Thirty-five new "green-collar" job programs have been introduced at colleges across the provinces, says "Colleges Driving a Sustainable Future: New Careers for a Clean Economy," a new report by Colleges Ontario.

These new programs prepare students for jobs in environmental areas such as renewable energy, waste and water management and green business management.

This fall, 14 new programs under the purview, including green architecture, wind turbine technician, ecosystems survey and sustainable winemaking, were available to students.

The report also illustrates four areas where colleges have made the most contributions towards these new goals: establishing graduates with the skills they need for a green economy, creating partnership with green innovators, being leaders in their community regarding environmental issues and developing green facilities and equipment.

Fanshawe College was chosen as the launch location for its leadership in this area.

"Fanshawe is a terrific example of what colleges are doing for the green economy," said Colleges Ontario president Linda Franklin.

The college has been in the process of making its facilities, as well as its programs, more environmentally conscious. A 50,000 square foot green roof and solarpowered skylights that use GPS to track the sun were recently installed on the new Centre for Applied Transportation Technologies at 1764 Oxford St.

"We're switching to a new culture of sustainability ... environmental sustainability, energy conservation and innovation are now the core values of colleges," said Franklin. "Colleges are the environmental leaders in their community."

Howard Rundle, president of Fanshawe College, touted the necessity of these green-minded programs.

"Students must be trained in sustainability. It isn't just about having a program with a flashy name. It needs to be pervasive across the curriculum," he said.