Cal State San Marcos Extended Learning Offers Green Business Operations Certificate Program in Time to Meet New State Requirements

Attendees will address the impact of “green responsibility” and cost effective ways to address and implement green practices into their business
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Download Release - PDF)
December 8, 2008

San Marcos, Calif. (December 8, 2008) – The landmark bills, AB 32 and SD 375, signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier this year to fight global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through land-use are now moving to the scoping phase which will be released for approval on December 11th. The Scoping Plan will outline for businesses how to comply with the new legislation. California is poised to create a model for the rest of the nation in this changing landscape on which we all do business. In partnership with Sacramento State University College of Continuing Education and in response to the new legislation, Cal State San Marcos Extended Learning is offering public and private sector professionals the opportunity to evaluate the impact of green responsibility on their business and gather tools to meet the new challenges with success. The “Green Business Operations Certificate Program” will be offered this spring on the Cal State San Marcos campus.

Cal State San Marcos Extended Learning recognizes that environmental issues have moved into the mainstream of our culture. There is an increased demand for a deeper understanding of the problems and potential solutions to preserving our environment at the individual and business levels. The Green Business Operations Certificate Program is comprised of a total of six courses equaling 108 classroom hours. These six core courses include: Greening Your Business Operations, Green Facilities, Green Purchasing, Green Best Practices, Green Return on Investment, and Leading Green Change.

“Doing Business as Usual is no longer an appropriate response to the rapidly changing conditions of energy and water conservation, recycling and resource management. New understanding and training is required to integrate and adapt sustainability concepts into successful green business operations and practices,” remarked Darrell W. Gentry, local sustainable urban and environmental planning services consultant and instructor in the Certificate program at Cal State San Marcos Extended Learning.

The Green Business Operations Certificate Program increases the effectiveness of professionals at all levels charged with a role of implementing sustainable green practices within their organization. The program is appropriate for Senior Executives, Sustainability Managers, Urban & Environmental Planners, Design Professionals, Contract Managers, Senior Managers, Procurement Officers, Business Owners, Fleet Managers, Facility Managers, Office Managers, and Building Engineers.

“The challenges of creating and managing a green business require new skills, knowledge, and methods of analysis,” commented Suzanne Lingold, Assistant Dean at Cal State San Marcos Extended Learning. “This certificate program will assist professionals in a variety of industries to obtain the knowledge to tackle each issue in this new frontier and learn to make it work for their business and employees. When a company can make money and make a difference in the environment everyone wins.”

The University’s commitment to green practices and education is further demonstrated by offering a one-day conference, Sustainability: Adapting for the Future, on Friday, March, 13, to help attendees prepare for the future, comply with new legislation and learn about successful examples of sustainability in practice.

Additionally, a six-week introductory course, Sustainability 101: A Perspective on Changing to Green, begins on March 18 and concludes on Earth Day, April 22. Students will meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. for a more in depth look at sustainable design and land planning tools/techniques.

All of these activities including the certificate courses are pending approval for continuing education maintenance credits by the American Planning Association, a national organization made up of planning professionals who provide leadership in the development of vital communities.
For more information or to register for the Green Business Operations Certificate Program, please contact Cal State San Marcos Extended Learning at (760) 750-4020 online at www.csusm.edu/el or contact Suzanne Lingold directly at slingold@csusm.edu.