BEST Academy
Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training Academy
The BEST Academy directly relates to the core of SSBx’s mission: to bring issues of Environmental Justice to the forefront of community consciousness, and to begin to repair and reverse decades of environmental degradation. The BEST Academy not only connects residents of the South Bronx and other Environmental Justice communities to employment opportunities, but helps create an economically sustainable South Bronx. The entire community benefits from the increased number of residents who have marketable skills and can now contribute to the economic revitalization of the neighborhood.
The BEST Academy links environmental clean-up and restoration in the community to the career development and economic needs of local people. While BEST Academy is open to any resident of New York City’s five boroughs, the majority of participants are from the South Bronx. Participants must have their high school diploma (or equivalent), and a valid driver’s license or permit. Participants are predominantly low-income individuals with many on public assistance.
NOW Recruiting for 2010 Training Sessions
BEST Eco
BEST Eco trains its participants for jobs in horticulture, landscape contracting, and bioremediation. The BEST Eco program is made up of three, 14-week sessions and can accommodate up to twenty participants. To date, there have been twenty sessions, with over 175 program graduates. Our three-year follow-up process shows that our graduates have demonstrated tremendous success. Eighty-two percent of BEST Eco’s graduates are gainfully employed, 15% are attending college, and 7% are employed and in school.
Participants receive hands-on training in the following:
- Bioremediation
- Green Roof Installation
- Green Roof Maintenance
- Phytoremediation
- Ecological Restoration
- Wetland Restoration
- Stream Bank Stabilization
- Landscape 101
- Plant, Tree, Shrub Identification & Preservation
- Job Readiness/ Life Skills
- Water and Soil Quality Testing
- Wildlife Identification
- Environmental Remediation
- Power Tool Safety and Operation
Participants will receive certifications in the following:
- First Aid and CPR
- NYC Tree Pruner
- Entry Level Tree Climbing
- 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Cleanup
- 10-Hour OSHA
- Herbicide/Pesticide Applicator
Participants take classes at the New York Botanical Garden Classes in the following:
- Intro to Horticulture
- Intro to Ecology
- Chainsaw safety and usage
- Preparation for Pesticide Applicator Certification Examination
- Intro to Wetland Restoration
Click here for BEST Eco Recruitment Flyer.
BEST for Buildings
Building upon the successes of the BEST Eco program and the lessons learned in its development, SSBx created BEST for Buildings (B4B) program to expand our impact on the economic needs of the community as well as the sustainability needs of the planet. Through additional green collar training, B4B offers a variety of certifications for improving building performance through energy- and other resource-reduction measures; it is a comprehensive training and job-placement program for green collar jobs generated by greening buildings.
The B4B curriculum is designed to take into consideration the best practices of the BEST Eco program, as well as existing retrofit processes and technologies. The training program includes classroom sessions in technical and life skills as well as a hands-on-practicum. Ultimately, this program trains participants to retrofit buildings across New York City so that they are more energy-efficient. B4B includes the following classes and trainings:
- Job readiness/life skills
- Mini-energy audits and energy updates of local, low-income apartment buildings
- Training/role playing to prep for customer relations
- Introduction to HVAC systems
- Solar PV training
- Introduction to insulation materials
- Green roof installation
- Introduction to building science
- Retrofit installation training
- Lead awareness
- Tour of a community college program and Rebuilder’s Source
All graduates of the BEST Academy receive certifications in:
- OSHA 10-Hour Training
- Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Training
- Asbestos handling
- Lead Awareness
For more information or to apply for the program, contact Annette Williams at 646.400.5438 or click here.
To download an application, please click here.
Click here for BEST for Buildings Recruitment Flyer.
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