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In August 2006, Green Corps welcomed a new class of aspiring environmental leaders. These trainees participated in a three-week introductory classroom training, where they learned the basic issues and skills needed to launch their first campaigns. |
Thanks to your support, Green Corps embarked upon our 15th year of training the next generation of environmental leaders. Introductory training for the new organizers in the Class of 2007 began in August. In this newsletter, I’m proud to introduce you to this new crop of talented young leaders and to report on a few of Green Corps’ current field campaigns.
Each year, Green Corps reaches out to thousands of college seniors around the country and selects the top applicants to participate in our Environmental Leadership Training Program after graduation.
Green Corps’ Class of 2007, selected from a pool of 700 applicants, represents the nation’s best and brightest young, aspiring environmental leaders. To help them launch their careers in the environmental field, our program provides both classroom and hands-on learning experiences with a job-placement component at the end of the program year.
Here are just a few profiles of members of the Class of 2007, the future leaders of the environmental movement.
Sam graduated from Yale University in May 2006 with a degree in Comparative Literature and a passion for environmental sustainability. As a student leader of the Yale Sustainable Food Project, Sam coordinated efforts to provide locally grown, organic produce to the Yale dining halls. In addition, as part of the project’s core committee, Sam led a signature-collecting drive that resulted in more than 2,000 student signatures in support of expanding sustainable food programs on campus. Among his other endeavors at Yale, Sam was active in the student theater, led freshmen outdoor orientation trips, and campaigned for financial aid and investment reform. Sam is excited about launching his environmental career with Green Corps and is currently leading efforts with Oceana in Morgantown, West Virginia, to convince a local chlorine plant to stop using dangerous mercury-polluting technology.
Monica was completing her degree in Conservation and Resources at the University of California at Berkeley when she heard about Green Corps. Monica’s love for the environment began at a young age, and she put that passion to work during her undergraduate years. She was a member of the National Hispanic Environmental Council, an intern with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and a campus activist with the Berkeley Farm Worker Support Committee. It was during her study abroad experience in Brazil that she decided her calling was to organize for environmental change. There, Monica was a participant in the Consortium on Agriculture and Sustainable Rural Development and became inspired by the Landless Workers Movement. Upon returning to the U.S., Monica began searching for career opportunities in the environmental field and found Green Corps. She is currently working with Oceana in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on a campaign to protect the community from dangerous mercury pollution.
Annie graduated from the University of Chicago having excelled in her chosen major, Environmental Studies, and as a student activist and athlete. She built her leadership skills as the captain of the varsity track and field and cross country teams. As a full-time intern with the Oregon League of Conservation Voters in the summer of 2004, Annie not only went door-to-door herself, but organized and trained volunteers to educate their neighbors about the environmental issues in the upcoming election. With Green Awareness in Action, the campus environmental group, Annie taught environmental education to middle- and high-school students. Annie is currently working in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on a campaign with the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.
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