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The Impact of Greening in the Region
The terms “green economy” and “green jobs” are now part of our national vocabulary. They have grown from a
desire to achieve multiple goals: reduce pollution and waste; create energy sources that are renewable; decrease
our dependence on other countries for energy; use resources more efficiently; and, in general, live up to an ideal
of leaving our environment better than we found it.
The movement toward a green economy is intertwined with the earlier focus on the “information economy.” In
fact, the two movements share some common characteristics as we seek to identify the impact and prepare to
seize the opportunities that the movements offer.
Information technology (IT) has enabled the introduction of many energy-saving practices, and the greening
movement has created a demand for new IT applications as it progresses. Both IT and greening have moved
rapidly into everyday usage by employers in all sectors of our economy. The infusion of IT into all aspects of our
lives provides insights into the ways we will likely see green practices and products introduced in a similar way in
the next few years.
Governments go Green
Local governments in Northwest Indiana are serving as catalysts for the greening of the region by their own
practices and by creating an environment and infrastructure that encourages greening in the private sector. Some
notable examples include:
South Shore Clean Cities (SSCC) is a membership organization that promotes the use of alternative fuels,
vehicles, technology, and infrastructure in Northern Indiana. The mission of SSCC is to preserve and revitalize
Northern Indiana by promoting the use of clean fuels and clean vehicle technologies. SSCC’s goals are to reduce
petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative fuels and vehicles, idle
reduction technologies, hybrid electric vehicles, fuel blends, and fuel economy. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, SSCC provides a partnership between government and industry. Located at the Purdue Technology Center in Crown Point, it currently has over 200 active members.
Through SSCC and the Indiana Office of Energy Development, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company
(NIPSCO), presented its plans for a three million dollar proposal to provide electric vehicle infrastructure. The
plan would provide financial incentives for residential customers with home charging stations and the creation of
10 public charging vehicle stations.
SSCC continues to promote the construction of electric vehicle charging stations throughout all of
Northern Indiana so the infrastructure will be in place to support electric vehicle ownership
The City of Lake Station has taken dramatic steps to promote greening by
creating a new infrastructure and leveraging investments in ways to sustain
the future development of not only Lake Station residents, but the entire
region. The new eight million dollar government complex targets LEED
certification for energy efficiency and is designed to reduce overall energy
costs by 40%. Wind power will be used to operate the facility’s parking
lights. Investments were also made in a state-of-the-art automated trash
collection system—the first of its kind in Lake County. The automated
system increases efficiency of trash collection, resulting in reduction in
pollution and fuel consumption as fewer trucks are needed for collection
routes.
City of Michigan City works proactively with new and expanding employers in promoting green practices. City
officials assist the employers in a wide range of environment-friendly strategies including energy use, waste management, and green building specifications.
The City itself has introduced a number of green practices including:
• Light signals using LED low wattage bulbs
• Landscaping with plants requiring less water
• Use of non-toxic, green cleaning products
• GPS navigation systems for more efficient street cleaning and mowing
• Biodiesel usage for city trucks
• Use of retreads on the city vehicles, cutting waste of used tires and cutting costs for purchasing new tires
• De-icing of roads with environment-friendly beet juice.
Green Employers
Category
Top Ranking
Number of Truck Drivers,
Jobs
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer
Projection Data
9,818 prjoected
jobs in 2021 increase of over
1000 from present level
Growth
Heating, Air
29.3% Projected
Rate
Conditioning,
increase in jobs
Refrigerations
from now to
Mechanics &
2021 - increase
Installers
of approximately
200 from current
level
Wage Level Property, Real
$35.92 per hour
Estate, Commu- median wage
nity Association
Managers
Location
Locomotive
LQ of 6.08 Quotient
Engineers/Op- showing strength
erators
of occupation
compared to national average
Combined Operating En- Combination
Scorting
gineers & Other of projected
Construction
jobs (1,770),
Equipment Op- growth rate
erators
(17.2%), wage
level ($33.62 per
hour), and LQ
(1.9)
As most of our region’s employers are greening in a variety
of ways that positively impact our environment, a growing
number of employers can truly be labeled green employers as they are leading the creation of new products and
implementing new practices. The employers highlighted
below give us a glimpse of the diversity of green leadership
in the region.
Recycled Granite
Based in St. John, Recycled Granite produces recycled granite pavers, split stone, and aggregate products for homeowners, retailers, builders, and designers. All materials are
created from 100% local waste from the granite fabrication
industry. Its business model has been licensed and replicated throughout the U.S.
A leading developer and manufacturer of solar electronics,
battery charging systems, and welding technology, Austriabased Fronius International will move its headquarters
from Michigan to Portage by the third quarter of 2012,
creating over 500 new jobs by 2016.
NIPSCO
Aside from a workforce that includes many green occupations in environmental affairs, engineering, and energy production, NIPSCO finalized a settlement that outlines close
to $600 million in new environmental investments, conservation initiatives, and clean energy programs designed
to improve environmental and economic sustainability of
northern Indiana by improved scrubbing technologies and
monitoring at its generating stations, including environmental mitigation projects. Recently NIPSCO announced
incentives to residential customers who install electric
vehicle charging stations at their homes.
Built in partnership with MCTD, Inc. and Winn Machine
of Michigan City, the SolaRover is a power generator on a
trailer that can provide a power supply in any location with
zero emissions as an alternative to diesel generators. The
SolaRover includes applications for the military, disaster
relief, remote operations, construction and agriculture.
It was used in Haiti during recovery operations and has
been used to desalinate and purify salt water into drinking
water.
Fair Oaks Farms
This Jasper County dairy farm is one of
the largest in the country with 30,000
dairy cows. Its sustainable practices have been a catalyst for
green operations in the U.S. dairy industry through participation in the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Initiative. The farm
produces all of the electricity it needs from a cogeneration
unit that runs on methane gas and an anaerobic digester
coverts methane gas from cow manure into renewable
compressed natural gas (CNG). The CNG fuels the farm’s
42 milk-hauling trucks, equipped with natural gas engines,
resulting in the fleet’s carbon footprint being 40% less than
what it would be if powered by diesel fuel.
KTR Corporation
With manufacturing, sales and support operations in 21 countries, including its facility in
Michigan City, KTR manufactures power transmission systems, including coupling, clamping sets, torque
limiters, torque measuring systems, hydraulic components
and brake systems. One of its specialties is shaft couplings
for wind turbines that it developed, featuring electrically
insulated glass fiber-reinforced tube and additional improvements that extend the useful life from 2-5 years to 20
years.
A large format digital graphics company in Hobart, Point
Imaging eared the Orion Energy Systems’ Environmental
Stewardship Award for converting over 137 highintensity discharge (HID) light fixtures to highintensity fluorescent (HIF) technology, which will
cut costs up to 59% by decreasing power usage.
The HIF technology also reduces the cost of air
conditioning as the lights do not produce high
heat, unlike HID lights. Point Imaging will reduce
greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emission by
approximately 121 tons each year.
Safety-Kleen Industries
A leading provider of environmental
services, oil re-refining and responsible
cleaning solutions, Safety-Kleen operates two rerefineries, one in East Chicago and one in Breslau,
Ontario. Through its oil recycling operation, studies show that more than one million metric tons of
greenhouse gases are prevented, when compared
to what otherwise would occur through traditional refining processes. Safety-Kleen continues
to prove that profitability and a clean environment
can co-exist.
SRS-Sunrise Solar Inc.
St. John manufacturer of solar-powered
attic fans, Sunrise Solar can save home and/or
business owners as much as 30% on the cooling
portion of their energy bill. Indiana implemented
a 30% tax credit that includes solar powered fan
installation, which makes the product even more
affordable for the average home or business owner.
Named “Most Valuable Product” two years in a
row by Building Products Magazine, Sunrise Solar
is helping to reduce carbon footprints nationwide.
A Greener Education
Our schools in Northwest Indiana, from K-12 systems to higher education, are preparing a future generation for
leadership on green issues, from creating early awareness in lower grades to education and training for technical
skills and policy leadership in higher education. Schools in the region were surveyed and numerous initiatives
were identified. Examples include:
K-12 School Systems
• Special grant acquired to connect high school science teachers and Indiana University Northwest to address
watershed and water quality issues in the region (Crown Point High School)
• Environmental magnet option offered at elementary and middle schools (Michigan City Area Schools)
• Advanced Environmental Science class created to cover green topics not normally covered in other science
courses (LaCrosse School)
• All-day workshop on comprehensive energy conservation and management (Kankakee Valley Schools)
• Installation of solar parking lot lights with grant from Lowe’s (Rolling Prairie School)
• Construction of wind turbine on school grounds with education program developed in conjunction with installation (West Central Schools)
• Creation of new units on water and soil conservation within the agriculture curriculum (Eastern Pulaski
Schools)
• Dual credit and advanced placement (AP) courses in environmental areas (several school systems with local
universities).
Higher Education
• Training program for unemployed workers for residential energy certification (Ivy Tech Community College
in partnership with Building Professionals Institute and Institute for Career Development (ICD), with funding
acquired by ICD from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act specifically for green jobs training in the
region)
• Course development aimed at preparing for environmental jobs – Ecology, Conservation Biology, Environmental Biology, Interdepartmental Major combining Biology/Chemistry/Geology (Indiana University Northwest)
• “Core 6” Group Sustainability Project for juniors as part of general education requirements (St. Joseph’s College)
• Energy Efficiency and Reliability Center designed to provide students with real-life energy research and applications, while connecting energy-related technologies with
employers in the region (Purdue University Calumet)
• Matchmaker Program implementing protocols established
by the United Nations Global Reporting Initiative (GRI),
enriching academic experiences of students while pairing
companies that desire sustainability reporting with academic
institutions that can help produce them (Valparaiso University)
• Student-led, faculty-assisted clubs focused on implementation of green practices (most campuses in the region).
To view the full report, please visist www.innovativeworkforce.com/research.html
Is your business doing its part to move towards a more green and
friendly business? Share with us things you have accomplished in
your sector to become a greener business and we’ll be happy to include you in this report.
1000 E. 80th Place, Suite 301 South
Merrillville, IN 46410
(219)738-9029
www.icdlearning.org
2804 Boilmaker Court, Suite E
Valparaiso, IN 46383
(219) 462-2940
www.innovativeworkforce.com