ELYRIA — Can it be easy being green … for a living?

Lorain County Community College is banking on it, offering an associate of science degree in alternative energy technology wind turbine major.

The college hosted a Green Jobs Day on Tuesday at Stocker Arts Center to showcase both the new degree program and job opportunities in green industries. About a half-dozen companies and organizations attended.

Student interest is growing in being a part of a growing industry as well as doing something for the environment, said Ilia Townsley of IC Green Energy LLC of Vermilion, which makes vertical-axis wind turbines.

The day featured several speakers and presentations in Cinema Hall.

Duncan Estep, an associate professor of engineering technologies at LCCC, talked about how the new green industries are different from traditional industries. Now, workers need broader skill sets. It’s not enough to just know engineering, he said. They also have to understand electronics, mechanics, computers, construction and communication, he said.

Duncan Estep, LCCC assistant professor of engineering technology, talks about careers in wind turbine technology at Green Jobs Day Tuesday at LCCC. (Photo by Melissa Hebert, The Chronicle-Telegram.)

Estep thinks Northeast Ohio is a great place to develop wind energy. In remote places like west Texas, where oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens wants to develop a wind farm, the infrastructure isn’t in place to deliver that electricity to the marketplace, Estep said.

But there are eight power plants along Lake Erie, including one in Avon Lake, which could harness clean wind energy and be easily hooked into the national grid.

Daniel Hull, a field coordinator for RePower America, a project of the Alliance for Climate Protection, said the area also is a natural fit because of its manufacturing base.

“Someone has to build (turbines),” he said. “And we’ve got the people to do it.”

It’s not just manufacturing and technology jobs that are out there. Joel Solow represented Hard Hatted Women, an organization dedicated to women in nontraditional fields such as construction and utilities. The group will be branching out in Lorain County, Solow said, and is hoping to launch its New Pathways program — a three-week, four-hour career exploration program — at LCCC next year.

The green industry also needs other skills, Hull said.

“Marketing and advertising are important, because it’s how people know what’s out there,” he said.

Contact Melissa Hebert at 329-7129 or mhebert@chroniclet.com.

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here.
If you are registered, click here to log in.
Need help? Email Us.