The first Cohort of the American Climate Corps by Summer 2024

 

Greetings- The Biden-Harris Administration is hard at work preparing to launch the first cohort of the American Climate Corps by summer 2024. We can’t wait to share with you the hundreds of paid opportunities to tackle the climate crisis and advance environmental justice that we are building – from restoring watersheds and coastlines and creating urban parks and green spaces, to weatherizing homes and helping families save on their energy bills, to helping communities prepare for and recover from extreme climate disasters, and more. As we gear up for a successful launch, we want to hear directly from you! We’re excited to announce that we’re hosting virtual listening sessions to hear your ideas about how to shape this historic, groundbreaking initiative. Each listening session will last roughly 90 minutes and will feature a special guest and climate champion like Senator Ed Markey, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith, and more.   Sign up below for a listening session that is right for you: January 16th 6pm ET // Register here January 25th 6pm ET // Register here February 1st 10am ET // Register here   Given the level of anticipated interest, we are asking everyone to limit their comments to 3 minutes or less. If you’re unable to join us, or have more to share, please send your thoughts, comments, and ideas to: ACC@americorps.gov by January 31st, 2024. As we continue working to build the American Climate Corps, we wanted to share some opportunities that are available right now that might be of interest to you. While we work to get the American Climate Corps up and running, these opportunities provide a great running start to making a difference in your community. AmeriCorps Forest Corps AmeriCorps Opportunities The Corps Network Opportunities We can’t wait to see the amazing things you're going to do for people and the planet.   Looking forward to hearing from you soon, The American Climate Corps Team

Community Solar Event

 On Earth Day, Saturday April 22, people will have the opportunity to take an action to reduce the impact of climate change.  They can sign up for Community Solar which is a way to use the sun’s energy for their electricity without needing to put solar panels on their roof or in their yard.  This will allow their electric company, in DeKalb that is Comed, to reduce their use of fossil fuels to produce electricity by using solar energy instead.

 

Community Solar companies put many solar panels on a piece of land, called a solar garden, and feed the solar voltaic energy into the electric grid.  These companies then sell subscriptions to the public. They let Comed know they can reduce the amount of fossil fuel-produced electricity by the number of watt hours their subscribers will use.  The amount of fossil fuel emissions that goes into the atmosphere is reduced.  When there is more solar-produced electricity than that produced by fossil fuels we will on our way to reduce some of the future effects of climate change.  Illinois now has over a dozen solar gardens.

 

Eight NIU students who are taking Dr. Emily McKee’s Environmental Class this spring chose to participate with two DeKalb County non-profits to host an event where people can attend to learn more about community solar and actually sign-up to be subscribers.  This event will be Saturday, April 22 between 2:00 PM to 4:30 and is at the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak Street in DeKalb.  These students will share information about Illinois’ Solar-For-All Program which offers income-eligible people a special rate of fifty percent off the electricity supply costs.  The delivery cost, fees, and taxes will still be charged the full price.  Income-eligibility means the subscriber earns eighty (80) percent or less of the area median income which in DeKalb is $96,800; eighty percent off comes out to approximately $77,000.

 

The two non-profits working with these NIU students are the League of Women Voters, DeKalb County, and 350Kishwaukee.  Both these organizations consist of local people who are concerned about the climate crisis and are working to educate people about the causes and solutions.  They sent emails to each of the community solar companies who have solar gardens in DeKalb County asking if they want to participate in this event.  Three community solar providers agreed and will have a presence at the April 22 event. Any entity that has an account with an electric utility is eligible to sign-up for COMMUNITY SOLAR.  This includes businesses, non-profits, churches, and schools as well as individuals and families.  

Bring your Driver’s License or Illinois ID, a copy of your electric bill, and for people who are income eligible, proof of your income or eligibility to sign up.  For more information about the event, you can call (815) 758-4827. There is also a cash bonus for people who sign-up.

 

For more information contact Meryl Greer Domina at merylkgd@gmail.com

And 815.758-4827. 

Internship Opportunities for University Students: Evergreen Climate Innovations

The Illinois Science and Technology Coalition (ISTC) has alerted us of the following opportunity for undergraduate student internships with the DOE’s National Lab system via Evergreen Climate Innovations. 

 

In brief, the Technology Commercialization Internship is a paid internship for undergraduate STEM and business students to “experience the US DOEs world-class National Lab system, boost their entrepreneurial thinking, and explore energy technology markets.” More information can be found at https://www.energy.gov/technologytransitions/technology-commercialization-internship. Additional qualifications from the application are below. 

 

Qualifications

To be considered, applicants must meet each of the following criteria by the application deadline:

• Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident. For non-U.S. citizens, appointments are contingent upon having a valid immigration status. Selected candidates must provide suitable documentation to verify status at the time appointment is accepted.
• Be at least 18 years old by June 1, 2023.
• Be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student during the 2022-2023 academic year pursuing a degree in science, technology, mathematics, engineering, or business with an interest in entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. You must provide proof of enrollment during the 2022 Fall. Candidates selected for an internship appointment will be required to provide proof of enrollment for 2023 Spring.
• Have coverage under a health insurance plan during the appointment. Selected candidate must provide proof of such coverage before the appointment start date.
• Be available to participate virtually in a summer long appointment. Length of the appointment will depend on the project assignment and mentor and candidate’s availability.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to Oluwatobi (Tobi) Oladejo at the ISTC tobi@istcoalition.org or Evergreen's Program Manager, Allie Gross at allie@evergreeninno.org.

 

You're Invited to a (free) International Climate Symposium

 

Oct. 24 - 26, 2022 In-Person in Carlisle, PA & Remote Viewing   Science-Based Choices for Climate Action, Insights from the IPCC 6th Assessment Report On October 24 - 26, 2022, all are invited to attend (either in-person or viewing remotely) the International Climate Symposium: Science-Based Choices for Climate Action, Insights from the IPCC 6th Assessment Report hosted by Dickinson College.  Second Nature is proud to be one of the Supporting Organizations.   The Symposium will provide attendees with an opportunity to engage with authors of the IPCC 6th Assessment Report to discuss its findings, and ways to mobilize and move climate action forward.   While the event is free, it is requested that you do register to "hold your seat", regardless of if you are attending in-person or will be viewing remotely. For questions related to group registration for attending in-person, or questions about the ticketing/reservation system, please contact: sustainability@dickinson.edu.   For questions about the symposium's program, please contact: Dr. Neil Leary Director, Center for Sustainability Education | Dickinson College Chair of the Symposium

Letter Writing Campaign

 

Find your representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

What to include in a letter: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/blog/advocacy/how-to-write-a-letter-to-congress/

Letters should be retuned by May 7th!

You're Invited: "Finding Hope" with Climate Scientist Katharine Hayhoe

This is likely to be a super cool talk by one of the world's leading climate scientists! 

Environment and Natural Resources Program Events

 

 

Finding Hope: Changing the Climate Crisis Conversation   Wednesday, March 2, 2022 12:00-1:15PM EST Online Zoom

 

How can scientists and journalists get the message across to the general public about opportunities to tackle the climate crisis that move beyond the current divisive environment? How can the media improve coverage of climate change for a broad audience? Join ENRP Senior Fellow Cristine Russell in conversation with renowned climate scientist and author, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe. Dr. Hayhoe will share stories about how to overcome the psychological, societal, political and economic barriers that contribute to climate denialism and take positive actions based on shared values and concerns. Visit the event page for more information.