At community colleges around New York, good timing and good ideas are coming up green.

With the Obama administration issuing a national call to action on energy conservation, community colleges — always at the forefront of meeting the state's employment needs — are answering with innovative new certificate and two-year degree programs in environmental technology, design and building maintenance.

At Erie Community College in Buffalo, a proposal for a new certificate program in green building technology is under review by the State Education Department.

"In our region, the 'green' program track will just augment what we're already doing," said Andrew Sako, president of the Faculty Federation of Erie Community College and an at-large member of the NYSUT Board who represents community colleges.

"We've gotten calls on it already, and I'd like to get it in place by January," he said.

Two years ago, Onondaga Community College received a $700,000 Workforce Development Grant from the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research.

Onondaga used that grant to launch the Sustainability Institute at the college, which now oversees new programs in Energy and Environmental Systems and Automotive Technology — Emissions Monitoring and Testing.

Onondaga also has a cooperative agreement with SUNY's College of Environmental Science and Forestry that allows Onondaga students who graduate from the Architectural Technology and Environmental Technology associate degree program to transfer to parallel degree programs at ESF.

At Suffolk Community College, plans are under way to develop a two-year degree program on alternative and solar energy.

"We think we can fast-track it to get it up and running in two years," said Kevin Peterman, vice president of the Faculty Association of Suffolk Community College.

Local corporations and agencies such as the Long Island Power Authority have expressed a strong interest in the program and could well end up as partners in its development and operation, Peterman said.

"They're interested in the project, they want to see it happen, so I'm encouraged," Peterman said.