Did you ever imagine spending a year restoring paths along the Appalachian Trail? Developing community gardens on a Caribbean island? Or helping neighbors electrify their homes?
This summer, thousands of people in the US joined the American Climate Corps (ACC), a new federal program that connects young people with jobs in conservation, climate adaptation and green energy.
Inspired by the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, the Climate Corps aims to train young people “to tackle climate challenges, from deploying clean energy to protecting our public lands and waters, making our communities more resilient”, said Maggie Thomas, special assistant for climate to Joe Biden.
What kinds of jobs are available?
Climate Corps jobs run the gamut from installing solar panels to fighting wildfires.
The Appalachian Mountain Club, for example, is looking for corps members to maintain remote campsites and trails along the Appalachian Trail in New England (pay is $15/hour). In San Jose, California, a non-profit is hiring tree care specialists to prune and plant trees and other greenery (pay: $17.65). The Lawn Busters program in Kirtland, Ohio, will pay high school graduates $12.94 an hour to convert turf lawns into pollinator-friendly yards. Most of the jobs are short-term, ranging from three months to a year.
Thomas and several state climate corps administrators said the program provides valuable training that will help prepare young people for careers in the green transition and other in-demand fields.
“So many young people say that tackling climate change is one of the top issues for them,” she said. “They want to spend their lives making a difference for their future, for their children’s future, for our collective future. And this is a way to do that.”
Where are these jobs?
There are currently 350 job listings in 37 states as well as Washington DC and Puerto Rico. Thirteen states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Utah, Vermont and Washington – have state-level climate corps programs that coordinate with ACC.
They range from mapping trees in Cleveland to teaching nutrition classes on the Puerto Rican island of Culebra. Some jobs provide on-site housing, while others, like habitat restoration with the Montana Conservation Corps involve “car-camping and remote backcountry settings”.
Who can apply?
Most jobs require a high school diploma, with some positions asking for some level of college experience. Some positions are only open to US citizens, nationals or permanent residents.
“We really believe that this is an opportunity for every American,” said Thomas, who noted that many of the jobs – like installing solar panels, performing energy audits and educating consumers about clean energy rebates – aim to prepare a new generation of workers for the green economy. “It doesn’t matter what zip code you come from, what part of the country you grew up in, if you want a career in the clean energy economy, this is the place for you to start.”
Thomas said that in June, 9,000 people had already been placed in jobs, with an additional 11,000 expected to find work in the corps in the program’s first year.
What’s the pay?
Most positions pay at least local minimum wage.
Some programs offer a living stipend and assistance with food and transportation, along with roughly $7,000 educational fund that corps members can use toward student loans or future schooling expenses.
Corps members said they sought out the program as a way to channel angst about the climate crisis. “When people are talking about the climate crisis and trying to figure out what to do, it’s really easy to feel alone in the fight,” said Taylor Vivona, 22. The recent university graduate has spent the last 11 months planting trees in San Diego, California, and teaching people how to maintain them.
“Having all these people who are working towards a common goal with you and having this community to rely on for support or advice has been such an amazing thing.”
What would happen to the American Climate Corps if Donald Trump wins the election?
During his presidency, Trump presided over budget cuts to federal agencies that currently support ACC. He has said that if re-elected he would rollback environmental regulations, withdraw from international climate accords and ramp up oil and gas activities – despite scientific consensus on the need to halt fossil fuel production to limit global heating.
Experts say Trump could dismantle the ACC program in name, but because it is a decentralized program – ACC is not a single program funded through Congress, but instead a White House partnership with states and various federal agencies – it will likely continue in some form, at least at the state level.
“The silver lining is that these programs are coming from different agencies,” said Dana Fisher, a professor at American University who researches civilian service corps. “A lot of this is below the president, which is probably a good thing.”
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