GreenEducation.US Announces First Graduating Class

Today’s NERC Blog article is courtesy of GreenEducation.US.

In September, 2016, GreenEducation.US (GreenEd), an online education portal for sustainability professionals, became the first organization to have its training program accredited in California by the National Standards Certification Board of the National Recycling Coalition.  In January, classes commenced, and this month GreenEd, graduates its first class of fourteen Certified Sustainable Resource Management Professionals (CSRMPs).

GreenEducation.US co‐founder, Judi Gregory noted “It was nice to see all the years of hard work and preparation come together. We had a great group of participants and are looking forward to offering the course again in the Fall.”

The certification program provides a 32‐hour online, web‐based, professional training program in Sustainable Resource Management and Zero Waste. The goal is to ensure that individuals working in solid waste, recycling, reuse and other related industries have a practical understanding of  key  policy  and  programs  that  affect  the  management  of  waste  and recyclables.

Graduate, Holden Israel had this to say about the program. “The CSRMP courses that I have taken have provided me with valuable knowledge that I put to use in my daily sustainability operation. CSRMP touches on a wide variety of practical sustainability topics, which create a solid framework to help implement new and improve existing sustainable practices.”

Fellow graduate, Crystal Lomeli, also appreciated the relevance of the courses in her day‐to­‐day, job. “The diversity of the courses has been truly beneficial for my career as a sustainability manager. I was able to take each course and put it into practice, but also help my team gain a better understanding of the importance of our jobs. Judi and the instructors were very responsive to my questions and always willing to help.”  

SBM and Container Management Group, were just a few of the employers that expressed the importance of having quality training and certification programs like the CSRMP. According to Sue Beets of SBM, “the classes and instructors are top rate and very practical for educating our Sustainability Managers. As an employer, training is critical. Utilizing the CSRMP program ensures that employees are exposed to the vital information needed to perform day‐to‐day tasks.”  

“A key element to the success of the program is that each class is taught by leading subject matter experts”, noted Judi Gregory. “We are pretty darn proud of the team we’ve put together.”  Graduates of the program will each earn their certificate, the right to utilize the CSRMP designation and additionally receive 3.0 Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) from San Jose State University.

The national standards for sustainable resource management training were established so that state, provincial, regional and topical training programs would be more standardized. The standards were the result of a series of stakeholder discussions over the last five years that began with NRC’s Recycling Organization Council and were continued by the Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA). Much of the work on the standards was funded by a Community Based Job Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

For additional information, contact Judi Gregory at 626-­‐840-­‐1850 or judi (@) greeneducation.us.

See NERC’s Blog - National Standards for Training Programs and Professionals in Sustainable Resource Management – for background information on the National Certification in Sustainable Resource Management for Recycling Professionals.

To learn about other accredited Programs check out the National Recycling Coalition Professional Certification Program. Two NERC states have Professional Certification Programs for materials management professionals, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The New Jersey Recycling Certification Program is hosted by the Association of New Jersey Recyclers.  Certifying Partners for the program are Rutgers University Office of Continuing Professional Education and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Since its inception in 1993, the Program has trained more than 250 individuals in topics ranging from recycling economics to truck routing and public communication. New Jersey requires that reports or other recycling-related documents be signed/certified by a Certified Recycling Professional (CRP). Completion of the full (21-day) recycling certification program requires individuals to attend ten required courses and successfully complete all course proficiency assignments. Once certified, CRPs must complete 20 hours of continuing professional education/training (over a two year period) on issues relating to solid waste and /or recycling in order to maintain their certification. New Jersey CRP’s now also have the option of earning a new national certification, Sustainable Resource Management Professional (SRMP).

The Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania has been designed to meet the standards of the National Standards Certification Board. The program is hosted by the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania and is offered in partnership with the Pennsylvania State University. It is partially funded through Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. To receive the certificate, candidates must complete 40 hours of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and successfully pass the Certified Recycling Professional examination within a four year time period. Over 70 courses are available. To date more than 1000 people have enrolled in the program.