Vail area businesses help CMC develop new program
Anyone who lives in the Vail Valley knows what a special place it is. The environment, the sense of community and the economy are all worth protecting and preserving.
But do we have the right people with the right leadership skills to make our home truly sustainable? Filling that gap is the purpose of Colorado Mountain College’s new sustainability leadership certificate.
The sustainability leadership certificate is for working professionals who already have a bachelor’s degree, but want to bring more of a sustainability focus to their current jobs, or prepare for a new career. Students must complete 15 credits of sustainability and leadership classes in order to earn the certificate. Classes focus on the foundations of sustainability, and allow students to emphasize their particular area of interest or professional field, such as sustainable food systems, sustainable business, green entrepreneurship, or social and cultural equity.
Students who complete the requirements for a certificate in sustainability leadership will be more prepared for creating a sustainable future as leaders in the community, as well as increase their own earning power with an in-demand skill set, according to Rachel Pokrandt, the instructional chair at CMC who pioneered the program.
“Many businesses in the Vail Valley are looking for ways to promote more sustainable practices, especially ahead of the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championship,” said Pokrandt. “This program can help those businesses train their employees to take on the task of making our whole community more sustainable.”
The certificate program was developed over the past year with the help of local business and nonprofit leaders, including Kristen Bertuglia from the Town of Vail, Luke Cartin from Vail Resorts, Markian Feduschak from Walking Mountains Science Center, Yuri Kostick from the Town of Eagle, Rob Levine from Antlers at Vail Lodge, and Adam Palmer from Eagle County. Kim Langmaid, an adjunct faculty member at CMC and the director of Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability, also helped guide the creation of the program and will teach some of the classes.
“The valley has shown a methodical approach for its hunger for sustainability. I believe this certificate could provide the needed resources for growth in the overall sustainability in our region,” said Cartin, of Vail Resorts.
According to O*Net Online (www.onetonline.org), it is estimated that jobs in the sustainability field will grow between 10 percent and 19 percent between now and 2020, with more than 350,000 new jobs each year. The local leaders who worked to develop the program indicated that many local organizations are looking to add a sustainability focus to their business model, or have already added that focus and are looking for employees with the right skill set to fill them.
“From a business operator’s perspective, any job applicant with training or education in the field of sustainability will be viewed more favorably than someone without it,” said Rob Levine, with Vail Symposium. “Beyond that, the simple heightened expertise among the local population can only serve the community well in the future. I can’t think of a single job that wouldn’t be performed better by someone with an understanding of the sustainability implications.”
The Edwards campus of CMC will be the first of the college’s 11 locations to offer this certificate.
Classes for fall semester start Aug. 26, and there is still time to enroll.