In this photo taken Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, 10-year-old Roman Ramirez carries a banana tree branch from the tropical garden in Woodlake, Calif. (AP Photo/ Gosia Wozniacka)

(CNSNews.com) – The State Department through its Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs plans to spend $450,000 to create green jobs in Morocco.

“Morocco has set the goal to become one of the world’s largest sustainable economies by 2020, with an emphasis on creating green jobs in: renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, environmental and natural resource management, and improvement in environmental technologies,” the  grant announcement said.

“Morocco’s green growth strategy focuses on three major areas that include: energy security, food security, and environmental security. This includes solar and wind power, energy efficiency, intensive and communal sustainable agriculture, and solid waste and greenhouse gas emissions reduction,” the grant said.

The U.S. and Morocco signed a Joint Statement on Environmental Cooperation in 2006, the grant said. “The  2010-2012 Plan of Action reflects the current priorities for trade-related environmental cooperation activities.”

The grant recipient will help increase green job growth through collaboration partnerships, education and training, innovation and/or green technology transfers.

“The successful applicant will work with local partners to build on existing activities in Morocco, design projects to increase green job growth, and build local capacity for continuing implementation of sustainable practices in the future,” the grant added.

The State Department expects to see green job growth especially among youth and women in industrial centers. It also hopes to energy and water use savings, a drop in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and increased natural resource conservation.

In addition, it is expected to see an increase in the technical capacity for renewable energy, energy efficiency, water management, sustainable agriculture, pollution prevention, and/or greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

The grant recipient is expected to “monitor and report on performance indicators that are specific, measurable over times, achievable, and reasonable.”

“Potential indicators for this project could include:

• Number of green jobs created (separated by gender and age);


• Environmental indicators, such as reductions in levels of energy and water use and pollutant emissions from private sector partners in Morocco;


• Number of collaborations with Moroccan public and private sector representatives;


• Number of people trained with skills directly related to green jobs (separated by gender and age);


• Number of environmental technologies and processes implemented;


• Number of workshops, seminars and or trainings held; and


• Economic savings due to improved environmental technologies and practice.”

The grant was announced on June 30, 2013. The closing date for applications was July 30, 2013. The project is expected to run from September 2013 through September 2015.

Calls to the State Department seeking comment about the grant were not returned by press time.