Green outreach at historically Black colleges and universities advances equity goals

Programs at HBCUs seek to bring more students into green careers and increase diversity in the industry.

Feature image: Recycle tour event with Bowie State University students; Jabari Walker at right. Photo courtesy of Jabari Walker.

Green jobs are on the rise in the U.S., with the clean energy workforce alone increasing by 3.9%-or 114,000 jobs-in 2022, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). As green labor demand continues to grow, employers are seeking well-rounded, climate-minded graduates to fill these roles, as well as established professionals looking to pivot into these positions.

With so many opportunities here already and more on the way, forward-thinking organizations are focused not just on preparing workers for these roles, but also on advancing equity in the industry. Increasing workplace representation of historically marginalized groups helps diversify employee perspectives while also taking into consideration the fact that the worst consequences of climate change "fall disproportionately upon underserved communities," according to a 2021 report from the Environmental Protection Agency. In particular, the report found that "Black and African American individuals are projected to face higher impacts of climate change for all six impacts analyzed in this report, compared to all other demographic groups."

Progressive organizations are now looking to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in their recruitment and training processes. Because 2023 employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that Black or African American workers are underrepresented in many fields in which green jobs are growing (including construction, electric power and manufacturing), specific outreach to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) is one strategy being used to help increase organizational diversity and equity.

Bowie State University students participate in an Earth Week celebration in 2023. Photo courtesy of Jabari Walker.

One way we see this in action is when nonprofit organizations such as SEI-an environmental consultancy "building leaders to accelerate climate solutions"-scale outreach to and education at HBCUs. SEI is currently building an array of programs to advance equity across six states. USGBC employees, meanwhile, regularly participate in a multitude of student-focused events, where they can interact directly with students, prospective interns and potential future employees.

For example, Bowie State University hosts an annual Central Maryland HBCU Climate Career Expo, which Sade Dennis, USGBC's director of market transformation and development for the USGBC Maryland, USGBC National Capital Region and USGBC Virginia communities, attended this year. Such events are opportunities for HBCUs to gather employment agencies in sectors that match the interests of their student bodies, while also giving students the ability to explore the landscape of green career options available to them by speaking one-on-one with employee representatives.

SEI: Providing outreach and education

SEI is a nonprofit working to advance equity in green careers through outreach to and education at HBCUs and other institutions. Ondrea Austin, SEI's Eastern regional manager, says that the nonprofit's mission is to create leaders who can help advance climate solutions. According to Austin, SEI is unique because it offers "a full kindergarten-to-career sustainability leadership pathway" by partnering with over 230 schools and more than 30 colleges.

Austin recently spoke at a joint USGBC North Carolina/USGBC South Carolina Women in Green event about SEI's emerging programs in the two states, where diversity, equity and inclusion are important pillars of SEI's work. Among the programs SEI is working on in the Carolinas is the E4 Carolinas HBCU Energy Leadership Pathway, which Austin describes as seeking to "increase diversity in the U.S. energy industry and eliminate barriers to minority employment and leadership."

An SEI presentation as part of the Energize Colleges program. Photo courtesy of SEI.

According to Austin, SEI supports the E4 Carolinas HBCU Energy Leadership Pathway through one of its flagship programs, Energize Colleges. "We design the pathway's signature curriculum, facilitate clean energy challenges with students and help secure funding resources," says Austin. The leadership pathway currently serves four HBCUs, with plans to expand in the future.

SEI also runs a program called Climate Corps that "places bright, highly trained college graduates into 10-month paid fellowships with businesses, government agencies, nonprofits and academic institutions to drive forward organizations' urgent sustainability initiatives," says Austin. Climate Corps fellows have already been placed at Johnson C. Smith University and University of Maryland, Baltimore County (a minority-serving institution [MSI]), with further placements at other educational institutions to come.

The Climate Corps fellowships provide college graduates with specific and valuable professional experience in specialized scopes of work ranging from environmental justice advocacy to corporate sustainability reporting and strategic energy management.

"We have an entire fellowship track dedicated to building performance, with fellows helping their host sites to implement clean building performance standards at a city and state scale," Austin explains. During these fellowships, many participants earn LEED certification, which may contribute to the fact that 99% of trackable fellows since 2021 have gone on to accept positions in sustainability or to further their education within four months of the end of their fellowships.

SEI also has additional flagship programs-Energize Schools and Energize Careers-that are focused outside of college and university education. Higher education institutions, however, provide unique opportunities for outreach.

Left: Climate Corps Fellow Aleena Oakley launched a campuswide recycling program at Johnson C. Smith University, her alma mater. Photo courtesy of Aleena Oakley. Right: Ondrea Austin is SEI's Eastern regional manager. Photo courtesy of Austin.

"Many colleges and universities are eager to more robustly incorporate climate and sustainability themes into curriculum, and to direct students to rewarding, well-paying green careers," Austin shares. Targeting HBCUs specifically is important to SEI because "Black Americans are underrepresented in sustainability careers, [and so] we specifically look to partner with HBCUs to bring a diverse group of talent into the environmental movement," Austin says. "In addition, as detailed in UNCF's recent HBCU Climate Action Blueprint, HBCUs are uniquely positioned to lead the charge on climate action and environmental justice due to their deep community ties and leadership within society's most vulnerable populations."

This work makes a difference. Through surveys and testimonials, SEI has received overwhelmingly positive feedback about its Energize Colleges and Climate Corps programs. In addition, "More than 90% of HBCU Energy Leadership Pathway students agreed that [SEI's] signature, culturally relevant training modules were engaging, informative and fulfilling," Austin says.

According to Austin, Kaleb Griffin, a student at Johnson C. Smith University, said that SEI's training modules "gave [him] valuable insight about sustainable career paths and empowered [him] to pursue a career in the energy industry." After the program, Griffin went on to complete an internship with North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives.

Of course, SEI cannot achieve equity in environmental education and careers all on its own. The organization welcomes collaboration. "We encourage those interested in partnering or learning more to contact us," says Austin.

The Central Maryland HBCU Climate Career Expo

Jabari Walker created the now annual climate career expo in 2022. Photo courtesy of Walker.

Leaders at HBCUs are well aware of the longstanding workforce representation disparities in many industries, so sustainability professionals at HBCUs are themselves working to help expand students' access to green jobs and related opportunities.

Bowie State University hosted the 2024 Central Maryland HBCU Climate Career Expo on March 6. The climate career expo is the brainchild of Jabari Walker, sustainability and energy coordinator at Bowie State University, who has coordinated the event since it first began in 2022.

"The event started two years ago with an idea I had because so many employment agencies were reaching out to me personally [and] providing various opportunities for students in the green field," he says. "Knowing the importance of diversifying the field and providing our students with lucrative employment and internship opportunities, I decided it would be worthwhile to gather all of these agencies (and invite others) to one place at one time."

Walker explains that the 2022 inaugural climate career expo was hosted virtually, as COVID-19 was still a safety concern preventing in-person gatherings. However, the 2023 and 2024 climate career expos were both held in person at Bowie State University, with invitations issued to Morgan State University and Coppin State University-the two other HBCUs in Central Maryland-beginning in 2024, "because those HBCUs offer majors and programs that Bowie State does not," Walker explains.

USGBC's Sade Dennis, an alumna of Bowie State University, attended the climate career expo on March 6 to provide students at HBCUs with information about internships and opportunities at USGBC.

"What I found remarkable was the partnership and efforts between Bowie State University, Morgan State University and Coppin State University," she says. "These universities drew on their individual strengths and capabilities to achieve a shared mission and vision to connect students with opportunities in climate careers."

"The event showcased a multitude of environmental organizations, highlighting the invaluable role HBCUs play in sustainability and environmental work," Dennis continues. Thirty employers-spanning nonprofits, private businesses and government agencies-attended this year's event, which took a lot of behind-the-scenes work.

Student attendees confer with business representatives at the 2024 Central Maryland HBCU Climate Career Expo. Photo courtesy of Jabari Walker.

Although Walker personally coordinates all aspects of the event, he does receive some support from others for tasks related to the climate career expo. The Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition, an event co-sponsor, helped get the word out and provided lunches for employers at this year's event, and the Bowie State University Career Development Center, Conference and Event Services, and University Relations and Marketing teams assisted Walker as well.

Walker emphasizes the importance of considering equity "in everything we do, especially with green building, since buildings, by and large, are designed for all people." He believes that "it is important to have different perspectives from various cultures to ensure building design meets the needs of all people."

Looking ahead, Walker has a number of ideas about ways to bring more attention (and more students) to future climate career expos, including by finding additional transportation options from other HBCUs, moving up the date to February and starting promotion earlier on the Bowie State University campus, as well as potentially opening the event "to the general public on radio and TV with large Black and minority audiences." He also hopes to see this idea catch on at other HBCUs, MSIs and additional educational institutions.

Left to right: USGBC's Brandon Rivera, Sade Dennis and Leigh DeWitte at the climate career expo. Photo courtesy of Sade Dennis.

Equity at USGBC

The need for environmentally conscious employees will continue to increase within the U.S. for the foreseeable future, so the industry will need to work hard to educate, recruit and retain employees who are ready to tackle climate change-easily one of the most pressing issues of our time. As education and recruitment scale up, equity must also be kept top of mind.

Dennis puts USGBC's values in specific terms: "At USGBC, our vision is rooted in ensuring equitable access to the benefits of green building for all individuals, regardless of race, gender, identity, age, disability or socioeconomic background. We recognize the barriers created by systemic oppression and are committed to dismantling these barriers to create a more inclusive built environment."

Providing outreach to HBCUs fits into this framework, as it has the potential to broaden employee diversity and help organizations hire professionals with a range of personal and professional perspectives.

"We know that it is essential to recognize and tap into the talent, brilliance and rich experiences of graduates from HBCUs," Dennis says. "By leveraging the diverse talents and experiences within all of our communities, we can build a more resilient and equitable future for all."

Comments

Related articles

Related courses