Prospective students should plan on taking all four courses in the sequence listed above to qualify for the Green Workplace Representative Certificate.  Enrollment for the program will be capped at 25 students.  Click here for Application Form.

Curriculum for the Green Workplace Representative Certificate Program is targeted to working adults who are leaders in unions, companies, public sector agencies, and other organizations.  Completion of this four-week curriculum will enable the Green Workplace Representatives to become leaders in the field of climate change and sustainability in their workplace. 

Based upon the model of the British Trade Union Congress’s (TUC) Union Green Representative program, the NLC curriculum will provide working people with a practical guide for conducting a workplace audit, organizing a “greening committee” in every workplace, and working with management to make the positive changes necessary to achieve sustainability.

Research shows that sustainable workplaces are more productive workplaces.  Thus a further goal of this program is to build cooperative labor-management partnerships so workplaces become safer and more productive, enhance the competitiveness of American firms in the global economy, and contribute to the health of the planet. 

Based in part upon the role of the health and safety committees that the labor movement pioneered in many workplaces, a workplace “greening committee” would provide the appropriate forum for discussing the results of workplace audits and negotiating steps to address issues identified in the audits.

In the first week of this four-week (12-credit) certificate program students will receive an overview of the history of environmental policy, labor-environmental cooperation and conflict, and an update on the state of green jobs, as well as an overview of clean technologies and labor initiatives in the fields of sustainability and climate change response.  Students will also consider what Green Workplace Representatives do and how they do it.

In subsequent weeks, students will put together the building blocks of a workplace sustainability audit:
•    heating, cooling, ventilation and insulation,
•    lighting and electrical systems,
•    transportation to and from the workplace,
•    reuse and recycling of workplace materials,
•    renewable energy and energy efficiency,
•    water use issues,
•    green procurement and supply chain issues,
•    the important role of health and wellness in the workplace,
•    the role of the health and safety committee,
•    organizing a workplace greening committee, and
•    building sustainable labor-management partnerships.

The NLC’s Green Workplace Certificate curriculum is designed for people in every workplace; the level of training will not be highly technical.  Instead, students will learn from representatives of unions with deep experience in each of these areas. 

Armed with the knowledge of the latest alternative technologies and processes, students will also learn to work cooperatively with management if they identify a need for these or similar technologies and processes that may be needed to advance the cause of sustainability in their workplace. 

Thomas J. Kriger, Ph.D., is Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost of the National Labor College.