Press Release: Ward 2 Council Office Helps Train Green Professionals by Hosting Water Harvesting Certification Trainings this Spring 2010
Developing a green economy requires building skills, knowledge, and resources from the ground up in concert with the local environment. To facilitate green job training in Arizona, Watershed Management Group (WMG) is leading several sessions of its Water Harvesting Certification Program at the City of Tucson’s Ward 2 Council Office to implement green retrofits on-site while training green professionals.
The Ward 2 Council Office received a grant through the Tohono O’odham Nation to implement water conservation and harvesting practices at its 7575 E Speedway Blvd. offices with the intent to provide a public demonstration site and training workshops. WMG’s Certification program will lead the training of green professionals at the site in passive and active water harvesting systems including a steel culvert system, earthworks, native plant selection, and integrated design.
The WMG Water Harvesting Certification program is the only one of its kind in the nation, providing some 60 hours of hands-on training in design and installation of water harvesting earthworks, cisterns, greywater systems, and sustainable landscaping. The program is geared towards educators, professionals, business entrepreneurs, and community leaders. Courses are taught by WMG staff along with distinguished professionals in the field. A curriculum advisory board made up of water harvesting designers, consultants and contractors provides guidance for the course’s curriculum.
Now in its third year, the program has attracted a diverse range of participants from professional hydrologists and landscape architects to educators, contractors, and people starting their own water harvesting businesses. WMG’s “hands-on train the trainers” model, the high quality of its programs, and a growing interest in green job training have all contributed to the program’s popularity.
Full program details are available on WMG’s website at www.watershedmg.org/certification. For more information on the program, please contact James MacAdam at james@watershedmg.org or 520-396-3266. Watershed Management Group is a Tucson-based nonprofit organization that provides programs to equip local residents and community groups with the knowledge and skills necessary to sustainably manage their natural resources.