New Mexico Youth Organized has come to UNM this semester in hopes of creating a statewide environmentally conscious workforce.
Bruce Milne is the director of UNM's sustainability studies program and offered to be the faculty adviser for UNM's chapter of NMYO.
"I thought that helping the local chapter would be a productive thing to do," Milne said. "I like the kind of work they're doing, and I think it's a highly effective way to engage policymakers in a discussion about sustainability."
Milne was a key player in drafting the sustainability policy for the entire campus, a policy that, among other things, stipulated the development of a sustainability council and a carbon-neutral task force.
Cheyenne Beardsley, the student chair of the NMYO chapter at UNM, had been involved with the statewide organization since 2007.
"NMYO is all about empowering the local youth to get politically educated and active," Beardsley said. "Right now, our main focus is on green jobs and how we can green the local economy."
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Juan Reynosa, the field organizer for NMYO, said the University atmosphere is conducive to discussing the environment and a green workforce.
"I know UNM is just a good collective ground for all these people to come together," Reynosa said.
He said green jobs provide for a variety of employment opportunities for unskilled and skilled laborers, with jobs ranging from bicycle repair and recycling management to solar-panel installation and geothermal research.
Much of Reynosa's effort goes toward encouraging statewide organizations to introduce green jobs into their economy. NMYO has worked alongside city councilors Rey Garduno, Isaac Benton, Michael Cadigan and Debbie O'Malley to generate a system of funding for New Mexico organizations that aim to ease the transition toward a green economy, he said.
Milne said the transition to a green workforce revolves around what he called a "green job ladder."
"At the lowest rungs, you have unskilled labor, and as you move up the ladder, you get more skilled labor," he said. "For us to have a fully green economy, we need to populate all the rungs of the ladder."
Waste management employees at UNM said the implementation of green jobs on campus would improve the campus environment.
"I think that would be a great idea, because each of us would have less litter to pick up. We'd have a recycling program, and we'd keep the environment clean," said Trent Day, who has been an outdoor employee at UNM for the past nine years. "I think we could hire more people."
Day said the introduction and education of designated green workers would help ensure a greener campus.
Reynosa said New Mexico has an opportunity to benefit economically and environmentally by implementing green jobs and that involving young people is one of the best ways to ease the transition.
"I think it's very important that we have a chapter at UNM," Reynosa said. "We're just trying to be part of the uplift of the youth and show them that they have power."
