization, renewable energy technologies, or green lifestyle practices, give our participants opportunities to expand their skills and prepare for the growing job market in these areas. It is our hope that through our courses and training programs, our community members will live more sustainably and become leaders in the green economy.
The Green Center offers:
Green Jobs Training Programs
MassGREEN Weatherization Installer Course - This 78 hour training prepares students to work as professional air sealing technicians and insulation installers. Successful graduates of the course will be prepared to take the BPI Installer exams for Air Sealing and Densepacking. The majority of this program will consist of hands on training experience.
MassGREEN Weatherization Business Development Course - The purpose of the MassGREEN Weatherization Business Development course is to help participants determine whether they want to start a weatherization business, learn about the business skills necessary to run a weatherization business, and evaluate themselves to determine whether they have the skills and resources to start and run a weatherization business. Students will develop a first draft of their startup business plan over the course of the eight weeks.
The Green Enterprise Certificate Program - This 10-week Certificate Program is designed to provide individuals with the understanding of how to incorporate eco-friendly practices into their workplace, such as ways to reduce their energy, water, paper, and materials usage.
State Energy Sector Partnership (SESP) Solar PV Training - This FREE program is offered for licensed and apprentice electricians to gain an introduction to sales, siting, design, and installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems. At the end of the course students will have the opportunity to sit for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practioners' (NABCEP) Photovoltaic Entry Level Certificate of Knowledge Exam.
Introduction to Sustainable and Green Energy Technologies - This is a hybrid online and classroom course designed to update construction industry professionals, high school /vocational educators and consumers about the status of emerging renewable energy technologies and sustainable building design practices.
MassGREEN Weatherization Installer Course
This 78 hour training prepares students to work as professional air sealing technicians and insulation installers. Successful graduates of the course will be prepared to take the BPI Installer exams for Air Sealing and Densepacking. The majority of this program will consist of hands on training experience.
Performance objectives:
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Determine where the thermal boundary should be in any typical single family residence and identify potential air leakage points in that barrier
- Determine the best materials and methods for sealing all of the typical leakage points found in a single family residence
- Seal all typical leakage points with the most efficient and effective use of time and materials and test their seals for air-tightness
- Apply air-sealing techniques in compliance with all relevant building and fire code requirements
- Identify appropriate insulation materials for any given application in a single family residence
- Install all standard insulation materials in a manner that assures maximum practical insulating value, minimal damage to the property, occupant health and safety, and compliance with all relevant building and fire codes
- Install house ventilation components as directed
- Work in a manner that ensures their own safety and the safety of job-site residents and property
Prerequisites for enrollment in the course include:
- GED minimum
- Basic math skills
- Ability to read a measuring tape and calculate simple measurements
- English language proficiency
- Basic carpentry skills
Classes will be in the Green Center at 1082 Davol St. in Fall River
For more information about the program, contact Julia Gold at the Green Center, 508-678-2811 x2565
Funding for course development, tools, equipment, supplies, and instructor pay for Bristol Community College's first offering of this new, pilot version of the Weatherization Installer Course has been provided by MassGREEN Initiative in affiliation with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. Thanks to their support, this course is being offered at a specially discounted rate. For more information on the MassGREEN Initiative, please visit www.massgreenstcc.com.
MassGREEN Weatherization Business Development Course
Are you looking to start your own weatherization business? Come learn what it takes!The purpose of the MassGREEN Weatherization Business Development course is to help participants determine whether they want to start a weatherization business, learn about the business skills necessary to run a weatherization business, and evaluate themselves to determine whether they have the skills and resources to start and run a weatherization business. Students will develop a first draft of their startup business plan over the course of the eight weeks.
Price: $149
When: Wednesdays, 6:00-9:00pm, 9/14/11-11/2/11
Where: The Green Center, 2082 Davol Street, Fall River
For more information about the program, contact Julia Gold at the Green Center, 508-678-2811 x2565
The Green Enterprise Certificate Program
Organizations are under increasing pressure to improve their ecological footprint. The Green Enterprise Certificate Program is designed for representatives of for-profit, non-profit, and institutional enterprises who want to reduce their energy, water, paper, and materials usage. The content ranges from understanding the characteristics of a green enterprise; to working with staff, Green Teams, and stakeholders; to creating audits and selecting measures to reduce eco-footprints; to green marketing that tells the organization’s story. Course material applies checklists, calculators, and processes from the instructor’s book, The Green Business Guide.
Topics include:
- Characteristics of green organizations
- Attributes of green organizations
- Planning the green transformation
- Energy supply and conservation
- Renewable energy
- Water supply and conservation
- Life cycle assessment
- Ecodesign
- Material supplies, use, reuse and recycling
- Paper and packaging
- Eco-effective transportation
- Auditing and reporting
- Climate impact
- Green cleaning
- Green purchasing
- Green marketing and communications
- Green as strategy
- Success factors in becoming green
Target Audience:
- For-profit enterprises, non-profits, schools, medical centers, and government agencies
- Staff of small and medium sized organizations (C-level, department heads, facility managers, office managers, maintenance staff)
- Individuals seeking to increase their skill sets
Schedule: Wednesdays 5:30-8:30pm, September 28th- December 7th
Location: The Green Center, 1082 Davol St. Fall River, MA 02720
Price: $495
Certificate requirements
Attendance minimum. Engagement in class. Individual or team projects.
For more information about the program, contact Julia Gold at the Green Center, 508-678-2811 x2565
State Energy Sector Partnership (SESP) Solar PV Training
This FREE* 10-week training program is offered for licensed and apprentice electricians. In this course students will walk through the entire process associated with the sales, siting, design and installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems. This will proceed from initial customer interest through to a successfully installed system that will pass electrical and mechanical inspections. Students will learn about the history and applications of solar electricity. They will discover how photovoltaic cells covert sunlight into electricity and learn how to evaluate different products that are on the market. Students will study the technical specifications for the components of a solar electric system and learn how to properly specify components that work together to produce electricity to meet both on and off-grid electric loads. Procedures for the safe, code-compliant installation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems will be explored. At the end of the course students will have the opportunity to sit for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practioners' (NABCEP) Photovoltaic Entry Level Certificate of Knowledge Exam (visit www.nabcep.org for more information).
*The next session of this training begins September 13, 2011. The course will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-8:30pm in Fall River.
To register or for more information about the program, contact Julia Gold at the Green Center, 508-678-2811 x2565.
*A $100 refundable textbook deposit will be required upon registration. This will be returned to students after completing the course.
The funding for this program is provided by the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board through the United States Department of Labor.
Introduction to Sustainable and Green Energy Technologies
This course is a hybrid on-line and classroom course designed to update construction industry professionals, high school /vocational educators and consumers about the status of emerging renewable energy technologies and sustainable building design practices.
Topics include: The Construction/Engineering Design and Implementation Process, Green Building Practices, especially those related to Energy Efficiency, Environmental Conservation, and Resource Management, Wind Turbines, Solar Energy, and other forms of renewable energy.
Opportunities for site and laboratory visits will be available.
When: Wednesdays, 9/6/11- 12/22/11, 4:00-6:40pm
Where: Fall River Campus
Price: $451
To register or for more information about the program, contact Julia Gold at the Green Center, 508-678-2811 x2565.
This course was developed through a partnership with Bristol, Cape Cod, and Massasoit Community Colleges and funded through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.