The EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy visited the Ozark Correctional Center near Springfield, Missouri, to congratulate 17 graduates of the Green for Greene program. Green for Greene is an environmental workforce development and job training program that has trained 379 students since 2016, including the 17 today. This program is made possible through EPA鈥檚 Brownfields Job Training program.
鈥淏rownfields Job Training Grants support EPA鈥檚 effort to Power the Great American Comeback, ensuring clean land and promoting cross-agency partnership,鈥� Macy said. 鈥淭his program is not just a training course. It equips individuals with skills for a brighter future, while supporting development and growing the local economy.鈥�
EPA announced that the City of Springfield was selected to receive a $500,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant. This grant funding was used to expand the Green for Greene program, which offers free instruction and certifications to students that enable them to find jobs in environmental fields, such as hazardous waste; lead and mold abatement; lead renovation, repair, and painting; and asbestos abatement.
Green for Greene is tuition-free for accepted students, and the program targets Springfield residents who are unemployed or underemployed, veterans, and individuals with justice system involvement. The Ozark Correctional Center is the only state prison to offer the Green for Greene program.