EPA Partnership with City of Springfield, Missouri, Provides Career Training, Job Readiness at Ozark Correctional Center
Seventeen students are graduating from Springfield’s Green for Greene program, made possible by an EPA Brownfields Grant
LENEXA, KAN. (MARCH 7, 2025) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy visited the Ozark Correctional Center near Springfield, Missouri, to congratulate 17 graduates of the Green for Greene program.
Green for Greene is an environmental workforce development and job training program that has trained 379 students since 2016, including the 17 today. This program is made possible through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training program.
“Brownfields Job Training Grants support EPA’s effort to Power the Great American Comeback, ensuring clean land and promoting cross-agency partnership,” Macy said. “This program is not just a training course. It equips individuals with skills for a brighter future, while supporting development and growing the local economy.”
EPA announced that the City of Springfield was selected to receive a $500,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant. This grant funding was used to expand the Green for Greene program, which offers free instruction and certifications to students that enable them to find jobs in environmental fields, such as hazardous waste; lead and mold abatement; lead renovation, repair, and painting; and asbestos abatement.
Green for Greene is tuition-free for accepted students, and the program targets Springfield residents who are unemployed or underemployed, veterans, and individuals with justice system involvement. The Ozark Correctional Center is the only state prison to offer the Green for Greene program.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields Job Training (JT) Grants allow nonprofits, local governments, and other organizations to recruit, train, and place unemployed and underemployed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfield sites. Through the JT program, graduates develop the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous and solid waste management and within the larger environmental field, including sustainable cleanup and reuse, and chemical safety. These green jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities.
Graduates of Brownfields JT programs learn valuable, sought-after skills and have the opportunity to earn a variety of certifications, ensuring that employment opportunities result not just in temporary contractual work, but in long-term environmental careers.
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past grant recipients, please visit the Brownfields Grant Fact Sheet Search page.
• Learn more about Brownfields Job Training Grants.
• Learn more about the Green for Greene program.
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