EQUITY

The Civilian Climate Corps should recruit members from the most vulnerable communities to the effects of climate change. These members should be paid a living wage, provided with wrap-around support, and their work should improve the resilience of their community while reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon sequestration. Funding corps at the overall annual cost per member of $40,000 will achieve this goal.

Scalability

The Civilian Climate Corps should leverage and support existing Service and Conservation Corps along with their partners to build on the capacity and trust they have built in their respective communities. Allocate additional capital investment funding for Corps to build capacity infrastructure necessary to expand. Existing Corps could activate 500,000 members by 2022.

accountability

The work of the Civilian Climate Corps should be rooted in carbon accounting, work toward community-wide carbon neutrality and community resilience goals, and have oversight from at-risk communities. Corps training should prepare members for long-term careers in high-demand industries.

Partners: green|spaces, Southeast Conservation Corps, Thrive Regional Partnership, Appalachian Carbon Exchange, Build Me a World

Carbon emission reduction, carbon sequestration and climate resilience are all necessary to address climate change. However, the same communities that face the greatest risk of losing lives and wealth during climate events have also been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and generations of systemic racism. The Civilian Climate Corps presents an opportunity to address both sets of challenges.

regional coordination

The Thrive Regional Partnership inspires responsible growth through conversation, connection, and collaboration in the tri-state Chattanooga region including 16 counties across northeast Alabama, northwest Georgia, and southeast Tennessee. They convene stakeholders across the region to preserve community and natural character for generations to come while growing in industry, prosperity, and population. Thrive Regional Partnership’s Natural Treasures Alliance worked with the IGT Lab at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to develop the Cradle of Southern Appalachia Initiative Conservation Priority Model (pictured to the right) and a set of goals to coordinate the work of partner organizations in the alliance including green|spaces, the Southeast Conservation Corps, and the Appalachian Carbon Exchange.

Simultaneously, green|spaces developed a draft Integrated Community Sustainability Plan for Chattanooga with goals for Energy, Water, Mobility, Ecosystems, Resilient Communities, and Waste Reduction including a goal for community-wide carbon neutrality by 2050. The carbon inventory produced as part of the plan showed that since 2008, carbon emissions were reduced in Chattanooga by 25% while the GDP increased by 44%. Recently elected Mayor Tim Kelly has committed to advancing the plan.

Thrive Regional Partnership’s Cradle of Southern Appalachia Initiative and Conservation Priority Model, built by our partners at UTC’s Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technology Lab, identifies areas of high-quality habitat that naturally enhance the air and water quality of the region.

To protect quality of life for future generations, Thrive Regional Partnership’s Natural Treasures Alliance proposed the following goals to accomplish by 2055. If achieved, this effort would conserve 30% of the region's land area, in alignment with President Biden's national 30x30 goal.

• Conserve at least 50% of unprotected forests in the region. Expand open space for the health of our human and natural communities.

• Improve water quality of at least 50% of polluted streams in the region. Enhance community and economic vitality through drinkable, recreational, and species-rich waters.

• Keep common species common by protecting 90% of those at risk. Ensure well-balanced ecosystems that contribute to water and air quality for generations to come.

• Foster conservation awareness and education. Engage people of all ages and backgrounds in community science programs, such as volunteerism, educational opportunities, and technology.

Carbon Emission Reduction

Founded in 2007, green|spaces, Chattanooga’s sustainability nonprofit, has won the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award for two of its innovative and effective programs.

• Build it Green AmeriCorps Opportunity Youth Service Initiative, a partnership between green|spaces and Build Me a World, connects at-risk young adults with opportunities in green building, sustainable development, and community organizing. As part of their service, members learn how to weatherize homes for low-income residents and improve the resilience of historically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

• Empower has taught over 3000 residents in urban and rural communities that suffer from high utility burden low-cost and no-cost ways to lower utility bills through free workshops in their community and video tutorials online. Empower also connects these residents to resources for weatherization assistance and community resilience.

In addition to these programs, green|spaces helps businesses, developers, and schools integrate sustainable practices to reduce their environmental footprint and costs through a wide range of programs and partnerships.

Carbon Sequestration

The Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC), operates conservation service programs throughout the Southeast that focus on meeting the needs of the natural landscapes while empowering people to cultivate compassion, responsibility, and grit through community service, hard work, and environmental stewardship.

Building upon the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, SECC is focused on connecting people to the natural environment through conservation-based service learning, personal development, and recreation.

75,365 Service Hours since 2013

397 Total Program Participants

125 Miles of Trails Improved

245 Acres Improved

In partnership with Thrive, the Appalachian Carbon Exchange, and green|spaces, SECC is prepared to provide training and service for reforestation, afforestation, forest management to enhance biodiversity, expanding stream buffers, enhanced agricultural practices and other sequestration projects.

Carbon Emission Reduction

The Southface Institute promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance.

Their programs reduce carbon emissions and improve the health and performance of homes, workplaces, and communities:

• GoodUse Grants provide funding and technical assistance to nonprofits in need of energy and water efficiency upgrades.

• BIT Building is a framework of practical and effective strategies that building operators can implement within their own budgets and schedules.

• The EarthCraft green building certification program is designed to address the challenging energy, water, and climate conditions of the Southeast.

• Southface Energy Rated Homes (SERH) is a RESNET accredited HERS QA Provider that delivers the best quality assurance, intuitive HERS credential management and software solutions to support rating businesses.

Carbon Sequestration

The Greening Youth Foundation’s (GYF) mission is to engage under-represented youth and young adults, while connecting them to the outdoors and careers in conservation. GYF’s cultural based environmental education programing engages children from local communities and exposes them to healthy lifestyle choices in order to create an overall healthy community. GYF employs a professional staff of historians, sociologists, psychologists, educators, marine biologists, environmental scientists, anthropologists and wilderness experts. GYF’s team is highly specialized and focuses on land acquisition, design and development, greenway and green space project management, community mobilization and outreach. We are dedicated to the preservation of nature’s finite and historical resources. Collectively we have more than 400 years of experience facilitating youth programs that emphasize personal growth through hands-on experience and challenges. Programs include

• Partner Internships with the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (DHA), Outdoor Retailer Partners and The Move Mountains Grant.

• Historically Black Colleges & Universities Internship

• Urban Youth Corps (UYC) focuses on the professional, economic and character development of inner-city youth between the ages of 17 and 25 years old from challenging backgrounds. These youth receive training in the areas of conservation, urban agriculture, construction, financial literacy, cultural and societal awareness, professional development and entrepreneurship.

• Public School Initiative providing environmental and wellness programming to students in grades K-12 through partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs, Recreation Centers and public schools throughout the Metro Atlanta Area. GYF utilizes C.H.I.P interns to conduct these tasks.

The Sustainability Institute is a nonprofit organization with a relentless passion for empowering vulnerable individuals and families. They espouse a belief that housing should be healthy, safe, and affordable for all and cast a vision for low country region communities that are sustainable and climate resilient for generations to come. The Sustainability Institute provides:

• Innovative Programs To Lift Up People & Communities

• Community-based Planning To Advance Neighborhood Sustainability & Resilience

• Collaborative Projects To Teach, Demonstrate & Inspire

One such program is the Environmental Conservation Corps (“ECC”), an innovative and award-winning program affiliated with AmeriCorps (The Corps Network) that provides individuals the opportunity to serve their communities while learning new skills and gaining new experience in the field of environmental conservation. Their goal is to create the next generation of conservation leaders.

The ECC is part of the Opportunity Youth Service Initiative (“OYSI”) and provides workforce training and conservation service experience for young people experiencing barriers. The Program offers at-risk and economically disadvantaged young adults aged 17-24 an opportunity to learn in-demand conservation skills, to participate in and lead critically important conservation projects, and to become connected with employment opportunities. The Program also provides “soft-skills” training, teaching participants new skills while honing existing skill sets to enable them to thrive both personally and professionally following their service experience.

Carbon Emission Reduction

The Sustainability Institute’s Environmental Conservation Corps provides home weatherization and energy/water efficiency upgrades –

Where: Low-wealth neighborhoods in the greater Charleston metro area, including Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties.

What: Home repairs and efficiency upgrades to help families significantly reduce energy use and utility bills, including air sealing the building envelope; installing insulation in attics and crawl spaces; installing smart thermostats; retrofitting lighting; installing water saving devices; and installing safety devices such as smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. We use an innovative “performance approach” that includes diagnostic testing on the home before, during, and after repairs and using equipment such as blower doors, duct blasters, and infrared cameras to detect problem areas within the home.

The ECC has performed more than 300 weatherization projects in the Charleston region, conducted hundreds of community workshops on energy efficiency, formed lifelong relationships with thousands of clients and stakeholders, and became a trusted partner to neighborhoods in our community that are undergoing change. For this work, the Home Depot Foundation recognized The Sustainability Institute with a National Award of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development.

Carbon Sequestration

The Sustainability Institute’s Environmental Conservation Corps develops outdoor conservation and green infrastructure projects –

Where: Public parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and waterways across the SC Lowcountry.

What: Restoring wildlife habitats; building rain gardens; constructing and maintaining urban gardens; building rain gardens and performing erosion control; planting native vegetation; performing soil and water testing; constructing recreational trails; and repairing bridges and boardwalks.

Carbon Emission Reduction

The Green Built Alliance’s Energy Savers Network is particularly well positioned to advance climate justice and reduce carbon emissions. Offering their services as one solution to the twin crises of climate change and inequity, Energy Savers Network mobilizes the community to lower the energy burden of our modest-income neighbors, one house at a time. Since 2017, the ESN team has provided energy upgrades and education at no cost to limited-income clients. Its impact in 2019 included the following:

• 200 homes served

• 2,961 volunteer hours

• 2,413 measures performed

• 247,898 kWh estimated savings

Energy Savers Network's easily scalable model aims to create a future in which communities come together to foster efficient, healthy and affordable housing for all, and our children can look forward to a bright future living in a just and sustainable world.

Carbon Sequestration

Conservation Corps North Carolina (CCNC) is an AmeriCorps affiliated non-profit that connects youth and young adults to conservation service work that helps North Carolina communities adapt to climate change. Participants work with natural resource agencies and non-profits to restore and preserve public land and water, strengthen community resilience, increase reforestation, help agricultural landowners improve carbon sequestration on their land, and create and improve parks and trails so a greater diversity of people can access them. Participants earn a paycheck, an AmeriCorps education award, valuable certifications and job skills, and new opportunities to pursue full time natural resource careers and leadership.