<
https://atmos.earth/these-american-climate-corps-workers-are-paving-a-just-green-future>
"Jessica Celi has lived in the Bay Area for almost her entire life. She spent
most of her 20s jumping from industry to industry, trying to find her place in
the professional world. She returned to school to specialize in human resources
and graduated last year. Then, she was laid off from her first job. That’s when
she entered the clean energy job market.
Celi, 30, is just finishing up her 11-month program as a SolarCorps fellow in
the Bay Area with GRID Alternatives, a national nonprofit that provides no-cost
residential solar installations for eligible low-income households in various
regions and also trains locals to provide the service. This year, the
organization is expanding its yearslong partnership with the U.S.-run public
service agency AmeriCorps to help launch the American Climate Corps, President
Joe Biden’s initiative to train and deploy a diverse workforce to, among other
things, work in sectors contributing to the clean energy transition. It’s an
alternative to the promised Civilian Climate Corps that Democrats axed from his
landmark climate bill, the
Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden signed into
law two years ago, and Celi is part of the inaugural class.
“I am part of something bigger, and I do look forward to moving into a career
throughout the long term in the renewable industry,” she said.
Two years after the Civilian Climate Corps died in Congress, groups like GRID
Alternatives and the AmeriCorps are picking up the mantle to make the
president’s vision of a new green workforce a reality. Corps members do all
kinds of work—from restoring wetlands to managing forests—but the SolarCorps
focuses on deploying solar panel technology in California, Colorado, and
Washington D.C. to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions driving the planet’s
warming. This year’s SolarCorps cohort at GRID Alternatives has installed solar
for over 1,170 families. Since October 2023, the organization has orchestrated
some 130 job placements. As the
Inflation Reduction Act injects $370 billion
toward the clean energy sector through tax credits, grants, and loans, the
sector sees a rare opportunity for growth."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-heat-resistant-corals/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
