Program Summary

This summer Green Collar Technologies has partnered up with the Hawaii“i State Workforce Development in supprot of their opportunity for summer work experience program. During this six week period (June 16, 2009 - July 24, 2009) individuals of various ages, backgrounds and skills have come together to learn how to become more sustainable both in the environment ("offline sustainability") and on the internet ("online sustainability"). They learned a plethora of skills that employers are demanding ranging from rainwater harvesting, growing food crop, building sustainable developments, and using alternative sources of energy to online marketing, search engine optimization, server maintenance and online collaborative skills. The hopes of this program is to build greener economies on Hawai‘i Island, but it also had another resulting hope for the trainees. This program helped expose the trainees to knowledge and experiences that will hopefully make them more competitive and appealing the in the job search, application and interviewing processes. In this difficult economy it is difficult to find a job, and even more difficult to be sustainble. Hopefully this program has taught the trainnes how to create harmony between people and the planet!

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/24/09)

It's feels awkward to say it, but today is offically the late day of training for the Green Collar Jobs Training Program. What has started on June 16, 2009 has finally come to an end on July 24, 2009. The offline workers are headed down to Nanawale to once again work on Mark Hansen's Earthship, and what a way to end the program than on a project that eiptomizes the term "sustainability." Earthships are sustainable, affordable, reliable, and help reduce the human ecological program. Not to mention that Green Collar workers are the ones that are buildings these eco-friendly developments. The online workers continued to do what they do best on the internet, finishing daily tasks of blog posting, server maintainence, and client work. What better way to end their experience using the skills they have gained over the six week period of training.

In surprise news, Brent also gave all the trainees scholarships to attend classes on sustaianbility that will be offered in the fall. We are greatful for these scholarships and think these are one of the best ways to educated the future generations about a greener, more sustainable world! A great way to end the program!

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/23/09)

The weather for today was predicted to be cloudy with a high chance of showers, due to the bad weather off the south east end of Hawai‘i Island. However, if you lived here for some time, you probably realized that the weather can turn on a dime and it could be sunny one minute and raining heavily 5 minutes later. Luckily, for the Green Collar Jobs Training Program this means we experienced a very hot and clear, sunny day on Hawai‘i Island. The weather turned out for the best because the offline sustainability trainees headed down to Nanawale to put more time and effort in the Mark Hansen's sustainable, affordable, and modern Earthship.

Trainee's refined their Earthship skills and knowledge by again mixing the special concrete mix and packing it into the white bags that will help the mix retain the specific shape needed for the wall structure. The trainees are pretty excited that they are working on a building concept that is not really well known because it gives them a skill not too many people and hopefully will help them stand out when they are looking for jobs in the future. The trainees are also are hoping to raise awareness of this greener, sustainable home option.

Back in the office, the online sustainability group continued work on server maintainence, the Hawai‘i Sustainable Buisiness Directory, and starting to put closure to the summer 2009 Green Collar Jobs Training Program blogs.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/22/09)

Just Cruisin Coffee Shop in Downtown Hilo.

Work today was essentially the same as yesterday. The online sustainability group is continuing to work on daily tasks and attempting to complete the new tasks they set forth on previously, and the offline sustainability group is working at the Just Cruisin Coffee shop. They are again spreading cinder and filling the empty spots on the coffee shop property.

With less than two days left in the program is about time we start thinking about the future. Brent has hinted to the workers that there will be another Green Collar Training Program starting in the near future, but hasn't given the exact details. If you have any interest in the Green Collar Jobs Training Program or in Green Collar Technologies in general, keep in touch with our main website at greencollartech.com!

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/21/09)

Today the online and offline sustainability groups are split up with the offline crew going to the Just Cruisin Coffee shop and the online crew staying back the Hawai‘i Innovation Center. There is a large pile of red cinder at the coffee shop and the offline sustainability crew will be spreading wheel barrows of it all over the property. Meanwhile the online sustainability crew is in the office working on a set of new tasks Brent has set forth for them to accomplish. These tasks include numerous activities such as going through the yellow pages of the phone book to find more groups and individuals to add to the Hawai‘i Sustainable Business Directory, as well as doing some needed maintainence of the Green Collar Technologies server. It's tedious work, but someone needs to do it.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/20/09)

Time sure does fly by! It's officially the last week of the Green Collar Jobs Training Program. On this very beautiful day, with clear blue skies and a perfect view of the top of Mauna Kea, the trainees are again working at the Just Cruisin Coffee shop.

The online sustainability workers are feeling quite different than they did on Friday and rather than wanting to be indoors to avoid the rain, they would rather be outside working in the nice, sunny weather. However, with the shop running on air conditioning and free samples of the smoothies and coffee drinks at hand, they really can't complain. Who said online sustainable jobs aren't amazing?

Online Workers completing daily tasks at the Just Cruisin Coffee Shop.

Offline trainees taking a break from maintenance work on the coffee shop property.

Meanwhile the offline sustainability workers used the knowledge and skills they gained at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center and planted kalo around the Just Cruisin Coffee property. They also raked the premises to make it look even better.

Brent also dedicated this week to giving short introductory courses to the online sustainability crew about topics they were interested in such as computer applications, online marketing, and the internet in general. Today trainees asked about Search Engine Optimization, commonly known as SEO, and he taught them some tricks to increase website, blog, etc. standings when being search by engines such as google, yahoo, etc.

Daily Tips and Lessons:

1. Take advantage of the beautiful weather!
2. Use sites like websitegrader.com to assess your website's search standings.
3. Make sure to define meta description and meta keywords to increase search standings.
4. The more incoming links you have the more site visits your website may get, further increasing your search standings.
   

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/17/09)

The last few days were a bit difficult due to a combination of the lack of available resources and job opportunities. However, the tides have turned today and someone has a need for the Green Collar Jobs Training Program. The worksite is also located in area that doesn't require a lot of travel, gas, and gas money, so it's a perfect worksite candidate for the Green Collar Job Training Program. The offline sustainability trainees are working at the Just Crusin Coffee shop location in Hilo, near the the county buildings. Trainees are working on property beautification, which is just a pretty term for the tedious work they had weeding the property.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't so cooperative with overcast skies and and occasional showers, but the online workers did get to enjoy the comforts inside of the coffee shop. There they continued daily tasks, and with the program coming to an end are working on putting finishing touches on all the things they have documented and created over the past six weeks.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/16/09)

Today was a fairly simple day being that the offline sustainability workers had a "day off." With no worked planned, there was really no reason for workers to come into the office or waste personal gas money just to get into Hilo. Also the hours the workers would be available to work made it difficult because trainees also had to attend a meeting set up the the Hawai‘i Workforce Development office. Because the program is about in end in a week, the Workforce Development advisers gave trainees a class on how to increase their success in finding, applying, and interviewing for a job. Many of the trainees will be going back to school when this the Green Collar Jobs Training Programs ends, and given the current economy some will also have to work jobs at the same time. It's difficult, but they will take with them a new and improved list of skills and knowledge that they either gained or refined as the result of the Green Collar Jobs Training Program!

Although some of the workers did have the "day off", other workers, a.k.a. the online sustainability workers, still had to come into the office and continue daily task of updating websites, writing blogs, and client work. It's just another day in the office, but they can't complain because it's work nonetheless and work is very hard to find in this current economy.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/15/09)

Today was a very difficult day in terms of work for the offline sustainability trainees, basically because there was no work. Joe Bernade is injured and can not come into work to be a worksite supervisor. What was a day planned for work at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center became a day to brainstorm other sustainable work opportunities. It was very difficult because the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center was the fallback plan if the Earthship and greenhouse plans fell through because of gas money, so workers were very frustrated at the unfortunate events and even more disappointed when they had to end their work day early. However, before they left they did take some time to brainstorm other work options. Some of the ideas included working for Hawai‘i Parks and Recreation to help clean up and maintain the local beaches. Other plans included networking with friends and family who might need labor workers. So far nothing has been booked, but phone calls and contacts are being made. If you have or know of someone who could use the Green Collar Jobs Training Program trainees feel free to contact us with your proposition.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/14/09)

Today, the Green Collar Jobs Training Program did more work on Mark Hansen's Earthship home. There they continued to mix the mixture of cement, cinder, and dirt to make the wall foundation, very similar to what they did yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Green Collar Jobs Training Program online trainees continued to document and promote the training program and its efforts on the Internet.

Trainees helping mark build the earthship walls.

One of the first people to foremen of the Earthship design is Mike Reynolds the found of Earthship Biotecture. His design began sometime in the 1970s when we wanted to create a sustainable home that would do all of the following:

1. It would be made out of recycled and indigenous materials, whenever possible.
2. It would rely on natural energy sources and be off the grid.
3. It would be economically feasible for the average person and would required no specialized constructions skills to build.

This design has become very popular in the last decade and there is even a housing development in Taos, New Mexico that is entirely composed of earthship homes. It's inahbitants live with a strong sense of sustainability. They produce most of their energy (solar panels, etc.), harvest their own water, treat their own sewage, manufacture bio-diesel, and grow majority of their own food. Because their homes and buildings are earthships they also recycle and utilized much of the "trash" that other communities throw out.

Inside one of the Earthship huts.

In 2004, the first eartship was built in Europe. It was built by volunteers of the SCI charity and opened in Kinghorn Loch in Fife, Scotland.

There are many advantages, as well as disadvanages to having an earthship home, but overall it's an amazing concept that supports the push for global sustainability. Everything is a learning process, so you can be sure that in the years to come, earthship designs will become even more advanced and efficient in reducing the human footprint.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/13/09)

Today the Green Collar Jobs Training Program offline trainees did another change up and headed back down to Nanawale to work on Mark Hansen's earthship again. Construction progress is going really well with most of the wall foundation up and the windows in. Mark is already starting to fill in the crevices with the mix of cinder, dirt, and cement.

Mark Hansen filling the crevices of the wall with a mix of cement, dirt, and cinder.

Meanwhile, workers continued to pack the white bags with the cement mix and stack them upon the previous laid bags laced with barbed wire for added support.

Trainees working on the earthship walls.

Just to re-emphasize earthship are affordable, sustainable home options. They are made of locally found materials, and are strong enough to withstand hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and pesky termites. Although they may not look the most esthetically pleasing they save a lot of energy, and in most cases can designed to meet the owners want and needs. They will also outlast the life a normal home, making it appealing to those who want to keep their homes for generations to come. Again the site to look up more information about earthships is www.earthship.org.

The online workers continued to work on blogging, and are waiting to be updated on the status of client work. Trainees are also working on compiling the accomplishments of the program into a format that will be easily understood and attractive to individuals and business that might want to support this training program in the future.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program (7/13/09)

It's the beginning of week 5, and the days are flying by. There is still much to do though, in terms of what needs to be done before the Green Collar Job Training Program ends on July 24, 2009. The greenhouse in Mountain View still needs to be finished, along with furnishings of the tree house "classroom". Offline worker are going where the clients need them so they haven't really had much time to accomplish the tentative task set in the beginning of week 1. Similarly, the online workers are figuring out how to deal with client work with the set of skills they have had or have learned through the duration of the training program, as well as continue daily tasks of adding daily blog post updates, photos, and videos.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/10/09)

In the last day of week 4 members of the Green Collar Training Program spent their day at the Hawai‘i Innovation Center in Hilo to get evaluated. Every two weeks the Hawaii State Workforce Development makes the program advisor sit down with the trainees to evaluate their past work. This allows the trainees to learn what they are doing well, and what they can do to improve. It also allows the trainees to get their paychecks!

After the long and tedious task the work day went on with the offline crew going to Garden exchange in Hilo to get an estimate on the price of plants for the Greenhouse at the Green Collar Technologies "classroom" in mountain view. Even though the Green Collar Jobs Training Program doesn't have many finances, it was a good idea to do this estimate to give workers an idea of what the goals are in terms of what plants they should grow in the greenhouse and what their goals are in terms of the funds needed to start and maintain a greenhouse.

Meanwhile, the online sustainability crew worked back at the Hawai‘i Innovation Center completing the everyday tasks of blogging, video editing, and client work.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/9/09)

The Green Collar Jobs Training Program offline sustainability trainees are spending more time at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center at Keaukaha. With the amount of time they spend there, they should be expert sustainable kalo farmers by the time the summer opportunity for work experience ends on July 24, 2009. What better way to educated trainees about sustainability than front line conservation in the fields!

The online sustainability trainees spent their day at the office in the Hawai‘i Innovation Center in Hilo. There they continued to refine their blogging, video editing, and online sustainability skills. With program in its fourth week of existence, online trainees have enhanced their skills on the internet, as well as their skills in computer applications such as iMovie, flash, and fireworks.

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/8/09)

With the training program about to come to an end, the online crew members started helping Green Collar Technologies with its client work. Using the skills they gained over the last few weeks, workers will help promote a company in Boston, MA by managing blogs and increasing search engine optimization. If all goes well, the income made from these client jobs will be used to fund the sustainable efforts of Green Collar Technologies. As Brent says it, "To put gas in the tank." Trainees also got to talked with some of Brent's colleagues, Cooper and Faizah, who will also give workers classes on some of the ins and outs of online sustainability (such as geo-mapping, twitter, flash, etc.). Cooper just moved from California where he worked with 2Advanced Studios. You should check out the site, it's pretty amazing!

The offline sustainability crew continued laboring at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center, again working with Joe Bernabe. They are out in the center grounds, refining their kalo farming skills.

Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center

The Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center in Keaukaha.
Picture from http://pacrc.uhh.hawaii.edu/

The Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center is a research and development center at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resource Management. It's mission is to:

"Advance longer-term sustainable use and conservation of coastal areas worldwide through aquaculture and resource management."

It's for this reason exactly that Green Collar Jobs Training Program workers spend most of there time learning about sustainable practices. The center is operational at two site on Hawai‘i Island: Keaukaha and Panaewa. The kalo farms the trainees have been working at are located at the Keaukaha facility. It used to be a wastewater treatment plant, but was recently converted in to the Center with an initial focus on ornamental fish culture and cultivation of pearl oysters. It is also because this facility (among other incentives) that make the Univeristy of Hawai‘i at Hilo a premier location for education in the fields of marine sciences, aquaculture and coastal resources.

For more information visit http://pacrc.uhh.hawaii.edu/.

Green Collar Tech Training Program Update (7/7/09)

Nothing new is happening this week for the offline team. They're helping out Joe at the Aquaculture Center almost everyday now. So until we find other activities for them to do, nothing new will be happening on their side. As for us (the online team), the situation is pretty similar. We've been doing the same thing for a while now (editing videos, posting up blogs and pictures). But this week we might do something a little different. We're not too sure on the details yet, but I'll update our progress in the next blog.

-Ashley

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/7/09)

After working a long day in Mountain View yesterday, the trainees spent Tuesday working at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center. We at the Green Collar Jobs Training Program can't over emphasize what an amazing plant kalo is and why it is so useful in terms of sustainability. Unlike other agriculture plants, all the parts of kalo (from the corm to the leaves) can be used, and for centuries kalo has been a staple food for both traditional and contemporary Hawaiians. Cooked, boiled, steamed, fried, and mashed kalo has been present in many family recipes. Everyone loves laulau, although favorites such as poi and squid luau might be a more acquired taste for some. However, the underlying fact is that kalo exemplifies self-sustaining stewardship. If you care and nurture the kalo farm, the crop will grow and provide many benefits. It's the most basic and most important concept that the Green Collar Jobs Training Program is teaching its trainees. While laboring at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center the workers are learning that "If you take care of the land, the land will take care of you", and it's exactly this sense of harmony that the sustainability movement in general hopes to achieve.

Kalo patch at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center.

In terms of the current economy, growing your own food such as kalo isn't a bad idea either. Joe mentioned that during graduation season, kalo leaves become a high commodity for parties and people pay a lot of money for crop. He suggested that people should really think about growing their own patches. Kalo is very low maintenance has a high turnover rate (1 adult can produce 5 offspring), and you can save money on party expenses while also being self-sustainable. Not a bad idea!

Back at the Hawai‘i Innovation Center the online crew also had a learning experience. Brent gave a short lecture on the concept of creating websites for companies and getting paid for it. Some trainee caught on more than others, but the main idea is that there are a lot of opportunities on the Internet that can help you pay the bills. You just have to take the time and effort to consider these opportunities.

Lessons and Tips of the Day:

1. It you take care of the land, the land will take care of you
2. There are many opportunities on-line to make money. You just need to take the time and effort to consider them.
   

Green Collar Jobs Training Program Update (7/6/09)

It's officially the beginning of Week 4 of the Green Jobs Training Program! So far the trainees have had numerous sustainability experiences ranging from online blogging to building environmentally friendly Earthships. With a total of less than 3 weeks left in their summer opportunity for work experience there's still a lot to accomplish and very little time.

According to the tentative six week plan brainstormed in Week 1 trainees were expecting to jump into the more client work, but like mentioned before, workers head where the work is needed. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the trainees are back in Mountain View building a greenhouse at the Green Collar Technologies treehouse "classroom".

Beginnings of the Green Collar Technologies greenhouse.

Dominic, Leroy, and Dylan building the greenhouse.

There workers, with the help of Brent, Connor, and Faizah, used recycled wood to build the foundation for the Green Collar Technologies greenhouse. This greenhouses will be used to enhance the learning experience when the Mountain View "classroom" is fully functioning as a site for sustainable education.

Once again, the online members are back in Hilo keeping the sites up to date. Online trainees also placed some time aside to "get in touch with their inner Zen". With a few hundred brochures to fold, trainees learned a few more lessons about being patient.

First Annual Green Jobs Day of Action in Hawaii

Check out these clips from the First Annual Green Collar Jobs Day of Action at the Hawai‘i Innovation Center in Hilo, Hawai‘i. It was hosted by Green Collar Technologies.