| FFA Nation

Illinois agriculture students prepare for ‘green collar’ jobs in the renewable energy field

Jessica Mozo | 10/29/2010 |

Chances are you’re aware of the energy crisis the United States faces as oil prices climb and our nation depends on foreign countries to satisfy our energy needs.

You’re also probably aware that companies across the country are working to create renewable forms of energy, such as wind and solar power and biofuels made from plant materials.

But have you ever thought about working in the alternative energy field someday?

“When our students’ parents were in high school, they probably didn’t even think about renewable energy,” says Jesse Faber, an agriculture teacher at Pontiac High School in Pontiac, Ill. “But it’s really a growing field. Renewable energy research is ever-evolving – we’re learning new things every day and finding new and better processes. There will be so much job growth in that industry in the foreseeable future.”

In fall 2009, Faber and his fellow agriculture teacher Parker Bane introduced a comprehensive renewable energy course to their junior and senior students to give them a head start on learning about things like biodiesel, ethanol, wind turbines and hydropower.

“We’ve seen colleges creating renewable energy programs, but as far as I know, we’re the only high school offering it,” Faber says. “We use a college textbook for the course, and I’ve been contacted by several other high schools wanting to establish similar ag program components.”

The program is a perfect fit for Pontiac High School students.

“We have the second-largest landfill in the country, and it gets filled out of Chicago. So our kids see that waste every day,” Faber says. “We’re also a town sitting on historic Route 66, so the students are used to seeing a lot of fueling stations.”

High school students everywhere can appreciate renewable energy because they’re already used to paying top dollar for gas.

“We look at it as an air- and water-quality issue because it’s everyone’s responsibility to care about air and water quality,” Faber says. “But we also talk about the importance of using products grown locally instead of sending that money abroad.”

Pontiac High School senior Adam Immke signed up for the renewable energy course out of curiosity.

“It was something new on the curriculum that I’d never seen offered,” Adam says. “We’ve been getting windmills in our community, and I wanted to learn about how they work. Alternative energy is a big issue today, and I knew there would be careers in that field in the future.”

Adam even recruited friends to sign up for the course.

“I have a buddy who never throws away his water bottles because he wants to recycle them,” he says. “So I told him this class would be right up his alley.”
One class project Adam enjoyed was making samples of biodiesel fuel.

“We learned about how the oil has to be filtered, and we tested our samples at different temperatures to see whether temperature affected it,” he says. “This class offers a whole different type of learning. We use a college textbook, so we’re working through problems we normally wouldn’t even get into yet. It’s a brand-new course, and it’s only going to get better.”

While the course is completely new, Faber points out that renewable energy has been around for centuries.

“The original diesel engines ran off peanut oil. Before petroleum, everything was renewable,” he says. “The sun and burning wood have been used for heat for thousands of years. In recent years, we’ve leaned more on coal, natural gas and petroleum, and we’re seeing the need to go back to renewable fuels.”

And that need will create thousands of “green collar” jobs.

“Our students will be close to the first-generation work force in renewable energy,” Faber says. “Windmills and turbines create jobs for engineers, operators and mechanics. There will be jobs in ethanol facilities, hydroelectric plants, and in the solar- and wind-power sector.”

At least one of Faber’s students plans to study renewable energy in college.

“Illinois State University in Normal has a degree program on renewable energy just kicking off in their College of Technology,” Faber says. “One student plans to major in it. With his SAE [supervised agricultural experience program], he helped us build a biodiesel reactor.”

Adam is also excited about the career possibilities.

“I plan to farm, but my dad probably won’t be ready to retire when I get out of college,” he says. “If opportunities in the renewable energy field are available, I will definitely pursue them.”