Energy efficiency education at PETE community and technical colleges

The Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE) is a national non-profit organization focused on assisting community and technical colleges in developing and delivering two-year degree and short-term training programs in the area of Environmental Technology. PETE has defined a thirteen-task program funded through the US Environmental Protection Agency Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Division's Energy Star{trademark} program. The mission of PETE, through this program, known as the Community Energy Efficiency Initiative, is to develop and implement an energy education initiative through PETE colleges to accelerate energy efficiency market transformation to a higher level. In this paper, the authors describe PETE, the Community Energy Efficiency Initiative, and outline the goals, projects, and accomplishments to date. They also describe lessons learned over the past 18 months of the program as well as current barriers to accomplishing the three-year goals.