From installing water-saving faucet aerators to energy-efficient showerheads, youth are joining the green job market through the help of programs such as the Berkeley-based Rising Sun Energy Center.

Last year, 100 youth volunteered in 1,200 homes in nine cities across the Bay Area installing energy-efficient appliances, according to Jodi Pincus, the executive director for the center.

The center is one of many environmental programs within the East Bay Green Corridor, a collaborative effort founded by Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville and Richmond in December 2007.

On Friday, the corridor announced it received $76 million in federal stimulus funds for environmental research, weatherization and program funding.

Almost $10 million of the $76 million came from the federal Green Job Corps funding, which will provide 160 new positions in green jobs using the corridor's existing job training programs, said Julie Sinai, chief of staff to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.

"This is a magnificent move forward and we are going to get more and more money from other stimulus funds," said Bates. "It makes a lot of sense to work together, because in reality we all live in this East Bay."

The corridor was created to establish the East Bay as the focal point of green business and alternative-energy research, Sinai said.

"It works to raise funds (and) to leverage funding for green technology and clean technology," Sinai said. "Its purpose is to leverage the research, business development and work force into creating a green Mecca in the East Bay."

The partnership is currently made up of eight cities, along with academic institutions like UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CSU East Bay, the Peralta Community College District and the Contra Costa Community College District.

El Cerrito, San Leandro, Albany and Alameda are among the cities that have joined since the corridor was founded.

"So much of what goes on is not and should not be defined by our borders," Sinai said. "Workforce is regional and it is not a benefit to our communities to work within these artificial borders."

Cynthia Battenberg, business development manager for the city of San Leandro, said the city is excited to be a part of the program.

San Leandro hopes to stimulate its economy and educate its workforce about the benefits of environmentally-friendly jobs, she added.

"We see it as a wonderful opportunity to work regionally and to keep business enterprises local," Battenberg said. "Together, we can work to bring green companies here and everybody will benefit from that."

The corridor has expanded into local high schools including Berkeley High School, teaching students about environmental issues and encouraging them to pursue green careers, Sinai said.

The large partnership allows the East Bay to keep environmentally-based jobs local and stimulate growth in programs like the center that focus on green technology, she said.

"It strengthens the relationship between these organizations and increases access and funding to being able to train people for green buildings and other energy efficiencies," Sinai said.

With the recent $76 million boost in funding, the Rising Sun Energy Center, among other programs, will be able to expand its youth summer job program into part of the academic school year.

"We'll be getting a nice percentage of the funding that will allow us to be able to run during the year and be more active," Pincus said.

The lab and UC Berkeley will be able to fund more extensive research on new sources of biofuels, solar energy and enhancing carbon technology.

Bates said he hopes the corridor's green technology and environmental innovation will provide a model for the state and the nation.

"The East Bay has the leadership to show others how to collaborate and grow together, we have the culture, and we have the workforce," he said. "We are really well poised to succeed."

Tags: EAST BAY GREEN CORRIDOR