By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Leaders at Aquinas College’s Center for Sustainability and Calvin College’s Computer Science Program have developed an innovative curriculum for Comprenew Academy, an after school sustainable business and electronics recycling program for inner city high school youth. 150 teens took the semester-long course last year. This year the Academy becomes a two-year program and only 42 teens will be accepted.
Grand Rapids-based Comprenew Environmental started the Academy in spring 2006. Students recycled electronics from individuals and corporations, including Haworth, Cascade Engineering, and Davenport University. Parts were harvested, laptops rebuilt and resold at Comprenew’s store, and the rest broken down and recycled.
“Comprenew Academy is focused on sustainable business, information technology, job training, and learning how to participate in a workforce,” said Lynell Shooks, director of business development.
Aquinas’ sustainability curriculum will include instruction on energy and material processes, the triple bottom line (profits, planet, people), natural recycling processes, energy issues, and closed loop cycles.
The computer science curriculum from Calvin includes the basics of computer recycling, as well as instruction on Internet services, computer upgrades, and basic computer architecture—networking, creating and managing databases, basic web development, and programming.
The students get “paid” for the program in points which can be redeemed to buy things like laptops and desktops—which they may have rebuilt themselves—or components.
“You can be in business, or you can be in the business of changing a community,” Shooks said. “When students come out of the program they have knowledge and skills that impact their lives.”
Source: Lynell Shooks, Comprenew Environmental
Related Articles
GR designer wins regional LEED design competition
Deborah Johnson Wood is Development News Editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.