Green Service
Reports and examples of how full-time service can contribute to green pathways out of poverty.
This section shows reports and examples of how full-time service can contribute to green pathways out of poverty for young people.
Service in all of its forms, from full-time, stipended service to service-learning in schools, to 55+ community involvement, can educate and engage people of all backgrounds in fighting climate change and building the new green economy.
Click here to learn about how to get involved in green service.
Energy Conservation Corps
The GIVE Act (HR 5563) would renew for five years the Corporation for National and Community Service, best known for its AmeriCorps program (PL 101-610). An amendment to this act, introduced by Representatives Inslee and Sarbanes, would create an Energy Conservation Corps to address the nation’s energy and transportation infrastructure needs while providing work and service opportunities. During the March 6th, 2008 deliberations over the GIVE Act, the Energy Conservation Corps amendment was approved 152-261. However, on March 12th, the GIVE Act fell one vote shy of the 278 needed for passage. It is possible that the GIVE Act be again brought to the floor this year.
The Green New Deal and Service and Conservation Corps
The Corps Network, representing the nation's Service and Conservation Corps which collectively mobilize 22,000 young people across the country each year, calls for a "Green New Deal" with a Clean Energy Corps as a centerpiece.
Two Birds, One Stone: The Civic Justice Corps Engage in Green Building
An overview of the Civic Justice Corps initiative within the Corps Network, with examples from corps around the country.
Pathways to a New Future: Service as a Strategy for Re-engaging At-Risk Youth
An examination of how service and conservation corps are successfully engaging at-risk youth in service projects addressing critical community needs while providing corpsmembers with education, lifeskills development, and career preparation at the same time. While this report does not explicitly address jobs in the green economy, it provides an initiation into the service and conservation corps model and its role in workforce development.
Cooling Roofs and Creating Opportunities in Baltimore
Full-time service can act as a stepping-stone in green pathways out of poverty. Service and conservation corps like Civic Works train youth in green construction and weatherization, with the goal of linking them to good jobs in the green economy. B'more Green, one of Civic Works' initiatives, is an innovative job-training program designed to prepare unemployed or underemployed Baltimore residents for entry level careers in the field of environmental technology. Upon completion, graduates receive assistance with securing jobs that build on their training.
New Orleans Reconstruction Corps to Create Green Pathways out of Poverty Starting in March '08
Starting in March '08, 800 young people will begin as full-time corps members in the New Orleans Reconstruction Corps reducing energy consumption in homes and buildings, improving public spaces and restoring the natural environment in the Greater New Orleans area. Mostly court-involved, formerly incarcerated youth, the corps members will gain experience through their service on a path to employment in the green economy. Service is the centerpiece of a program model that includes formal working partnerships with justice agencies, employers, and other community agencies; individual case management and intensive services; life-skills development, education, and employment preparation - and meaningful service projects.
