For as long as I can remember, people have been trying to
save the Earth. When I was a kid, I used
to see a public service announcement on TV during Saturday morning cartoons
that showed an American Indian riding a horse through litter in the countryside. At the end he looks into the camera and a
tear is running down his face. A few
years later, we had Woodsy Owl (give a hoot, don’t pollute!). Earth Day took on renewed significance in the
late 80’s and early 90’s. We were told that plastic garbage bags and disposable
diapers were going to destroy the Earth, and we need to “save” it. I always liked a particular joke I heard told
by George Carlin: the Earth isn’t going
anywhere. People on the other hand…
These days, there is a new culprit: global warming. Al Gore won an Oscar for “An Inconvenient
Truth” and he’s launching the Live Earth concerts, which are designed to bring
even more attention to the issue of air pollution, greenhouse gasses and global
warming. But maybe you don’t live in any
of the areas where these concerts are taking place. How can you, as a distance learner, get
involved? Why, by getting a Green
Degree, of course!
Colleges and universities are smart enough to know when a
market exists for a particular program, and those which offer distance learning
degrees are no exception. In Australia,
Murdoch University
offers programs in Renewable Energy and Energy Studies. It even offers an honors degree in Sustainable
Energy Management.
Green Mountain
College in Vermont
offers a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Studies, and independent
study options are available. If you don’t
want to take a whole program in Environmental Studies, the University
of Kansas offers a Principles of
Environmental Management course via independent study.
If solar energy is of interest to you, check out Arizona
State University’s
Master of Science in Technology degree, with a concentration in Environmental
Technology Management. Texas
Tech University
plans to offer a distance learning course called Introduction to Wind Power
Systems.
Right now, most alternative energy programs appear to be
based in Europe, but more programs and courses are being
added in the United States
and with the continued emphasis on global warming, they are sure to
expand. Developments in fuel cell
technology, hybrid vehicles and alternative energy solutions like ethanol and
bio-diesel will increase the need for trained workers in “green”
businesses. In Oklahoma…best
known for its oil industry…windmill farms are being built, colleges are
conducting research into fuel cell technology and ethanol plants are being
constructed. Getting a “Green Degree” now could ensure gainful
employment in the future!
Who knows…you might even save the Earth.