Interest in “going green” has spread much further than simply recycling aluminum cans or even installing energy-efficient appliances. In fact, a growing number of people around the world are interested in utilizing green technologies in ways that will help them save money while also protecting the earth. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that this interest in going green has spread to college campuses and that a growing number of people are interested in pursuing green career paths.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, Harvard enrollment in the environmental courses offered at its extension school has increased by 70% over the past two years. As a result, the university has also started to offer courses in areas such as environmental economics and carbon neutrality. Berkeley has also reported an increase in interest in green topics. In fact, its sustainability studies office had only offered fiver courses just three years ago. Today, it offers 60 courses and enrollment in the program has grown from just 55 to 400 students per semester.

“In spite of the recession, we’re seeing strong interest in subject areas such as sustainable buildings, transportation, energy, economic policies and, of course, LEED,” said Pat Rose, who is the media relations manager of the Berkeley extension school, in the New York Times article.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification system that was created by the United States Green Building Council. Becoming “LEED certified” is an important step for those who want to pursue an eco-friendly career in professional fields such as architecture and law.
Many colleges are also choosing to offer continuing education courses that are related to sustainability, though a recent survey conducted by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education has found that not all are choosing to do so. Nonetheless, the organization does report that there has been an increase in the number of these types of courses that are being offered.

Several of the schools that are currently offering continuing education courses that focus on sustainability are even offering certificates to students who complete a certain number of courses. At Berkeley, for example, students need to complete at least four courses in order to earn a certificate. Students at the University of Oregon, on the other hand, need to complete a 10-day workshop in order to earn a certificate from the school’s sustainability leadership program. Some schools, on the other hand, offer degrees in the field.

A number of business schools are also offering coursework in sustainability. Duquesne University in Pittsburgh ad City University in Seattle, for example, are both offering M.B.A. programs in sustainability. Stanford’s Graduate School of Business also offers M.B.A. programs with an environmental slant, and its program was included in the Aspen Institute’s top public management programs in 2007-8.

Other schools offer hands-on programs that are beneficial to homeowners who want to explore their energy-saving options further. The College of Continuing and Professional Education at California State University in Long Beach, for example, offers three-hour workshops to help homeowners make sense out of their utility bills. The University of Colorado in Boulder, on the other hand, is offering workshops in green remodeling and straw-bale building.

Everywhere you look, colleges and universities are offering workshops, certificate programs and degree programs to those who are interested in living more eco-friendly lifestyles or pursuing green careers. If you are interested in seeing what online schools or community colleges in your area have to offer, visit the Top Colleges home page and start exploring today!