Summit aims to shed light on green job creation
ARLINGTON - UT Arlington’s Small Business Development Center for Enterprise Excellence and Office of Sustainability are staging a Jan. 6 Green Jobs Summit featuring experts and panel discussions on the front lines of the sustainability movement.
The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon at the Maverick Activities Center Lone Star Auditorium, 500 W. Nedderman Drive. Other sponsors include Green Collar Vets, the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center and Cross Timbers Procurement Center.
Green Collar Vets is an organization focused on providing U.S. military veterans skills and education needed to access emerging green industries. TMAC and the procurement center are housed at UT Arlington’s Automation and Robotics Research Institute in east Fort Worth.
Tom Pryor, SBDC director, said organizers created the summit to help people create their own “green” jobs in a difficult employment market. Unemployment rates in North Texas have topped 8 percent. Nationally, the figure is closer to 9.5 percent.
“In this economic world, you better be cheap or different. Green is different,” Pryor said.
The summit’s keynote speaker will be Glenn Croston, author of “75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make A Difference.” Croston’s work lays out current green business opportunities, the business case for sustainability and how people can build a successful and profitable green business.
Pryor said, for example, that many companies would consider contracting with a janitorial service that markets itself as “green” and uses cleaning aids that are better for the environment.
Meghna Tare, UT Arlington’s sustainability director, is scheduled to appear as a panelist at the summit. She said she plans to share two types of information: the University’s green initiatives and academic programs that can help students pursue careers in green industries.
“I’ve been very interested in how the SBDC was working with veterans to get them back into the economy, and an economy that has a bright future,” Tare said.
Among the green construction initiatives at UT Arlington are the new Engineering Research Building, which features a “green roofs” made up of planting material and water reclamation systems; the 6,500-seat College Park Center; and the College Park residential and retail center, which will include rooftop solar panels to aid in energy efficiency. The events center and the mixed-use development are part of the College Park District, a 20-acre area on the east side of campus.
UT Arlington launches a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in January 2011 and already offers a minor in sustainability. The University also offers other certification programs in green-related disciplines designed to make students and professionals more marketable.
More information about the Green Jobs Summit is available at www.NTGreenJobs.com. Registration fees are $30, $15 for veterans. Exhibitor fees are $100. Call 817-272-5930 for information.
The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of nearly 33,000 students in the heart of North Texas. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more.
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Herb Booth, hbooth@uta.edu, 817-272-7075
The University of Texas at Arlington, www.uta.edu
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