Save the Earth...Get a Green Degree!

tcord1964 — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 02:01:00 GMT

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.

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A Busy Little Saturday

tcord1964 — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:53:00 GMT

I’m a big fan of movies. Specifically, I’m a big fan of comedies. One of my favorites is the movie “Old School”. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about a group of middle-age guys who start their own fraternity even though they aren’t going to college. In one of the funniest scenes of the movie, some college students attending a party at the home of one of the middle-age guys tries to get one of them to take part in a drinking game.

“No,” says the responsible older guy “my wife and I have a big day planned for tomorrow.”

“A big day? What are you doing?” ask the college students.

“Well, we have a busy little Saturday planned, really. We’re going to Home Depot, maybe Bed, Bath and Beyond. I don’t know…we may not have enough time.”

If only my weekend were going to be that exciting.

First, I’ve got to wrap up my Narrative essay. Yes, I’m still working on that thing, but the good news is I’m almost done, will polish it this weekend and email it to my instructor by Monday. Then, I’ve got to go to the library tomorrow and arrange for a proctor for my final exams. I’ve also got to start cramming for my final exams because it has been so long since I have even looked at some of this material. I’m also studying for two different CLEP exams, which I’ve been neglecting lately. I plan to take the Natural Science and Social Science and History general exams. My plan is to take them both in one sitting.

I may be trying to accomplish too much in such a short span of time, but at the very least I have to finish the essay and arrange my proctor. It’s getting down to the end of the semester for me at Penn Foster College, and I hope to take my final exams sometime before the end of July. With any luck, I will have transcripts in hand and be ready to transfer to another school within two to three months to finish my BA.

I’m still not decided on my next school, but my focus right now has to be on finishing up with Penn Foster. I’m looking at either Charter Oak State College or Thomas Edison State College, but I’ll address that once I get my grades on my semester finals.

Yep, it will be a busy little Saturday.

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My Penn Foster College Experience : Institutional Info

Save the Earth...Get a Green Degree!

A Busy Little Saturday