Lately, green is a very popular color. Al Gore takes lots of ribbing and abuse for his global warming warnings. However, many people have begun to take notice of all the damage we are doing to our planet. Since this is the only place we know of in our solar system that will sustain us, it is way past time that everyone alive today joins the cause and does their small part in conserving our limited natural resources.  Education is one area that certainly needs some focus.

Course Offerings in Enviro Sciences

Aside from helping our environment, a green push can help to create some badly needed jobs in the sustainable energy, green building, and other related industries. Rather than remaining dependent on oil, a resource that we know is finite, why not spend time develop new ways to capture renewable sources of energy like the sun, wind, and hydropower? Though we have had some forms of these for years, advancements are slow to come, likely because they are not profitable for the big oil companies (which spend billions each year for lobbyists in Washington.)

Colleges are expanding their environmental offerings at a rapid rate, which is encouraging. They will be capable of turning out students with the knowledge required to make the technological changes that we need desperately.  Schools are also ramping up programs of sustainability on campus—recycling, adding solar panels, consulting with LEED professionals, installing more efficient HVAC systems and automated control systems to reduce energy consumption. Another initiative at post-secondary schools is building partnerships within the sustainable energy industry.

Some universities now offer degrees in environmental science, and offer them a choice of environmental science or environmental policy, depending upon the career path they choose. Other universities offer environmental engineering programs that help to equip students to design efficient systems to save fuel and other natural resources.

Virtual Learning

With the advent of personal computers and video conferencing technology, it is possible to take an interactive course of studies almost completely off-campus. By all accounts, eLearning departments all over the country are booming. The convenience for students who are often working their way through school cannot be understated.  Moreover, an effect of less travel is less pollution and conservation of fuel.

In the State of Florida, about 3% of students in the public school system rely on Florida virtual schools to complete their education. Not all of them are full-time enrollees. Some are taking one makeup course or attending during an illness so that they stay up to date. Others add an extra course or an advanced class to an otherwise crowded school day by learning virtually. Some, however, are happily learning from home.

Over time, Florida and other states that have adopted similar virtual public schools, intend to save a lot of money and resources on construction, overhead, and transportation costs, while also limiting the size of each class for individual attention.  The curriculum is the same for in-school students as it is for virtual students, and it is free. Students in the same household typically share the same virtual teacher and the system sends everything necessary for the lessons: books to goggles, scales, paint, seeds, and workbooks included.

While virtual schooling in the early years is gaining popularity because of the high costs as mentioned earlier with public schools, and because of safety issues, an unintentional side effect is a reduction in energy consumption and consumption of other natural resources like building materials.

Denise Gabbard has been writing and blogging for over five years, and she writes about a wide range of topics. Education, travel, pets, personal finance, and even horse lorry insurance are common topics.