Future leaders of the world gathered in Ritter Hall to listen to the president and CEO of the International Green Energy Council.
On March 19, Temple hosted Ralph Avallone in an effort to educate students, faculty and staff on how to live a greener lifestyle. Avallone addressed two major concerns: global climate change and the “Great Green Revolution” in the job market.
“The time to act is not tomorrow but today,” Avallone said. “The global climate change is the greatest problem humans have created for themselves, and the momentum has been snowballing for years.”
Avallone and the International Green Energy Council visited the campus to further educate and inform students about future careers in the green industry.
Opportunities are available to those who are willing to take the extra step to find them, Avallone said, especially when it comes to improving the environment.
“We can take the steps and apply practices to save our planet and protect humanity,” Avallone said. “[We should] use less energy, drive greener cars, green our homes and demand that corporate leaders and our elected officials act today.”
Avallone said the “Great Green Revolution” has the potential to be the focus of students nationwide.
Because we are only working with one Earth, the time has come to engage in energy conservation, Avallone said.
Recently, there have been talks about what can be accomplished to prevent the effects of global climate change.
“Humans use about 24 acres of land per year per person,” Avallone said. “On this course, we would need three Earths to sustain this.”
This global climate crisis has received plenty of attention on Main Campus, with various environmental and green business organizations leading the way in grassroots projects.
Temple is looking to invest in renewable energy, especially after President Ann Weaver Hart signed the President’s Climate Commitment last year.
“Temple has created an office of sustainability that is devoted to promoting awareness amongst the Temple community. We as ambassadors are involved in helping to bring awareness to our individual schools and colleges,” said Eda Manrodt, administrative specialist for the School of Communications and Theater.
The push for students to get involved in the green movement has leaked into the classroom, as well. Students are learning about green business, sustainability and energy.
“The green revolution is not a fad, and the more young people that become familiar with these new technologies, the more marketable they will be to employers,” said Jeffrey Rupertus, Web and media assistant for the Office of Sustainability.
The need for green-educated employees has led to the creation of green jobs corps groups across the country.
“In this time of economic belt-tightening and hiring freezes, something as relevant as green [technology] will help you stand out from your peers,” Rupertus said. “It is an industry that the U.S. government has projected to grow at 37 percent for several decades.”
By spreading the message for environmental awareness, Temple can have a strong influence on greener living.
“Unless everyone takes some personal responsibility to change their energy footprint and turn to green initiatives, this change cannot happen,” Manrodt said.
For more information on the International Green Energy Council visit greenenergycouncil.com.
Monica Sellecchia can be reached at monica.sellecchia@temple.edu.
we must shift into the use of Green Energy to prevent further pollution of this planet:;:
i think government funding should be diverted on the research of Green Energy and renewable power sources”.: