Green Collar Jobs Training Program

Program Summary

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:15:02 +0000

This summer Green Collar Technologies has partnered up with the Hawaii“i State Workforce Development in supprot of their opportunity for summer work experience program. During this six week period (June 16, 2009 – July 24, 2009) individuals of various ages, backgrounds and skills have come together to learn how to become more sustainable both in the environment (“offline sustainability”) and on the internet (“online sustainability”). They learned a plethora of skills that employers are demanding ranging from rainwater harvesting, growing food crop, building sustainable developments, and using alternative sources of energy to online marketing, search engine optimization, server maintenance and online collaborative skills. The hopes of this program is to build greener economies on Hawai‘i Island, but it also had another resulting hope for the trainees. This program helped expose the trainees to knowledge and experiences that will hopefully make them more competitive and appealing the in the job search, application and interviewing processes. In this difficult economy it is difficult to find a job, and even more difficult to be sustainble. Hopefully this program has taught the trainnes how to create harmony between people and the planet!

(7/24/09) Update

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:00:24 +0000

It’s feels awkward to say it, but today is offically the late day of training for the Green Collar Jobs Training Program. What has started on June 16, 2009 has finally come to an end on July 24, 2009. The offline workers are headed down to Nanawale to once again work on Mark Hansen’s Earthship, and what a way to end the program than on a project that eiptomizes the term “sustainability.” Earthships are sustainable, affordable, reliable, and help reduce the human ecological program. Not to mention that Green Collar workers are the ones that are buildings these eco-friendly developments. The online workers continued to do what they do best on the internet, finishing daily tasks of blog posting, server maintainence, and client work. What better way to end their experience using the skills they have gained over the six week period of training.

In surprise news, Brent also gave all the trainees scholarships to attend classes on sustaianbility that will be offered in the fall. We are greatful for these scholarships and think these are one of the best ways to educated the future generations about a greener, more sustainable world! A great way to end the program!

(7/23/09) Update

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:50:45 +0000

The weather for today was predicted to be cloudy with a high chance of showers, due to the bad weather off the south east end of Hawai‘i Island. However, if you lived here for some time, you probably realized that the weather can turn on a dime and it could be sunny one minute and raining heavily 5 minutes later. Luckily, for the Green Collar Jobs Training Program this means we experienced a very hot and clear, sunny day on Hawai‘i Island. The weather turned out for the best because the offline sustainability trainees headed down to Nanawale to put more time and effort in the Mark Hansen’s sustainable, affordable, and modern Earthship.

Trainee’s refined their Earthship skills and knowledge by again mixing the special concrete mix and packing it into the white bags that will help the mix retain the specific shape needed for the wall structure. The trainees are pretty excited that they are working on a building concept that is not really well known because it gives them a skill not too many people and hopefully will help them stand out when they are looking for jobs in the future. The trainees are also are hoping to raise awareness of this greener, sustainable home option.

Back in the office, the online sustainability group continued work on server maintainence, the Hawai‘i Sustainable Buisiness Directory, and starting to put closure to the summer 2009 Green Collar Jobs Training Program blogs.

(7/22/09) Update

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:49:10 +0000

Just Cruisin Coffee Shop in Downtown Hilo.

Work today was essentially the same as yesterday. The online sustainability group is continuing to work on daily tasks and attempting to complete the new tasks they set forth on previously, and the offline sustainability group is working at the Just Cruisin Coffee shop. They are again spreading cinder and filling the empty spots on the coffee shop property.

With less than two days left in the program is about time we start thinking about the future. Brent has hinted to the workers that there will be another Green Collar Training Program starting in the near future, but hasn’t given the exact details. If you have any interest in the Green Collar Jobs Training Program or in Green Collar Technologies in general, keep in touch with our main website at greencollartech.com!

(7/21/09) Update

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:46:09 +0000

Today the online and offline sustainability groups are split up with the offline crew going to the Just Cruisin Coffee shop and the online crew staying back the Hawai‘i Innovation Center. There is a large pile of red cinder at the coffee shop and the offline sustainability crew will be spreading wheel barrows of it all over the property. Meanwhile the online sustainability crew is in the office working on a set of new tasks Brent has set forth for them to accomplish. These tasks include numerous activities such as going through the yellow pages of the phone book to find more groups and individuals to add to the Hawai‘i Sustainable Business Directory, as well as doing some needed maintainence of the Green Collar Technologies server. It’s tedious work, but someone needs to do it.

(7/20/09) Update

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:45:13 +0000

Time sure does fly by! It’s officially the last week of the Green Collar Jobs Training Program. On this very beautiful day, with clear blue skies and a perfect view of the top of Mauna Kea, the trainees are again working at the Just Cruisin Coffee shop.

The online sustainability workers are feeling quite different than they did on Friday and rather than wanting to be indoors to avoid the rain, they would rather be outside working in the nice, sunny weather. However, with the shop running on air conditioning and free samples of the smoothies and coffee drinks at hand, they really can’t complain. Who said online sustainable jobs aren’t amazing?

Online Workers completing daily tasks at the Just Cruisin Coffee Shop.

Offline trainees taking a break from maintenance work on the coffee shop property.

Meanwhile the offline sustainability workers used the knowledge and skills they gained at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center and planted kalo around the Just Cruisin Coffee property. They also raked the premises to make it look even better.

Brent also dedicated this week to giving short introductory courses to the online sustainability crew about topics they were interested in such as computer applications, online marketing, and the internet in general. Today trainees asked about Search Engine Optimization, commonly known as SEO, and he taught them some tricks to increase website, blog, etc. standings when being search by engines such as google, yahoo, etc.

Daily Tips and Lessons:

Take advantage of the beautiful weather!
Use sites like websitegrader.com to assess your website’s search standings.
Make sure to define meta description and meta keywords to increase search standings.
The more incoming links you have the more site visits your website may get, further increasing your search standings.

(7/17/09) Update

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:40:26 +0000

The last few days were a bit difficult due to a combination of the lack of available resources and job opportunities. However, the tides have turned today and someone has a need for the Green Collar Jobs Training Program. The worksite is also located in area that doesn’t require a lot of travel, gas, and gas money, so it’s a perfect worksite candidate for the Green Collar Job Training Program. The offline sustainability trainees are working at the Just Crusin Coffee shop location in Hilo, near the the county buildings. Trainees are working on property beautification, which is just a pretty term for the tedious work they had weeding the property. Nonetheless, it is still considered to be a Green Collar Job, and a job that the coffee shop needs to be done.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t so cooperative with overcast skies and and occasional showers dampered the offline crew’s spirits, but the online workers did get to enjoy the comforts inside of the coffee shop. There they continued daily tasks, and with the program coming to an end are working on putting finishing touches on all the things they have documented and created over the past six weeks. It seems like they only started days ago, but about two months have gone by and much as been done in terms of a first year program.

(7/16/09) Update

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:34:19 +0000

Today was a fairly simple day being that the offline sustainability workers a “day off.” With no worked planned, there was really no reason for workers to come into the office. Also the hours the workers would be available to work made it difficult because trainees had to attend a meeting set up the the Hawai‘i Workforce Development office. Being that the program is about in end in a week, the advisers at Workforce development gave trainees a class on how increase their success in finding, applying, and interviewing for a job. This class was especially important for those who haven’t had much experience with jobs, because it gave them lots of insights to the process of becoming and staying employed. Many of the trainees will be going back to school when this the Green Collar Jobs Training Programs ends, and given the current economy some will also have to work at the same time. It’s difficult, but they will take with them a new and improved set of skills and knowledge that they either gained or refined as the result of the Green Collar Jobs Training Program!

Although some of the workers did have the “day off”, other workers, a.k.a. the online sustainability workers, still had to come into the office and continue daily task of updating websites, writing blogs, and client work. It’s just another day in the office, but we can’t complain because it’s work nonetheless and work is very hard to find in this current economy. “Another day, another dollar!”

(7/15/09) Update

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:30:51 +0000

Today was a very difficult day in terms of work for the offline sustainability trainees (basically because there was no work). Joe Bernade is injured and can not come into work to be a worksite supervisor, and what was a day planned for work at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center became a day to brainstorm other sustainable work opportunities. It was very difficult because the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center was the fallback plan if the Earthship and greenhouse plans fell through (because of gas money), so workers were very frustrated at the unfortunate events and even more disappointed when they had to end their work day early. However, before they left they did take some time to brainstorm other work options. Some of the ideas included working for Hawai‘i Parks and Recreation to help clean up and maintain the local beaches. Other plans included networking with friends and family who might need labor workers. So far nothing has been booked, but phone calls and contacts are being made. If you have or know of someone who could use the Green Collar Jobs Training Program trainees feel free to contact us with your proposition.

(7/14/09) Update

greencollarjobstrainingprogram — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:27:17 +0000

Today, the Green Collar Jobs Training Program did more work on Mark Hansen’s Earthship home. There they continued to mix the mixture of cement, cinder, and dirt to make the wall foundation, very similar to what they did yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Green Collar Jobs Training Program online trainees continued to document and promote the training program and its efforts on the Internet.

Trainees helping mark build the earthship walls.

One of the first people to foremen of the Earthship design is Mike Reynolds the found of Earthship Biotecture. His design began sometime in the 1970s when we wanted to create a sustainable home that would do all of the following:

It would be made out of recycled and indigenous materials, whenever possible.
It would rely on natural energy sources and be off the grid.
It would be economically feasible for the average person and would required no specialized constructions skills to build.

This design has become very popular in the last decade and there is even a housing development in Taos, New Mexico that is entirely composed of earthship homes. It’s inahbitants live with a strong sense of sustainability. They produce most of their energy (solar panels, etc.), harvest their own water, treat their own sewage, manufacture bio-diesel, and grow majority of their own food. Because their homes and buildings are earthships they also recycle and utilized much of the “trash” that other communities throw out.

Inside one of the Earthship huts.

In 2004, the first eartship was built in Europe. It was built by volunteers of the SCI charity and opened in Kinghorn Loch in Fife, Scotland.

There are many advantages, as well as disadvanages to having an earthship home, but overall it’s an amazing concept that supports the push for global sustainability. Everything is a learning process, so you can be sure that in the years to come, earthship designs will become even more advanced and efficient in reducing the human ecological footprint.