By Lookout Staff

July 21, 2011 – Recycling and green waste disposal is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States, rivaling the automobile industry in number of employees, and Santa Monica College is playing a leading role in preparing the field's work force.

The College's first crop of 92 trainees was honored this week by the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA), the country’s premier professional association of zero waste experts.

“I'm thrilled with the success of the program this year,” said CRRA Certification Manager Judi Gregory. “The students who participated worked very hard and learned from leading experts in the fields of recycling, organics & composting, sustainability, zero waste and EPR.

“Their completion of the program is a great achievement and I look forward to working with these individuals in the future,” said Gregory. “Many of them have already been successful at finding industry related jobs, but we have more work to do."

Santa Monica College (SMC) received a $4.87 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor last fall to prepare students for jobs in the recycling and resource management industry. The program was kicked off last January by a visit to the College by Assistant Secretary of Labor Jane Oates.

CRRA has worked hand-in-hand with the College to develop the innovative program.

"The CRRA industry training has been an integral part of our curriculum development at SMC,” said SMC's Director of Sustainability Genevieve Bertone.

“We are delighted to see students taking this first step toward a green career and hope they continue their education in the for-credit certificate program starting this fall at SMC and Irvine Valley College,” said Bertone.

The graduates celebrated their completion of 32 hours of intensive in-class sessions hosted by Irvine Valley College and real-world, student-led projects.

They'll fill positions ranging from entry level to managerial posts in the growing field.

“Individuals completing the course will provide the leadership, creative solutions and innovative ideas that will enable the transition from the 'disposable' era to a new era of discovery where the vast array of resources are already at our fingertips,” said Bertone.

New legislation requires businesses and municipalities to manage their resources with an eye to the future of the planet, and to do so, they'll need trained staff.

While it takes one person to manage every 10,000 tons of waste that goes into a landfill, diversion of that same amount of waste into composting and recycling creates 89 jobs, jobs sorely needed in a post-recession economy.

“I’m amazed at the growth and advancement of California’s green economy,” said CRRA President Julie Muir. “During difficult economic times, it’s great to know that our training is filling a need both through environmental responsibility and by creating needed jobs.”