California Climate Action Corps Projects

Host Partner: County of Santa Clara
Partner Location: San Jose, CA
Openings: 0 of 2
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Green Infrastructure Development
Desired Skills: Facilitation, Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration, Communication
Remote or On-Site Preference: Fully remote ok

THE PROJECT

Climate change, urban development, and resource instability are constant threats to the urban forest of Santa Clara Valley. The County of Santa Clara has partnered with Canopy and Our City Forest to address the need for promotion of the benefits of trees, provide information about how to get a County-sponsored tree planted, publicize community events, and encourage public participation from those that will benefit the greatest and through the most effective channels. Current and future urban forestry funding and planting programs lack a solid, region-wide, data-backed, informational foundation. Due to a lack of clear data-driven guidance, these programs often fail to achieve even moderate success. Access to informed management, based on data, analytics, and community networking, corresponds with successful efforts to address climate change, environmental justice, youth engagement, job creation, and connectivity, particularly in deep engagement communities.  This project addresses urban forestry needs by establishing and managing the Santa Clara County Urban Forestry Alliance (SCVUFA). Alliance priorities will be focused on not only trees, but also on developing the stakeholder support network around the trees, implementing a collaborative approach to address strategic tree planting and active stewardship through community engagement.

Activities supported and facilitated by SCVUFA such as measuring and analyzing comprehensive ecological information like urban canopy cover, tree inventories, and open planting locations, in conjunction with underserved community information, will allow all urban forestry resources to be maximized and best serve those that need them the most. Community urban forestry projects have two levels of engagement, the first is municipal resource managers; and the second is citizens. Engagement wise, Fellows serving in this project would do activities such as Identification, outreach, and engagement of stakeholders and potential SCVUFA partners; facilitation of SCVUFA participation through a wide variety of municipal and community stakeholders; facilitating the sharing of assets such as, policy, outreach materials, data, and research; development of adapted policy tools such as, model ordinances, guidelines, and goal, and exploration of expanded funding opportunities. Fellows would also support ongoing public education including – conveying information, building understanding, improving skills, connecting people with nature and with each other, increasing willingness to support funding for urban forestry, and encouraging sustainable actions towards fighting climate change. SCVUFA will serve as a model springboard for continual community engagement through finding urban forestry stakeholders and by enriching their understanding of their roles and responsibilities, from engaging in policy reforms and working with land-use planners, to finding supportive funding mechanisms and seeking the cooperation and collaboration of private landowners and other community stakeholders. Communities can determine how to best integrate their strengths to not just solve Urban forestry issues, but other neighborhood issues as well.

Ideal Fellows will have skills or experience in data collection and analysis as they would be used to both identify and develop regional urban forestry resources that can be shared and maximized as well as to complete a gap analysis. GIS will be used extensively in the Alliance, mainly for analyzing tree inventory, canopy cover, environmental, and demographic data to help best guide resource allocation and policy. Extensive outreach, coordination, and facilitation will be necessary to identify, contact, and engage as many regionwide urban forestry partners (public and private) as possible. This will involve consensus building, identifying needs, goal development, and finding commonalities to build on. High-level communication skills will be instrumental in the overall success of the Alliance. The ability to work with stakeholders and encourage participation, sharing, and action will go a very long way in determining the impact of this effort.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

The entire County Office of Sustainability is currently working remotely. Fellows will be able to serve remotely until it is determined to be safe to return to the office; a specific timeline for this is not set yet.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Santa Clara County is a fantastic place to live and work. Where else can you visit beaches, redwood forests, and skyscrapers all in the same day? It is a diverse, multicultural area where you can experience food, languages, and people from around the world. The County, and the state of California in general are established leaders in support for sustainability and working to solve climate change. At the County Office of Sustainability, we take pride in knowing that the services we provide are helping preserve our beautiful ecology for the future. We are proud of both our team and of our individual accomplishments. Coworkers in the office include people with a wide range of experiences and skills. There are professionals around to offer advice or guidance on everything from water, trees, pollutants, integrated pest management, organic farming, sustainable landscaping, forestry, outreach and education, policy development, and urban planning to contract administration, project analysis and management, and conflict resolution, to even where the best local hikes are.

Facilitating region-wide urban forestry collaboration to address climate change is a significant undertaking with many facets. Although Fellows will come into a project with a clear, albeit comprehensive overall goal, they will also be empowered to identify project needs and apply their skills in the manner that will make the most impact. Since we are beginning on the ground floor there are still many of those facets (communication, community engagement, data analysis, policy, etc.) that equally need someone to take ownership of. The County will work with Fellows to identify the needed deliverables that they will be best suited to work on, providing tools, guidance, and coaching as they complete them, contributing to the overall goal of establishing the Alliance and providing the foundation that will allow it to enhance urban forestry policy, public opinion, resources, and funding for years to come. Fellows will also get first-hand experience in how local governments operate, valuable knowledge and experience for anyone that is considering working towards solving climate change through the public or non-profit forum.

Host Partner: Our City Forest
Partner Location: San Jose, CA
Openings: 1 of 2
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Green Infrastructure Development
Desired Skills: Project Management, Multi-stakeholder Collaboration, Communication
Remote or On-Site Preference: Locally remote ok, in-office needed, field work needed

THE PROJECT

Our City Forest (OCF), in partnership with hundreds of neighborhood associations, schools, agencies, and others, has been planting and caring for trees in Santa Clara County’s largest city of San José since 1994. With its new countywide climate change-focused initiative – Green Silicon Valley Schools! – and partnership with Santa Clara County, OCF is positioned to begin extending services to other County areas, both for incorporated and unincorporated communities. Green Silicon Valley Schools! will directly address climate-related challenges impacting Santa Clara County’s two million residents. Severe environmental degradation throughout the county resulted from rapid development required to make way for a global high tech industry. Tens of thousands of new buildings and homes, plus manufacturing plants, roads and highway networks replaced an entire valley of trees and vegetation with concrete and asphalt. These events have increased the area’s vulnerability to every impact of climate change. Planting and stewarding healthy, climate-suitable trees is a proven solution to addressing the impacts of climate change like increased temperatures, flooding, weather changes, and worsening air quality. In spite of these powerful benefits, it remains a challenge to simply replace trees that die or are removed for development, let alone expand the urban forest to achieve a healthy canopy. Making matters worse, studies show that all of the County’s low-income neighborhoods, schools and business districts have fewer trees and less shade canopy than in the county’s wealthier communities. Green Silicon Valley Schools! will address the high percentage of impervious surface that can be found on school campuses in the form of expansive urban asphalt playgrounds and parking lots. Without any relief from shade trees, these urban heat islands create challenging learning environments, increase peak temperatures and smog, pollute stormwater runoff, increase flooding and worsen air quality. 

Fellows will engage and mobilize schools and school volunteers in adopting, planting and caring for shade trees on school campuses. This first phase of Green Silicon Valley Schools! will target disadvantaged schools located within Santa Clara County’s low-income census tracts in both incorporated and unincorporated locations. Fellows will invite, motivate and mobilize schools to partner with OCF to plant and steward trees at their schools. Specific service activities will include: receiving urban forestry training from experienced arborists and urban foresters; identifying and mapping high-need schools; developing materials for on-line and in-person presentations and scheduling and conducting preliminary outreach with school personnel; obtaining signed planting agreements from appropriate district authorities; looping in the OCF technical team, including the staff arborists to finalize planting plans, mark planting sites, discuss and select species, organize project logistics, order trees and materials, train community volunteers, oversee tree installations, handle quality control, and conduct follow-up inspections; assist with recruitment and support of planting volunteers for each project and participate in project implementation and attend all planting events. The planting projects resulting from this effort will provide significant health benefits for students and, ultimately, increase the entire community’s resilience to combating climate change. New outreach materials developed for the program will illustrate how trees in cities directly address the impacts of climate change. By combining education with action, OCF’s community engagement model will increase a sense of community, foster pride in improving schools, and increase the capacity of local residents to be part of the solution to climate change.

Ideal Fellows will have a passion for improving the state of the environment, along with the enthusiasm to successfully engage others in doing the same. The ability to communicate well verbally, and in writing, is essential. Fellows should have experience in facilitating meetings, coordinating events or projects with others, and working with community members from various cultural backgrounds

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Fellows can expect to work remotely about 50% of the time, be at the office 15%, and in the field 35%. While these percentages are estimates, it is essential that Fellows be comfortable working in all of these settings. The health and safety of our service members, as well as staff and the community members we work with, is our first priority.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Our City Forest is headquartered in San José, California’s 3rd largest city. The entire Silicon Valley (Santa Clara County) is an exciting place to live and work. It is a highly diverse area with a rich tapestry of cultures and languages without any majority population. San José is a 50-minute drive to San Francisco and a 30-minute drive to Santa Cruz and its many sister beaches. Our City Forest is an experienced AmeriCorps program host and, with its unique urban forestry mission, has been a popular program for individuals seeking to gain excellent training and service experience in a field than spans many environmental services. OCF’s service members often extend their service to a 2nd year, and/or secure employment with a variety of agencies and nonprofits.

Fellows at OCF will be able to settle in quickly alongside an additional 30 peers, and receive training, mentoring and daily support from an experienced staff team passionate about ensuring a meaningful service term for all members. OCF will provide Fellows with a dedicated program supervisor for daily support, training and supervision. Fellows will also benefit from additional training and support from additional staff managers overseeing the Community Planting, Stewardship/Tree Care, and Volunteer Programs.

Host Partner: Veggielution
Partner Location: San Jose, CA
Openings: 2 of 2
Project Focus: Food Waste Recovery, Green Infrastructure Development
Desired Skills: Project Management, Food Justice / Food Recovery, Critical Thinking
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, in-office optional, field work needed

THE PROJECT

Residents of East San José, where Veggielution calls home, face a number of climate-related challenges, including increased risk of flooding, limited access to green spaces, extreme heat, and carbon pollution. Prevention of food waste reduces landfill and greenhouse gases, so attention has been turned to diverting food waste through community composting, which can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and recycle nutrient-rich food scraps. Veggielution is one of five organizations in the East San José-based Si Se Puede Collective, in which they play an important role in the dissemination of these practices to the public through strong community engagement. Through a food sovereignty program, Eastside Grown, Veggielution works to raise awareness among East San José food entrepreneurs and their families, as well as with community organization partners, about the role that urban agriculture can play in addressing environmental inequities, increasing the health of the community, the fertility of soil, and the importance of diverting and composting food waste to mitigate climate change. As an organically-managed urban farm in the 10th largest city in the United States, Veggielution takes very seriously their role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainability, with a particular focus on equitable solutions that center around communities of color and vulnerable demographics such as children, the elderly, and low-wage workers–all of whom will be disproportionately affected by climate change. 

With the support of Fellows, Veggielution will develop a food waste diversion plan that both engages and serves the East San José community. Veggielution will lead the implementation of this project by working with volunteers and local food entrepreneurs to teach other community leaders, share lessons learned, and spread enthusiasm for and knowledge about food waste reduction. The Fellow will assist in designing, training, identifying best practices and guidelines, and implementing a community compost system at Veggielution. They will work closely with the Marketing & Impact Manager to develop community outreach collateral via conventional and social media platforms to share information with the community. Finally, they will work with the Eastside Grown food sovereignty graduates to develop an educational component for the program curriculum going forward. By sharing knowledge about how to divert food waste, whether at Veggielution or at home, it creates increased opportunities for local residents to become more self-reliant, grow fresh produce, improve urban air quality, and build richer environmental learning communities. The hope is to create a community compost hub where food waste is composted in the same community in which it was consumed.

Ideal Fellows will work in close collaboration with other staff to bring energy, dedication, and enthusiasm to the urban farm. They should be comfortable with speaking to children and adults as well as working with the public in general. They will have a primary role coordinating, designing, and delivering engaging, hands-on experiences for adults and youth in place-based environmental education and community engagement programs. They will have the opportunity to work closely with Veggielution staff across programs in a variety of ways. The Fellows will draw on their personal and professional experiences to nurture the growth and development of Veggielution’s community engagement and environmental education programs as well as its internal structure and culture. Veggielution is committed to being a multicultural organization that embraces shared leadership and is passionate about achieving social justice – they are seeking candidates who are excited about engaging fully in this work with them.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Veggielution has been operating as a primarily outdoor-focused business throughout the pandemic, with very specific workplace protections in place. As an essential service, the preference is for Fellows to serve onsite, with a certain number of hours available for remote work. We have all recommended CDC precautions in place, and are actively monitoring updates. All Veggielution project activities will take place in the surrounding East San José neighborhoods.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Veggielution is one of five local agencies which form the Sí, Se Puede! Collective (SSPC) – along with Amigos de Guadalupe, Grail Family Services, School of Arts & Culture, and SOMOS Mayfair. The SSPC promotes greater collective impact in the Mayfair community through community engagement and coordinated service delivery and accessibility. SSPC is determined to uplift the Mayfair Community, support innovation in models of impact, and increase effectiveness in reversing years of community crisis. We work in concert toward a simple and ambitious vision: Mayfair is a rooted and thriving community where resilient families have confidence in their gifts, choices and dreams. We have cultivated long-standing partnerships with a breadth of City and County agencies including Parks, Recreation,Neighborhood Services, Environmental Services, Department of Housing, Office of Economic Development, The Mayor’s Office, local Councilmembers and County Supervisors. We also meet regularly with a long list of influential community-based organizations. We will include the Fellow in meetings and projects that offer the opportunity to connect with community leaders from these organizations. 

Veggielution’s work environment is high-energy, innovative, and collaborative. We foster an inclusive environment and encourage everyone to take initiative and participate in organizational decision making. In the context of the current pandemic, we adhere to bi-monthly COVID testing (at a testing site conveniently located at another SSPC partner agency.) We operate primarily outdoors and, for indoor work, provide workplace protections including socially-distanced workspaces with plexiglass barriers and weekly deep cleaning and sanitizing of all high-traffic areas. We offer organization-issued laptops for work that can be completed at home.

Host Partner: City of San José, ESD – Integrated Waste Management
Partner Location: San Jose, CA
Openings: 1 of 1
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Disaster Response / Emergency Management
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Environmental Justice / Equity, Communication
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, in-office optional, potential for field work

THE PROJECT

Climate change is already affecting San José residents – through more frequent heatwaves and extreme heat days, wildfires, wildfire smoke, and wildfire-related power shutoffs. As in other cities, climate change is disproportionately impacting low-income residents, people of color, and people currently experiencing homelessness. In September 2016, Governor Brown signed SB 1383, establishing methane emissions reduction targets in a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) in various sectors of California’s economy. Methane emissions resulting from the decomposition of organic waste in landfills are a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contributing to global climate change. SB 1383 establishes targets to achieve a 75 percent reduction in the level of the statewide disposal of organic waste from the 2014 level by 2025, as well as an additional target that not less than 20 percent of currently disposed edible food is recovered for human consumption by 2025. Food waste alone accounts for approximately 17-18 percent of total landfill disposal in California. Increasing food waste prevention and encouraging edible food rescue throughout the state will help reduce methane emissions from organic waste disposed of in California’s landfills. Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley estimates that 1 in 4 people are at risk for hunger in Silicon Valley. The high cost of living in the Bay Area leaves many families and seniors with limited money for food. The demand for food assistance skyrocketed in Silicon Valley during the COVID-19 shelter in place order, as many low-income households have been disproportionately impacted due to the pandemic. In mid-March, the County of Santa Clara requested that the City of San José take the lead in coordinating all county wide food distribution to vulnerable populations and families in need. The City has worked to expand upon existing programs and forge new partnerships to provide vital food and meals to the community. In April 2020, they delivered more than 2 million meals a week, a 45 percent spike compared to the meals provided by Second Harvest of Silicon Valley in February.

The City is seeking a Fellow to serve with the Integrated Waste Management team in supporting the City’s compliance with state-level short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) regulations. This work will result in an increase in the shared knowledge of the City and its regional edible food recovery systems. The Fellow will focus on establishing relationships with San José’s Tier One commercial edible food generators to increase their awareness of state-level regulations that aim to divert organic waste from landfills more effectively. Tier One commercial edible food generators include supermarkets, grocery stores, food service providers, food distributors and wholesale food vendors. This work will include getting familiarized with SLCP regulations, developing a comprehensive database of Tier One commercial edible food generators in the City of San José and working with City staff to determine the information to obtain from these businesses. By filling crucial gaps in program capacity, the Fellow will help ensure that the City’s edible food recovery program is rolled out equitably, providing benefits to, and addressing the needs of all residents. The Fellow will also work to follow up with businesses and provide them with relevant SLCP regulation information as needed, as well as with sample agreements that might increase food diversion activity through education and outreach. The Fellow will follow-up to see if any of the businesses that did not have prior agreements in place, were able to set up agreements based on the information provided to them. The fellow would work with the Climate Smart San Jose team to quantify the CO2e reductions resulting from their work. The climate impacts related to this project will be converted from pounds of food recovered to CO2e savings. The Fellow may also assist with other edible food rescue projects when opportunities arise, including working with other food recovery organizations.

The ideal Fellow will have general project management skills and knowledge of Excel as well as quantitative data analysis. To engage with various organizations, they should have strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to establish rapport. Strong writing skills will also be important. The ability to speak Spanish or Vietnamese is desired.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Work for this project will mostly be performed remotely (through online and telephone communications). There may be rare instances when on-site business engagement may be required if remote communications prove to be ineffective. Appropriate personal protective equipment and safety instructions will be provided as needed.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

San José is the tenth largest city in the United States, with over one million inhabitants, and the “Capital of Silicon Valley.” The City is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and the largest city in Northern California, by both population and area. It’s a diverse city with large Latinx and Vietnamese populations, and more than a third of residents are born outside the U.S.A. San José embraces several unique cultural communities including an historic Japantown, Little Italy, and Little Portugal. San José is also home to many top tech companies including Cisco Systems, Adobe Systems, Inc., and eBay.

The Fellow will have a supervisor who will also serve as a mentor, and in addition will interact and work with the rest of the Integrated Waste Management (IWM) team and a broad range of City colleagues. They will also be included in team and interdepartmental meetings and exposed to different facets of working at the City, such as City Council meetings, budgeting, and program implementation. The Fellow will be encouraged to create and manage their own projects to gain leadership and project management experience. The IWM Fellow will support and connect with the work of the Climate Smart San José (CSSJ) Fellows who will be acting as a nexus to ensure that the climate impacts resulting from all City fellows are reflected in the CSSJ plan and programs. Our workplace culture is friendly and welcoming. People are treated like people and not just as workers. Every person’s thoughts and contributions are valued. Diversity and inclusion are true values, and not just buzzwords. We work hard to serve our community, but also take time to celebrate accomplishments and to rest when needed. The City observes many holidays throughout the year and promotes a flexible work schedule, especially during the sensitive times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Growth and learning are supported. Fellows will be able to access free, virtual trainings offered by City staff to support growth and learning.

Host Partner: City of San José, ESD – Climate Smart
Partner Location: San Jose, CA
Openings: 3 of 3
Project Focus: Urban Planning, Food Waste Recovery
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Environmental Justice / Equity, Communication
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local or fully remote ok, in-office optional, field work desired

THE PROJECT

Climate change is already affecting San José residents – through more frequent or extreme heat, wildfires, smoke, and related power shutoffs. Climate change disproportionately impacts low-income, BIPOC residents, and people currently experiencing homelessness. These residents tend to live in neighborhoods with less tree cover and thus higher temperatures, lack resources for emergency response, or access to healthy food sources. Climate Smart San José, adopted by San José City Council in 2018, is one of the first detailed city plans for reaching the targets of the international Paris Agreement. To get there, Climate Smart identifies climate-related challenges and sets ambitious goals for energy, transportation, and city planning. This work is coordinated by the Climate Smart team, based in the Environmental Services Department (ESD), in collaboration with departments Citywide, and supported over the past two years through San José’s participation in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ American Cities Climate Challenge.

The City is seeking three Fellows to serve with the central Climate Smart team, supporting climate actions Citywide––two Fellows will be focused on community engagement/outreach, and one focused on data engagement. The two Community Engagement Fellows will begin implementation of the Climate Smart Community Engagement Strategy adopted in early 2020, and will collaborate with Climate Action Corps Fellows and staff in other departments and countywide on targeted community engagement efforts that take place during the Fellowship period. One Fellow will focus on building relationships with local nonprofits, community-based organizations, universities, and neighborhood associations, in partnership with or building on the work of Beautify San José, a program that engages residents in communitywide urban greening, tree planting, stormwater improvement, and flood resiliency. Their work will include developing a system for tracking contact information and interactions with partners and assessing options for establishing a Climate Smart equity advisory committee. The other Fellow will help to mobilize focus groups, gather insights, and test community reactions to guide policy development for the Natural and Working Lands and ZeroWaste Climate Smart 2.0 Elements. This Fellow will also assist with developing and promoting the Climate Smart Challenge, by assisting with management of the online Community Climate Solutions (CCS) platform. Both Fellows will collaborate with each other and other Climate Action Corps Fellows and projects in San Jose to unify and maximize outreach about CCAC projects and to drive volunteerism towards local urban forestry, food recovery, and fire protection efforts.

The third Fellow, focused on Data Engagement, will help put Climate Smart San José on a solid data foundation by creating a Climate Smart geospatial data library. This data library will support targeted community engagement and climate action implementation by identifying high-need neighborhoods and collecting data to inform action on urban tree planting, food recovery, and fire protection. The Fellow will contribute toward compiling new and existing geospatial data into a database; using the database to create maps for the public Climate Smart Dashboard website; and collaborating with community partners and Climate Action Corps Fellows and staff in other City departments to identify data sharing needs and opportunities and to conduct project-related analyses. They will assist with City food waste recovery by working with ESD’s Integrated Waste Management to assign greenhouse gas emissions reductions values to City food waste recovery programs. Additionally, the Fellow could choose to focus on any of three potential collaborative projects, which include: creating a climate equity index, building on the Social Progress Index created by the San Jose Mayor’s Office and seeking opportunities to contribute to similar statewide efforts; partnering with the County Food Rescue System to enhance food rescue projects, for example by mapping Tier 2 food sources and conducting equity assessment of implementation; or to partner with City and County urban forestry initiatives to assist with tree planting site selection and inventory development. In addition to working on their specific projects, all Climate Smart Fellows will have the opportunity to gain broader experiences by volunteering with partners on programs related to tree-planting, food recovery, and fire protection, and assisting other Climate Smart projects when opportunities arise.

The ideal Community Engagement Fellows will have strong people skills, strong writing skills, and project management experience. They will need to learn to use the Community Climate Solutions (CCS) platform and track metrics for Climate Smart Challenge. They should be able to draft and implement marketing and virtual engagement strategies. Candidates with the ability to speak Spanish and/or Vietnamese are strongly preferred.
The ideal Data Engagement Fellow will have skills and knowledge in GIS, Excel, quantitative data analysis, project management, and customer service.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Community Engagement Fellows could spend up to 25% of their time in the field, 75% remotely. The Data and Policy Fellow would spend 99% of their time remotely. The City’s robust COVID-19 prevention and testing program is available to employees and contractors; this includes health screening before entering City facilities. City OEM maintains a minimum 90 day PPE supply, including face masks/shields, gloves, and sanitizer, distributed though departmental safety liaisons.

Ideally, at least 1 if not both Community Engagement Fellows will be local but can work remotely. The Data Fellow could be fully remote, but may need to travel to the office for startup / software needs.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

San José is the tenth largest city in the United States, with over 1 million inhabitants, and the “Capital of Silicon Valley.” It’s a diverse city with large Latinx and Vietnamese populations, more than 1/3 of residents born outside the U.S., a historic Japantown, and vibrant downtown. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world. In 2011, the City adopted Envision San José 2040, a long-term growth plan that sets forth a vision and a comprehensive road map to guide the City’s anticipated growth through the year 2040. In 2018, the City passed Climate Smart San José, one of the first city-implemented Paris-aligned climate plans. San José is leading the way in combating Climate Change through policy setting and program implementation.

Each Fellow will have a supervisor who will also serve as a mentor, and in addition will interact and work with the rest of the Climate Smart team and a broad range of City and County colleagues. Fellows will also be included in team, interdepartmental, and stakeholder meetings and exposed as much as possible to different facets of working at the City, such as City Council meetings, budgeting, and observing or conducting ride-alongs with other ESD groups or City departments. Fellows will be encouraged to create and manage their own projects to gain leadership and project management experience. Our workplace culture is friendly and welcoming. People are treated like people and not just as workers. Every person’s thoughts and contributions are valued. Diversity and inclusion are true values, and not just buzzwords. We work hard to serve our community, but also take time to celebrate accomplishments and to rest when needed. The City observes many holidays throughout the year and promotes a flexible work schedule, especially during the sensitive times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Growth and learning are supported. Fellows will be able to access a wide range of free, virtual trainings offered by City staff during their service year.

Host Partner: City of San José, Mayor’s Office
Partner Location: San Jose, CA
Openings: 2 of 2
Project Focus: Wildfire Prevention and/or Mitigation, Disaster Response / Emergency Management
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Disaster Relief / Planning, Flexibility / Adaptability
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, in-office optional, field work needed

THE PROJECT

Climate change is affecting San José residents daily through more frequent extreme heat, wildfires, and air quality advisories. These occurrences are exacerbating the already challenging times due to COVID-19 public health orders, and the residents most affected tend to live in neighborhoods with less tree cover and thus higher temperatures, less resources for personal safety, and less access to support systems in the event of emergency. The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council developed an approved Wildfire Protection Plan in 2016, which covers all of Santa Clara County and defines areas of risk for urban wildfire and urban interface based on risk assessment. High risk areas include the hillside neighborhoods of eastern San José and the Almaden Valley in southwest San José. The Wildfire Protection Plan notes that while many property owners have worked to protect their homes, many older homes are still very vulnerable to fast moving urban wildfires and pose a very high risk to the homeowner and the community in the event of a fast-moving wildfire. We also know much of the population in these high risk areas are low-income and ethnically diverse making it ever more important we put all the strength we can into creating equity in fire safety preparedness. The Plan includes several recommendations, including a community engagement component where property owners with high risk and vulnerable properties are offered information and suggestions for increasing the likelihood that their properties are protected and able to be protected in an urban wildfire.

Fellows would serve with the City of San José and collaborate across multiple departments, neighborhood groups, and other cities to conduct outreach and engage with property owners as outlined in the Wildfire Protection Plan. The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services and the City’s Fire Department are two of the critical partners supporting the implementation of wildfire protection strategies. In conjunction with community stakeholders, the Fellows will provide needed support to catalyze community-wide efforts to address this risk. Fellows will become versed with the protection plan recommendations, especially as they pertain to the community engagement and outreach portions. Fellows will work to engage with neighborhood associations, neighborhood watch groups, and target specific blocks in very high fire danger areas so that property owners and residents better understand how preventative action can reduce their risk of being impacted by an urban wildfire. The Fellows will serve as community ambassadors for property wildfire protection––offering safety information, preventative strategies, and referrals to resources, among other things. Fellows will also develop and engage residents and property owners in service projects that foster behavior change––such as creating and/or improving defensible space around their properties, understanding the importance of roofing materials, and vegetative growth around the home, among others. These service projects will be rooted in volunteer mobilization and will leverage connections and other engagement efforts with neighborhood groups to recruit participants.

The ideal Fellows will have completed courses relevant to fire fighter training, EMT training, Emergency services operations, or related fields. Fellows should be able to be outside for several hours a day as walking and standing while conducting engagement and presentations to the community will be a pivotal part of this work. Fellows that can communicate in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, or other languages are encouraged but not required.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Fellows will have a hybrid working arrangement––remote and in-person depending on the task. It is expected that some community engagement will take place through virtual platforms. In the event of in-person engagement, the City maintains a robust COVID-19 prevention and testing program. City OEM maintains a minimum 90 day PPE supply, including face masks/shields, gloves, and sanitizer.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

San Jose is in Santa Clara County and is made up of neighborhoods, predominantly in the Santa Clara Valley, but also containing several smaller valleys (Almaden Valley, Evergreen Valley, Blossom Valley, Coyote Valley, etc.). With over 1 Million people, it is the tenth largest U.S. City and 3rd largest California City. San José is located at the southeast end of the San Francisco Bay and sprawls over a broad floodplain that gradually slopes upward toward more rugged terrain to the east and south. With its semiarid climate, San Jose is known for its sunny, mild weather. The Mayor’s Office is a fast-paced, dynamic environment that strives to be responsive to community concerns while advancing opportunities for engagement with the City and each other. The Mayor’s Office is looking for Fellows that are interested in exploring options for joining the fire fighter academy and exploring a career in the San José Fire Department and or emergency service planning and staffing. Fellows will be given opportunities to work with the Fire Department, Office of Emergency Services, and other departments as part of a growth and development track.

Host Partner: Guadalupe River Park Conservancy
Partner Location: San Jose, CA
Openings: 2 of 2
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Food Waste Recovery
Desired Skills: Project Management, Volunteer Management, Self-Motivated
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, in-office optional, field work needed

THE PROJECT

The Guadalupe River Park is a three-mile linear park that runs along the Guadalupe River in the heart of downtown San Jose from Highway 880 at the north, to Highway 280 at the south. It is a resource of regional importance to the people of Santa Clara County and the Bay Area. The River Park currently serves many functions: place for exercise and recreation, nature studio for environmental education programs and public art projects, a pivotal link in the Bay Area’s trail network, open space gateway to many of our region’s destinations, and habitat to many native flora and fauna. The three-mile linear park affects a number of diverse neighborhoods, both in household income and racial and ethnic diversity. The Guadalupe River Park Conservancy (GRPC) provides community leadership for the development and active use of the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens through education, advocacy and stewardship.

Fellows will support three projects: 1) Restoration of the Historic Orchard, which is a 4-acre orchard within the Guadalupe Gardens by downtown San Jose. Planted over 25 years ago, the Orchard is in need of restoration. The goal is to increase its ability to produce fruit, replant fruit trees better suited for the changed climate – increasing the park’s tree count, strengthen the local food system, and become a place for the community to connect. The Fellows would support site planning, researching vendors and suppliers, lead volunteer groups to manage the Orchard, and help with planting and initial care; 2) Stewardship and Active Transportation Use of the River Park and Trail – the Guadalupe River Park connects with other parks and neighborhoods into a districtwide park system. The trail is an important part of the urban active transportation network in San Jose, connecting residents to employment opportunities and major transit hubs. The Fellows would support volunteer coordination of community work days, plan events and campaigns that promote walking and biking, manage tree plantings along the trail, in the park, and on streets connecting neighborhoods to the River Park. The effort will also promote local public health and civic engagement; 3) Development of a Volunteer Framework that promotes Civic-ownership – Fellows would support planning a volunteer program that supports individual stewardship of community members. Tasks include researching best practices from other organizations/cities, partnering with schools and civic organizations, collecting information on tools and platforms to support work, and coordinating with the team on program implementation and outreach, while keeping physical distancing in mind.

Ideal Fellows will be organized, self-motivated, punctual, and comfortable communicating with a broad range of stakeholders and community members. Fellows should feel comfortable adapting to changes in project scope and community need, spending time outdoors, and have experience with project management.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

There will be a number of tasks and responsibilities that require on-site work, primarily around site planning, volunteer coordination, tree planting, and on-site engagement with staff members, volunteers, and community stakeholders. We adhere to our County’s public health guidelines. Meetings and general office/operations work may be performed remotely.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

San Jose is experiencing immense change where community work provided by the Fellows will be in high demand and short supply. Fellows would have the opportunity to have a direct impact as a number of climate initiatives, policy changes, and development and infrastructure projects are still being decided and planned. San Jose may be considered the largest “small town” in the United States, which means Fellows can have a direct and meaningful impact on our country’s 10th largest city.

Our civic community is very welcoming of people who want to do community good, and our workplace is well-connected with our community and stakeholders. Additionally, our workplace culture provides a lot of trust and autonomy to our Fellows, and decision-making is very lateral. GRPC encourages personal and professional growth within and outside our organization.

Host Partner: City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Sanitation
Partner Location: Los Angeles, CA
Openings: 2 of 2
Project Focus: Food Waste Recovery
Desired Skills: Project Management, Food Justice / Food Recovery, Critical Thinking
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, field work desired

THE PROJECT

Organic waste – including food waste – makes up about 25% of what Los Angeles currently sends to landfills. The EPA estimates that 40% of all food is wasted in the U.S. Simultaneously, Los Angeles County is home to an estimated 2 million people experiencing food insecurity, a figure that has likely increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is tremendous opportunity for edible food rescue to divert organics from landfills and feed vulnerable populations in the city. Furthermore, the state of California adopted ambitious organics diversion targets in 2016 to achieve a 50% reduction in the level of the statewide disposal of organic waste from the 2014 level by 2020; 75% by 2025 and an additional target that not less than 20% of currently disposed edible food is recovered for human consumption by 2025. Mayor Eric Garcetti released L.A.’s Green New Deal (GND) in April 2019 and doubled down on organic waste reduction by setting the ambitious goal of eliminating organic waste going to landfill by 2028. In order to meet state and local targets, the LA Bureau of Sanitation (LASAN) institutionalized food rescue into the City’s Exclusive Commercial Solid Waste Service Franchise – recycLA – which was rolled out in 2017. As part of recycLA, service providers are required to work with food rescue organizations to divert edible food waste from landfill. However, in order to fully achieve food rescue potential in the city, we must better understand food rescue efforts going on outside of recycLA as well as understand the potential quantity of rescuable food from large generators in the city.  

In response to existing transportation gaps in the food rescue redistribution network within the City of Los Angeles, LASAN developed a transportation services pilot program to address the need for reliable, flexible transportation for food rescue organizations. This program will allow them to increase the collection and delivery of food in order to better serve the city’s most needy residents. Additionally, the program will provide food generators with more options for managing their surplus food and benefit the environment by reducing landfilled food waste and decreasing harmful greenhouse gases. One Fellow will be focused on supporting the launch of the pilot program by working with LASAN’s non-profit partner to set up administrative systems that will ensure that the project scope of work is being met. They will also work with the partner to create monthly data reporting templates to capture information regarding each pick-up and delivery in compliance with State and local legislation. A second Fellow will support with research; in order to fully achieve food rescue potential in the city, food rescue efforts going on outside of recycLA need to be understood, as well as the potential quantity of recoverable food from large generators in the city. The Fellow will do desk research, interviews, surveys, and outreach to food rescue organizations as well as large food surplus generators identified by LASAN and recycLA service providers. Armed with data on the amount of food currently being rescued and the amount that could be potentially rescued, the city will be better able to assess how much additional redistribution capacity is required.

Ideal Fellows will be self-starters, collaborative, and great communicators. They should excel at prioritizing work and take independent initiative but seek help when needed. Specifically, the Fellows should have experience in project management and stakeholder outreach, and an interest in food recovery. 

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Staff are all working from home and will likely continue through the end of the year. Due to the uncertainty of the next year, preference would be for local candidates who would serve remotely in the beginning and potentially do in-person outreach depending on public health direction.   

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

LASAN’s Vision is to be an organization that sets the benchmark for outstanding service and responds to the challenges of tomorrow. LASAN accomplishes its goals by investing in its people through Career Development Training and Continuing Education. LASAN values teamwork and we work together across the organizational structure to ensure that our customers receive the best service possible. LASAN prides itself on being as diverse and exciting a workplace as the City of Los Angeles itself. LASAN has 25 divisions with over 3,300 employees, all working to protect public health and the environment. Although the team is operating remotely during this time due to L.A.’s Safer at Home Order, weekly team and topical check-ins will ensure that the Fellows remain connected and feel supported by the team. As a leading global city on climate action, we are certain L.A. will provide exciting opportunities and career exposure for the CivicSpark Fellow. Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in relevant City working groups/ task forces, attend City Council meetings, Board of Public Works meetings, and meetings with the Mayor’s Office virtually on relevant topics. This will help them understand the context of the work as well as the operations of City government.

Host Partner: City Plants
Partner Location: Los Angeles, CA
Openings: 0 of 4
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Green Infrastructure Development
Desired Skills: Project Management, Tree Planting / Care, Leadership
Remote or On-Site Preference: Locally remote ok, field work needed

THE PROJECT

Los Angeles is at a critical turning point regarding its urban forest. With an inequitably distributed canopy, the City has lost thousands of trees due to drought and pests, and according to the City’s Urban Forestry Division, between one third and one half of street trees in the next 40 years will be lost due to old age alone. According to the Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative, one in four lives are lost during heat waves, most of whom are low-income and people of color, and they could be saved through strategic tree planting and urban heat island mitigation in LA. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti set strategic and measurable canopy and urban forest management goals in the Green New Deal, calling for the planting of 90,000 trees and a complete tree inventory by 2021, the creation and adoption of an urban forest management plan by 2025, and an increase in canopy by 50% in areas of greatest need by 2028. City Plants is a non-profit organization housed within the Mayor’s Office, City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, running a public-private partnership between the city agencies and five other non-profit organizations. The City Plants collaborative distributes and plants approximately 20,000 trees throughout the City of Los Angeles each year, all free for Angelenos, and works to ensure that LA is home to a lush urban forest that will protect vulnerable LA communities for future generations. Fellows will support City Plans through the following projects: City Plants Tree Ambassador Program, Commonwealth Nursery, and on the Urban Forest Management Plan for the City of Los Angeles.

Through the City Plants Tree Ambassador Program, Fellows will support the development of a multi-stakeholder, year long training curriculum beginning in March 2021 to train paid community Tree Ambassadors; provide information and educational resources on the benefits of trees and the role of trees in climate resilience, urban cooling, and public health; and align this program to achieve tree goals in the mayor’s Green New Deal. This project will take place in targeted, previously identified neighborhoods across LA lacking canopy, and Fellows will spearhead field work, training curriculum development for tree planting and tree stewardship, crafting communications strategies and materials for grassroots organizing, regional partnership building, and seeing community-driven tree planting projects through to completion. Through the Commonwealth Nursery Project, Fellows will support the Nursery Manager and a core team with implementing best management practices for nursery development, developing a local tree seed saving and transplanting volunteer force, supporting the implementation of a workforce development training curriculum for budding urban foresters, and aiding in the acquisition and construction of critical nursery infrastructure (including a repurposed greenhouse, water efficient irrigation systems, an office unit, solar panels, a seed saving and preservation refrigeration station, and a tree transplanting station). Fellows will help realize the vision of a full-fledged municipal and interdepartmental tree nursery, workforce development training center, and outreach and education hub for the City of LA, to the benefit of community members and regional climate policy goals alike. Through the Urban Forest Management Plan, Fellows will work alongside the City Forest Officer, the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Plants, various city agencies, and community organizations to build regional support, research innovative policy initiatives, and spearhead community engagement campaigns to aid in the development of this critical roadmap for LA’s climate-resilient and equitable future. 

Ideal Fellows will be environmental justice and action-oriented, bold, systems-thinkers. They should be adaptable self starters, solid communicators, and cross-pollinators who are invested in building regional capacity toward an equitable and climate resilient future for all Angelenos. Bilingual Spanish/English speakers will thrive on the City Plants team. The ability to identify needs and activate known resources within an established and growing network to meet those needs will be critical. Strong and adaptable writers, public communicators, and collaborators will be successful on the City Plants team, as Fellows will be working closely with other partnering city agencies, non-profits, and community members to increase canopy throughout Los Angeles. Patient, resourceful Fellows with a passion for project management, project assessment, and detail-oriented research will thrive working on urban greening projects with City Plants and within the City of LA. Fellows who have the drive to see a project through to completion and provide insight and feedback for future improvements will be successful.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Fellows will need to be based in Los Angeles, as program implementation requires field work and some direct community contact. City Plants is following CDC and state guidelines for social distancing and will equip Fellows with adequate personal protective equipment for any field work, including masks, face shields, plexiglass dividers, and gloves, as needed. Staff is working remotely, with group meetings are online.  

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

City Plants is a small but mighty team, and our strength lies in our collaboration with community members, city agencies, policy makers, and long-standing non-profit and community leaders. Fellows that join the City Plants staff will be part of a team that seeks to provide the best possible service to Angelenos to grow a more resilient, equitable, and climate ready future for all. At City Plants, we share a commitment to justice, equity, integrity, innovation, and growth, both literally and figuratively. Given our small size and demanding responsibilities, our office is fast-paced, and we value direct communication and collaboration. We have fun, we support each other, and we celebrate our victories along the way. We provide a safe and exciting container for growth and development both personally and professionally. 

The City Plants team will ensure Fellows are fully and thoroughly supported, trained, and equipped to have a large impact and leave a deep and lasting imprint on the City of Los Angeles and its urban forest. Fellows will have the opportunity to work with regional climate leaders, researchers, community members, and practitioners. Fellows working on the City Plants team will gain exposure to scientific, social justice, and political inner workings of climate justice on the local level, in one of the country’s largest cities. City Plants staff will directly mentor Fellows on a daily basis and provide opportunities for honing project development, project management, community outreach and organizing, research, public speaking, communication, and writing skills.

Host Partner: Los Angeles Conservation Corps
Partner Location: Los Angeles, CA
Openings: 2 of 2
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Wildfire Prevention and/or Mitigation
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration, Self-Motivated
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, in-office needed, field work desired

THE PROJECT

Los Angeles County –  particularly disadvantaged communities in the San Fernando Valley and South East Los Angeles County – is highly vulnerable to the depredations of climate change. Increased development and a decreased urban tree canopy have exacerbated the heat island effect, reduced groundwater infiltration, and produced negative public health outcomes in low-income communities along major traffic corridors. Extraordinary wildfire activity in 2020 has shown that Southern California is even more vulnerable now to increased incidences of human-caused and natural ignition, because forests and the urban-wild interface have become drier, and there are fewer public resources for fire fuel reduction to create defensible space and manage forests. Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC) has been at the forefront of community-based efforts to increase climate resilience. The Corps is part of the Green Together Collaborative, which received $23 million from the Strategic Growth Council to plant trees, build out the electric vehicle infrastructure, install cool roofs, and increase solar panel adoption in the disadvantaged community of Pacoima in the northeast San Fernando Valley. For more than three decades, the Corps has been planting trees, removing non-native vegetation, and reducing fire fuel all over the county and disadvantaged communities in particular. LACC collaborates with other local conservation and service corps, like Conservation Corps of Long Beach and California Conservation Corps (Pomona), on urban greening, fire prevention, and natural resource protection activities all over the county and especially along the northern edge where urban and suburban developments meet the Angeles National Forest. The Corps has developed longstanding partnerships with city and county agencies, like public works or parks and recreation, to increase access to greenspace. Further, the Corps works with local street services bureaus to plant and maintain street trees to benefit residents of low-income neighborhoods.

The Los Angeles Conservation Corps will collaborate with Conservation Corps of Long Beach on this project since LA faces challenges that are region-wide, and more effective solutions can be provided by two corps that cover the entire western half of the county. The two Climate Action Corps Fellows will work with Los Angeles Conservation Corps and Conservation Corps of Long Beach staff on activities that include business development to engage public and private partnerships to increase climate resilience and mobilizing volunteers to reduce wildfire risk in disadvantaged communities. Business development will be the primary activity, taking up to 80% of the Fellows’ time. This will include compiling core competencies of the collaborating corps and matching those with opportunities offered by public agencies and private entities. For example, the Corps excel at tree planting, and the Fellows would research state-funded programs, like CAL FIRE’s CCI grants program who can partner with LACC, or private companies, like developers and construction companies, who could use local conservation corps for urban greening or active transportation projects centering on new housing developments, which may be funded by state funds for greenhouse gas reduction through carbon sequestration or traffic reduction. Increasing defensible space to reduce wildfire risk to neighborhoods at the urban-wild interface and mobilizing volunteers for fire fuel reduction activities will be the secondary activity, taking up 20% of the Fellows’ time. There are precedents for corps working together and partnering with municipalities or private homeowners’ associations to reduce fire fuel before wildfire season or to clean up burned areas post fires. The Fellows would have two roles in this space: first, they will coordinate efforts between the two corps to approach private and public prospects to propose grant-funded fire prevention activities around entire communities to be performed by skilled Corpsmembers; second, Fellows would support a volunteer program plan to engage the community and mobilize unskilled volunteers for activities to increase defensible space around individual homes. The Fellows’ activities will advance climate action by increasing urban greenspace, planting street trees, and reducing fire fuels. 

Ideal Fellows will have the drive and curiosity for this space, and be capable of maintaining laser focus—with organizational support, of course—on critical tasks. This will yield tangible results and make a difference in the community and the environment. Fellows should possess the research, general communication skills (written and verbal), have experience planning for meetings, and experience in program design (from goal to output, in order to serve as conduit for development of activities with staff internally and stakeholders externally). Fellows will also need to be organized, goal-oriented, self-starters, flexible and adaptable (able to work independently in one situation and collaborate with others in another; parameters of a task may change, and one must not be paralyzed by uncertainty), and vulnerable. The Corps is a safe space where people can say “I don’t know how to do this,” and someone will help them get it done and teach them how they can do it on their own.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

During pandemic conditions, administrative staff are working two days per week in the office and three days per week remotely. Fellows would be expected to serve at least two days per week in the office. On-site work is safe due to staggered work schedules, social distancing measures applied to assignment of cubicles, and cleaning for the entire office.  

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

A fellowship with the two corps in Los Angeles County—Los Angeles Conservation Corps and the Conservation Corps of Long Beach—would provide an exceptional growth opportunity for anyone interested in environmental or civic issues. Prospective Fellows would not need to be knowledgeable about Los Angeles prior to working with us, because research and learning will be intrinsic components of the work, so they can learn as they go. Mentorship and leadership development would be key elements of the experience for Fellows. All employees are required to take skills training as part of their professional development, and Fellows would likewise be encouraged to be trained in communication, collaboration, and leadership. Supervisors would not only direct the Fellows’ activities but would provide context to the work to increase the value of the work as a learning experience. Both Los Angeles County-based corps’ workplace cultures epitomize the “can do” attitude of the national conservation and service corps movement. No matter what the obstacles or restrictions may be, we will get the job done. If someone does not know how to do something, then one may always ask for help and take the opportunity to learn how to do it for the future. The workplace culture encourages both collaboration and self-direction—teamwork is the best mode for a social services provider that requires many program components to work together, whereas focused individual work is necessary for implementation of special projects or program design in environmental conservation work.

Los Angeles is an interesting place to live and work, because geographic diversity allows one to work on a backcountry forest project one day and a coastal restoration project the next; the history of urban development produces ongoing challenges in terms of restoring the urban tree canopy, reducing pollution along traffic corridors, and protecting habitat along the LA River and other waterways; and cultural diversity offers opportunities as well as challenges, with low-income communities of color struggling to counteract disinvestment and young adults of color seeking self-sufficiency and eager to revitalize an aging workforce.

Host Partner: FoodCycle
Partner Location: Los Angeles, CA
Openings: 1 of 2
Project Focus: Food Waste Recovery, Active Transportation
Desired Skills: Relationship Management, Food Justice / Food Recovery, Communication
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, field work desired

THE PROJECT

FoodCycle is working to “Feed People – Not Landfills”, by diverting edible food from being thrown away and instead directing it to people in need. During the past year, FoodCYcle has focused on recovering and sending more food into the identified food deserts of Los Angeles where people of color are most impacted by both food insecurity and the negative environmental impacts of climate change – extreme heat, energy insecurity, and pollution. Working in conjunction with the volunteer based group Hack for LA, a database of all agencies serving food throughout Los Angeles was created. This has allowed FoodCycle to collaborate with over one hundred organizations serving people with hunger throughout the city. The program emphasizes supporting and empowering community stakeholders to meet the needs of their neighbors. FoodCycle helps connect these organizations to recovered food that they can distribute, and are on track to divert over 700 tons of edible food from landfills this year and direct it instead to communities and individuals most in need. The efforts in 2020 will prevent almost 1500 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Using the database that was created by Hack for LA and the Food Oasis Project, FoodCycle has been focusing on directing more food into areas most impacted by food insecurity, with a special emphasis on South LA. This is done by identifying community efforts to feed people and providing them with connections to food donations, as well as assessing their needs, capacity and work to support them by either directly delivering food or using their staff and volunteers to pick up donations that FoodCycle secures. The Fellows would support this project by identifying community based organizations that are feeding people to assess their needs and to do outreach to these agencies. In addition, the Fellows would help with outreach and education to potential food donors. The project would also support multiple efforts at universities and colleges to help provide food for students experiencing food insecurity. This project directly reduces greenhouse gas emissions created by food thrown into landfills, serves to foster resilience by supporting community led efforts to help meet the needs of their own neighbors, and can provide important resources to help families and individuals who are suffering from the negative financial impacts of systemic racism and the Covid 19 pandemic

Ideal candidates will have strong communications skills, be tech savvy in order to use Chowmatch and other technology that FoodCycle is working with to schedule food recovery and track impact. They should ideally have an interest in environmentalism, social justice, or food insecurity. They must have the ability to follow projects through to completion and work with other team members and volunteers.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

FoodCycle anticipates continuing to work remotely for some time – so the Fellows would most likely not be working from a physical office space but would be connecting in the field with the nonprofits that FoodCycle supports. We strive to create a strong connection between our staff working remotely by scheduling regular team meetings and check ins. Fellows who are available to do some on-site work in the field connecting with receiving agencies and potential food donors would be ideal.  

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Los Angeles is one of the most diverse and vibrant cities in the world, with great extremes of poverty and wealth. It offers an exciting array of cultural experiences and the opportunity to interact with a wide range of ethnicities. FoodCycle has focused on developing partnerships with organizations that are serving within their communities and has created relationships supporting nonprofits throughout the city. We anticipate being able to offer a rewarding opportunity for Fellows to communicate with organizations that are making a significant contribution to their communities and to help us learn how to best serve them. This position offers the potential to develop leadership skills, while working with these organizations and creating innovative solutions to support their efforts to address food insecurity. We actively promote a workplace that is very diverse and a workplace culture that encourages input from all of our staff. We work hard to incorporate new ideas and innovation within the food space. FoodCycle also participates in the Los Angeles Food Waste Prevention and Rescue Working Group that is under the auspices of the LA Food Policy Council. his group advocates for policies around food waste on the local, state and national level. Our Fellows would be encouraged to participate in these meetings and to play an active part in this important work.

Host Partner: Los Angeles County Public Works – Environmental Programs
Partner Location: Alhambra, CA
Openings: 2 of 2
Project Focus: Food Waste Recovery
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Food Justice / Food Recovery, Communication
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local or fully remote ok, field work desired

THE PROJECT

Los Angeles County (LAC), the most populous county in the United States, disposes approximately 3.5 million tons of organic waste annually, comprising approximately 15 percent food waste. Organic waste decomposes in landfills where it generates significant amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.  LAC also has the largest food insecure population in the country, where one in seven people (and one in five children) lack regular access to quality nutritious meals. It is imperative that businesses, residents and all the necessary stakeholders take part in reducing food waste and recovering excess edible food to feed those experiencing food insecurities in LAC. Los Angeles County Public Works developed and implemented multiple programs in response to the growing food waste crisis, such as the Food Donation and Recovery Outreach Program (Food DROP) and the Commercial Food Waste Recycling Pilot Program. These programs focus on reducing food waste generated from businesses, recovering and providing essential and nutritious foods to people in need from food that businesses would have otherwise been disposed, and diverting spoiled or inedible food from landfills to food waste recycling facilities in order to avoid the greenhouse gases generated from going to the atmosphere. Given the growing population of food insecure residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the multi-faceted benefits of recovering edible food that is currently being wasted, and the new requirements of SB 1383, the County is in need of assistance to enhance Food DROP to recover more edible food from businesses in the unincorporated communities.  

The Fellows will lead the Food Recovery Capacity Assessment Project to identify the operational and procedural components for best practices of edible food recovery at commercial food generators, and to understand their capacity and needs in order to enhance current and potential food recovery activities. SB 1383 requires large food generating businesses to recover the maximum amount of surplus food for donation. Thus, the Fellows will assess the data on what food waste is being generated, how much food can potentially be reduced, what will be the maximum amount of surplus food that can be donated on a regular basis, and assist the generators to develop food waste donation plans. Leading this project, the Fellows will conduct outreach activities with the assistance of County staff and consultants, which will also include providing related information and resources regarding food waste reduction and recycling, as well as addressing the liability concern of edible food donation and the food safety when recovered for human consumption. The outreach activities will include, but are not limited to, conducting site visits; completing assessment surveys; making follow-up phone calls; hosting community events/meetings/workshops; disseminating flyers/brochures; and analyzing and managing data collected from assessment surveys.

The ideal Fellows should have good communication, particularly good oral communication and experience in public speaking or educational outreach including community engagement; analytical thinking and data management skills; and experience in food service, hospitality, or volunteer work at food rescue agencies or nonprofit agencies focused on food donation and/or food distribution. They should be passionate about engaging communities to take actions on climate change.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

The bulk of this project could involve in-the-field direct community contact. During the planning phase and data analysis, the Fellows can be fully remote. There is the opportunity for a local candidate who can and wants to do some direct engagement to do so. Whenever in the field, Los Angeles County has developed a safety plan for all employees working on site and in the field. Safety equipment and employee health strategies have always been utilized.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Los Angeles County Public Works  is the largest agency in the nation with approximately 4,000 employees working in hundreds of different job classifications across six major business areas. Working for Public Works will be a great opportunity for Fellows to experience working for a large professional government agency. The Environmental Programs Division – Commercial Franchise Section (CF) is a team of 13 dedicated professional engineers and administrative professionals who are committed to supporting and serving the County unincorporated communities. The CF staff will embrace the Fellows as part of the team and will work closely alongside them.  Working with the team for over seven months, the Fellows will have the opportunity to grow into an exceptional professional individual through the mentorship and leadership at our organization. Through the community action projects with the community members, the Fellows will also learn real-world climate action skills and enhance other skills like community engagement through effective communication skills as well as knowledge about the waste stream and the various communities in LAC.

Host Partner: Koreatown Youth and Community Center
Partner Location: Los Angeles, CA
Openings: 2 of 2
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Green Infrastructure Development
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Environmental Justice / Equity, Self-Motivated
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, in-office optional, field work needed

THE PROJECT

Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC) is a multi-service agency with an environmental services unit that provides tree planting and establishment care to Central and South Los Angeles communities. These are two areas of the City that have been historically underserved in a variety of ways, including urban forestry. These communities have extremely low canopy cover at 7-12%, compared to the City average of 24%. This puts stress on the physical and mental health of children and adults living in these areas and means they are even more vulnerable to the increasing extreme heat events that we are seeing as the climate continues to change. Many of the households within the areas we serve are low-income, making trees a luxury that residents often feel are too expensive or risky. KYCC currently offers urban forestry support to the communities within their service areas through two funding sources. First, as part of the City Plants collaborative, the City’s nonprofit planting partnerships funded by the LA Department of Water and Power, KYCC plants free public space street trees in viable sites where residents or business owners agree to take on the responsibility of watering the tree for the first three to five years. Second, through state and local grants, they fund tree planting, establishment care, and concrete removal. Through these grants, existing concrete is rto create space for new trees and have KYCC crews care for trees planted along major corridors. Planting trees is used as a means of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions by removing carbon and other pollutants from the air, capturing stormwater and directing it into the ground, and also offsetting energy usage.

KYCC is looking for Fellows to support community engagement urban forestry programs and projects related to tree planting, community education, and supporting community driven tree care, in collaboration with other partner nonprofits. These projects include; 1) Tree Ambassador Program: Community members will be hired part-time to attend trainings on proper tree planting and care, environmental and public health benefits of trees, City urban forestry policies and procedures, and more. These ambassadors will also be working at a grassroots level to find residents within their immediate community to sign up for free street trees and will help monitor and support residents in the care of these street trees. The Fellows will help craft and implement the program alongside partners and outreach staff, including creating trainings and outreach materials, working with partners to host and lead trainings, helping support the ambassadors within the service area, tracking program success, and giving feedback to all partners on ways to improve the program for future application; 2) Koreatown Tree Education Campaign: The program has a focus on educating residents, business owners, and landscapers of Koreatown on proper tree care. In collaboration with the City, proper tree trimming training will be given to landscapers as well as training to property managers on why proper tree care is important. The Fellows will help with all aspects of this project including training and education campaign creation, outreach to businesses within Koreatown, and advertising to bring folks to City hosted trainings; and 3) Yard Tree Program: The 5-gallon adoption program allows any LA City resident to take home up to seven trees to plant in their yard. This program focuses on shade trees, but also offers a limited number of fruit trees, all of which increase the number of trees planted close to inhabited buildings, and thus lower energy usage and costs. Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, the program has been adapted to focus on curbside pickup locations. The Fellows would work with the Volunteer Specialist and Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC) staff to schedule and manage a minimum of three curbside adoption events each month. This will include coordinating with LACC on species availability, managing online registration, communicating with residents, helping the Volunteer Specialist pick up and give away trees, and data management throughout the process. The Fellows will also work with the Volunteer and Project Specialist, City Plants staff, and LACC staff to continuously evaluate and think of creative solutions to improve the program.

The ideal Fellows will need to be creative, passionate about environmental justice, and able to work well with coworkers, other nonprofit staff, and community members alike. The Fellows will need to be comfortable working both in the field and in an office setting. They should also be able to write short educational text, present publically, and be comfortable speaking to a wide demographic. Fellows who are bilingual English-Spanish or English-Korean are preferred. Being familiar with the South or Central Los Angeles areas is not necessary, though Fellows who are new to the area will need to learn the community quickly.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Fellows will need to be based in Los Angeles as the projects require fieldwork (up to 50% of the time) and some in-person office work. KYCC is following all CDC and state safety guidelines including social distancing, equipping staff with PPE such as masks, gloves, and plexiglass dividers. Within the warehouse office, safety is being managed through mandatory mask and social distance protocols, daily symptoms checks for all staff, frequent cleaning of all areas, extra ventilation and air filtration. When possible, KYCC staff are working remotely.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Koreatown is one of the most vibrant parts of Los Angeles with a rich history. As one of the most densely populated urban neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Koreatown and the surrounding neighborhoods are very walkable making it a wonderful place to live or work. The great KYCC service area, including Koreatown, is incredibly diverse, meaning it has something for everyone in terms of entertainment, food, and is also a welcoming place to work.

The Fellows will be working within the organization as a whole. KYCC is a multi-service agency with many direct-client services including: mental health counseling; alcohol and drug abuse recovery outpatient care; K-12 tutoring and youth programs; community engagement around substance use prevention; tri-lingual preschool; 208 affordable housing units; small business counseling; and more. As an organization, we care about supporting not only the community we serve, but also our staff. To this end, we have quarterly full-day all-staff retreats and trainings. Within the Environmental Services unit, we have monthly professional development days, where we focus on team building and trainings. The Fellows will be supervised by our Senior Community Engagement Coordinator, Cristina Basurto. She sees ensuring that staff have the necessary support as the most important part of her job and is passionate about collaborating with volunteers, other organizations, and coworkers to offer the best possible services to the community. Fellows will have extensive opportunities to develop leadership skills through working with residents and volunteers as well as by leading community projects.

Host Partner: Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
Partner Location: Los Angeles, CA
Openings: 2 of 2
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Food Waste Recovery
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration, Self-Motivated
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, in-office optional, field work needed

THE PROJECT

Watts is a community with a strong and unique identity – its residents are part of a rich history that includes progressive activism, vivid cultures and countless contributions that have shaped the story of Los Angeles. But along with that rich cultural and political history, is an often ignored story of a community facing staggering environmental health, public health, and economic challenges. Alarmingly, residents of Watts have among the lowest life expectancies in California, 12 years lower than the wealthiest areas of LA, according to the 2015 Plan for a Healthy LA. Watts is in the highest quartile statewide for indicators including asthma, low birth weight, and pollution burden, according to CalEnviroScreen (CES 3.0). Watts’ neighborhoods are plagued with unhealthy air, ranking in California’s worst 15% for modeled air concentration of toxic chemical releases. Watts Rising is a collaborative of Watts residents, 40+ organizations, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), the Mayor’s Office, and Council District 15 committed to improving the quality of life in Watts. In 2019, the Watts Rising Collaborative was awarded a $33.25 million Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Grant from the State of California’s Strategic Growth Council (SGC), and additionally leveraged over $160 million, to fund community-identified infrastructure projects that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote economic development, improve public health, engage community, avoid displacement, and make data-informed decisions. Guiding strategies and principles have been adopted to help ensure the transformation projects increase opportunities for residents. Strategies include: ongoing community participation throughout implementation via regular meetings and other outreach activities; providing direct benefits to Watts households like trees and fresh produce; engaging youth in green economy training and expanding employment opportunities for adults in green jobs

The TCC grant funds community-led development and infrastructure projects that achieve major environmental, health and economic benefits in California’s most disadvantaged communities. Fellows will engage in climate adaptation efforts in three areas of the Watts Rising Collaborative: (1) Community Engagement; (2) Tree Planting; (3) Waste Diversion. Through community engagement, Fellows will develop critical and dynamic community engagement skills in order to promote the goals of climate action and to collaborate with the most impacted and disenfranchised in the co-creation of appropriate solutions. They will work with the Watts Rising team to support the implementation of a robust community engagement plan across the collaborative. Watts Rising has 3 tree planting projects, some taking place in elementary schools and other public spaces. Fellows will support the collaborative coordination across partners and participate in tree planting events along with community education efforts on tree planting. Additionally, the Fellows will have the opportunity to connect with the Mayor Garcetti-appointed Chief Urban Forestry Officer and connect Watts Rising’s efforts to the broader citywide movement to foster shade equity through the ambitious goal to plant 90,000 trees by 2021; with thought partnership to increase education, empowerment, and buy-in of shade-poor residents to more actively engage in urban greening, and to reshape public opinion to see trees as an essential component of a sustainable and safe community beyond aesthetics. Finally, Fellows will also help establish a food waste prevention and food rescue program that will result in the redistribution of 200,000 lbs. of food to local Watts residents, and will divert 250,000 lbs. of food waste from landfills each year. The Fellows will support the food distribution and waste diversion efforts at Mudtown Farms, including engagement and composting education.

The ideal Fellows will have a commitment to place-based sustainability efforts in neighborhoods like Watts through community engagement and local climate action efforts like tree planting and waste diversion. They will have great communication skills and be self-starters with innovative insights. Technical skills in Microsoft Office, community engagement platforms like Constant Contact, and any additional skills in social media engagement, considering COVID-19 are greatly desired. The Fellows will also seek ways to support partner engagement and ensure that partners collaborate across efforts. Therefore, an interest and experience in collaborative engagement is preferred. In addition, in order to ensure Watts residents receive the appropriate outreach materials, the Fellows should have an interest and experience in community education using various tools (e.g. presentations and flyers/brochures).

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Service will be mostly remote telework. We will need Fellows to dedicate some in-person time during our tree planting and produce distribution events. We are following CDC COVID-19 guidelines and providing masks and hand sanitizer, along with ensuring physical distance and tree planting in pods.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Watts Rising was formed to challenge the odds and the misconceived narratives about Watts in order to demonstrate the thriving community beyond a deficit model. Change is happening and it’s from within the community, to no longer be defined by the toxic zip codes we are born in. Watts residents are ready to be the face of a healthy, vibrant community because the opportunity has finally presented itself with the proper investment to start doing so. This passion is felt across the neighborhood where residents are figuring out ways to overcome the structural inequities they face. In WATTS, “We Are Taught to Survive” is the common motto and with a commitment to climate change, Watts can be a model that integrates community development, climate change, and equity to demonstrate that, with proper investment, communities like Watts can thrive. Watts builds character and teaches a lot, and indeed has been the learning laboratory for many students, academics, cultural conservators and creatives alike.

The collaborative has worked with students from California State University at Dominguez Hills, Charles Drew University of Science and Medicine, and California Polytechnic University at Pomona to support the Watts Rising Collaborative. In addition, HACLA has an intern program that also supports professional development, and previous interns were students from the University of Southern California. These programs will be the basis of a plan for the Fellows. HACLA has a great workplace culture. We are collaborative in essence and by definition, so is Watts Rising. We expect transparency and communication in order to support the fellows. The collaborative involves numerous project partners across diverse sectors, which offers an opportunity for networking. 

Host Partner: City of Long Beach
Partner Location: Long Beach, CA
Openings: 1 of 1
Project Focus: Active Transportation, Climate Mitigation / Adaptation
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Graphic Design, Self-Motivated
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, fully remote ok

THE PROJECT

Climate stressors anticipated to impact Long Beach are extreme heat, poor air quality, drought, flooding, and sea level rise (Long Beach Climate Stressors Review, 2018). Extreme heat is anticipated to affect the greatest number of residents, and a mapping exercise of social vulnerability indicates overlap between areas with high social vulnerability and areas most impacted by the urban heat island effect (Long Beach Social Vulnerability Map, 2018). The Los Angeles and Long Beach areas have among the worst air quality in the nation. The air quality is anticipated to worsen with increasing temperatures. Locally, several sources impact air quality, including the 710 and 405 freeways, refineries located in neighboring jurisdictions, the Port of Long Beach, and major industrial sources. Long Beach is located within San Pedro Bay on the Pacific coast. The City is anticipated to be increasingly affected by riverine flooding, urban flooding, and sea level rise, which will impact industrial and commercial activities and residential areas along the shoreline. Finally, climate change is predicted to increase the severity and length of future droughts statewide. The City is currently finalizing its first Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP) to reach target greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) levels and help the City to adapt to climate impacts. The City will be required to meet quantified GHG reductions in the energy, transportation, and waste sectors. Each of the CAAP actions has an equity strategy to help ensure that actions benefit communities most impacted by climate change. The Planning Bureau’s implementation of the mitigation and adaptation actions identified by the CAAP will include data collection and analysis, updating building codes pertaining to energy and flooding, tracking performance metrics, community outreach and engagement, and developing communications tools.

The Fellow will support Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) implementation with a focus on mobilizing citizen engagement and climate action. The Fellow will assist with developing 1) climate action resources and communications materials, 2) an outreach and engagement strategy, and 3) strengthened volunteer networks that empower community members to take action on climate change. These activities will be oriented towards the broader population as well as targeted towards communities most impacted by climate change. Communication activities will include developing climate action content in the form of infographics, materials for social media, and others, with the opportunity to be translated to Spanish and Khmer by the City’s Language Access Team as needed. This will include development of a schedule for dissemination of resources and outreach materials to kick off and establish a consistent presence in the public eye through the initial CAAP implementation phase. Community outreach and engagement activities typically conducted in-person will need to be adapted (virtual, phone-based, etc.) and innovated based on pandemic conditions. The Fellow will develop materials that communicate various aspects of the City’s climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, provide community members information on how to directly take action, and devise strategies for capturing community action. Topics will range across energy, transportation, waste, urban heat island, urban greening, and others. Efforts will build on extensive community outreach and engagement conducted in preparation of the CAAP, and contribute to strengthened community networks through the City’s climate implementation efforts. The Fellow will also support data collection and analysis and performance metric tracking for the purposes of contributing to an online CAAP dashboard as a tool to engage the public. The Fellow will track community outreach and engagement outcomes that increase participation in various related programs such as solar installation and recycling and organic waste diversion for potential input into the CAAP dashboard. The Fellow will assist with tracking and developing performance metrics for specific actions in order to help track the effectiveness of measures and highlight City efforts. The Fellow may conduct research about various climate action plans and sub-sector best practices and assist with other duties as assigned.

The ideal Fellow will be excited to work on a nimble, adaptable team that makes a meaningful impact on the environmental sustainability of Long Beach and Greater Los Angeles region. The Fellow will be passionate about engaging a diverse population and seek to respond to the challenge of the times by innovating community outreach strategies. They will approach community members as local experts, seeking to learn about their experiences and be of service. The Fellow will have a desire to ensure that a diverse City population, with attention to those most impacted by climate change, can benefit from climate solutions. They should have a good design eye and have working knowledge of graphic design and tools for developing engaging community outreach and communications materials, as well as good writing skills and an interest in data collection and analysis. The Fellow will be interested in working at the nexus of climate and urban planning, and be excited about climate action and adaptation, community outreach and engagement, and implementation of climate programs.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

The Fellow position may be 100% remote or may have the opportunity to serve on-site, on a potentially limited basis, depending on the evolving conditions of the pandemic and City protocol to maximize safety for all staff.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Home to approximately 470,000 people, the City of Long Beach offers the amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods. The city has 11 miles of coastline and beaches, a host of cultural and recreational amenities, and transportation options that include the Metro rail, ample bus service, and bicycle network. The City of Long Beach has been recognized as a leader for its efforts in civic innovation and sustainability.

The City of Long Beach, Department of Development Services, Planning Bureau offers a collaborative, fast-paced environment with opportunities to work on a variety of high-impact projects affecting the city and region. Staff is committed to helping Fellows achieve their professional development goals by providing regular feedback and mentorship, encouraging project leadership, and providing connections to informational interviews to learn about various aspects of local government. The City of Long Beach Planning Bureau is a rewarding place to work for individuals looking to gain broad experience and contribute to meaningful impact.

Host Partner: University of Redlands – Community Service Learning
Partner Location: Redlands, CA
Openings: 0 of 3
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Green Infrastructure Development
Desired Skills: Project Management, Tree Planting / Care, Big Picture Oriented
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, field work needed

THE PROJECT

Redlands and the University of Redlands are both an Arbor Day USA Tree City and a Tree Campus respectively, but there are multiple neighborhoods lacking an adequate tree canopy. The northside neighborhoods in Redlands seem most susceptible to the negative impact of rising temperatures in the city. The University’s Roots and Shoots program is an environmentally focused youth program founded by Jane Goodall, which the University of Redlands operates in many title-nine schools in Redlands. In partnership with other corps members, Treestock will emulate the highly successful tree-give-away program sponsored by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) in Redlands. The Sustainable University of Redlands Farm (SURF) will be initiating a campus tree nursery program called “Treestock” to mitigate against the loss of trees from climate change, tree neglect, natural drought, forest fires, and the lack of tree canopy coverage in vulnerable neighborhoods. Treestock will provide an experiential model for children and college students to plant, grow, and distribute trees to lower-income communities throughout the Inland Empire (particularly Redlands and San Bernardino) where climate change has negatively affected these neighborhoods due to continuous rising temperatures and drought. Ingrained in the Treestock mission is education on the value and benefits of trees as well as tree care so that distributed trees survive and thrive for decades and longer. 

The first project for Treestock (already initiated through a Business 410 Marketing course project) is to identify heat islands in the area and consider five to ten species of trees appropriate for the Inland Empire which are water friendly and provide optimum shade value. The second project is to begin growing several thousand seedlings. Key to all of this is the community – with whom a robust partnership is already shared. Fellows will expand those connections through after school projects at elementary schools, SURF school visitations, and neighborhood communal gatherings to form stronger bonds for Treestock and families benefiting from eventual shade and expanded green spaces. Fellows will work on SURF to develop the actual tree nursery in partnership with the University of Redlands offices of Community Service Learning and Student Involvement and Success. They will also expand education models to elementary schools through Roots and Shoots program working with the undergraduate student leaders on the northside of Redlands (the most socio-economically challenged neighborhoods) as well as continuing to execute backyard gardening models for college students and children. Fellows will practice gardening techniques and teaching those techniques to college students and community members while creating a distribution model for building a better tree canopy in the Northside communities and beyond using saplings from Treestock. Other Fellow tasks will include assisting with vegetable gardening on SURF (produce sold to on-campus food service provider Harvest Table with the rest donated to local food pantries); manage the California Native demonstration garden, participate in direct service with children and the community through elementary and middle school Roots and Shoots programs and expand the composting program. The undergraduate population – those performing public service – will be the conduit to direct services to the community under the guidance of Fellows. 

Ideal Fellows should be comfortable working with children, have a passion for environmental education, and should not be afraid of manual labor that is required to run a successful college farm and tree nursery.  Treestock is looking for Fellows who are excited about the prospects of positively affecting climate change by working with college students and the community.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

This project requires community engagement as well as farming and attending to a tree nursery.  At least one of the Fellows will be expected to work with children in the community; however the second Fellow may work remotely on SURF implementing the new tree nursery.   

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Fellows can expect to work with faculty, service-learning students, student development staff and several community members, including the Northside Visioning Committee leadership and members of the Redlands Unified School District. Fellows can also expect to work closely with hundreds of children – specifically at the four to six economically disadvantaged elementary and middle schools but also those visiting SURF on fieldtrips. Along with university student leadership and student government, we anticipate that Fellows will build a replicable model for Treestock for other colleges and universities to use as a template for expansion as a direct impact on climate change and tree canopies in lower-income communities.

Our Treestock Fellows will be included in the decision-making process on all aspects of the project and will be invited to give input, research queries, and speak to decisions being made for Treestock and the community patrons regarding tree mapping through I-Tree, Plant-a-Thon, as well as tree distribution, and education on the value of trees and tree care. Due the undergraduate public service requirement at the University of Redlands, Fellows can expect to supervise several dozen undergraduate support staff. Because Redlands is a university that embraces the spirit and ethic of service, our program is the perfect blend of “Town” and “Gown” where service is celebrated and lived daily. Redlands is home to Esri, the world leader in GIS mapping technology, and Redlands is known for embracing its historical past with beautiful Victorian architecture, the Lincoln Shrine, and our historic downtown – being re-imagined for the arrival of the Arrow Line metro line train coming to Redlands from Los Angeles. 

Although this application is specific to Treestock, our community partners are also applying for Fellows and it is our intention that cross programmatic activity is going to occur where Fellows work together on community-wide education programs regarding climate change, water issues, fire education, and the value and care of trees.

Host Partner: Inland Empire Resource Conservation District
Partner Location: Redlands, CA
Openings: 0 of 2
Project Focus: Urban Greening
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration, Flexibility / Adaptability
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, field work desired

THE PROJECT

The City of Redlands is home to more than 72,000 residents living in a community with a City-supported canopy containing approximately 53,875 street trees within its 36.25 square mile boundary. The City maintains staff dedicated to tree health, supports an appointed Street Tree Committee, encumbers annual budget earmarked for care and maintenance of trees, and has been named a “Tree City, USA” city annually for the past 24 years. However, despite this investment in urban forest health, the City is facing significant short and long-term challenges projected to be exacerbated by ongoing climate change. Current estimates place the overall canopy percentage highly variable between the more affluent southern and less affluent northern sections of town, and within this canopy, City-supported trees consist of species outside of those identified as resilient to elevating temperatures and less frequent precipitation. These collective challenges represent an increasing threat to the health of City communities, particularly those most vulnerable to canopy reduction. Associated impacts from tree loss include elevated heat island effect and noise; increased energy costs and lower overall home value; and further compromised air quality, among others. In the absence of action, Redlands is facing impending catastrophic tree loss and associated impacts on resources and residents. In recognition of this advancing threat, multiple collaborative partners have been working on strategies to slow trends in declining tree health and adequately plan for necessary resilience to climate change.

One of the central products of this coordination has been the conceptualization of “Increasing Tree Canopy and Empowering Residents in the Fight Against Climate Change”, designed to result in stabilization and increase of long-term tree canopy within segments of northside Redlands in a manner captured and replicated through additional target areas of the City and beyond. Climate Fellows partnering with Inland Empire Resource Conservation District (IERCD) will participate in pre-project discussions to determine the area of best fit within the project; however, the focus of their service will be anchored to critical aspects of the project. The two main phases of the project will overlap to some extent depending on effectiveness of initial strategy for outreach/engagement of residents, and will enable Climate Fellows to contribute significantly to one or more of the following areas of work. The project phases include: 1) Education/Engagement Contributors: Fellows will work with IERCD to create and execute a strategy for engaging participants in the tree planting concept including long-term care/maintenance, and short and long-term layered climate benefits of canopy increase using resilient species. Fellows would contribute to the initial plan and timeline development projected to occur within the first 1-2 months of the project, then spend the balance of time contributing to climate-centric outreach and other project phases; 2) Tree Selection, Installation, and Post-Installation Care: Fellows will engage and work with volunteers from the community and UCCE – Master Gardeners to support scaled initial installation of climate-appropriate trees and critical care support to strengthen health and function of the canopy. Fellows would play a significant role in tree installation planning and larger-scale volunteer planting events, followed by facilitating direct or coordinating supplemental volunteer completion of regular climate-focused tree maintenance instruction for participating households; 3) Program Replication and Tracking: Fellows will work with IERCD and partners to map and track species, associated benefits, and projected benefits from long-term healthy canopy increase of climate-appropriate species. They will then package all components of the project to allow for facilitation in communities with similar needs. Fellows would be creating project methodology documents and guides for selecting lead and partner organizations.

Ideal Fellows will have a background and/or interest in professional growth centered around one or more of the following: community engagement; partner coordination; leadership in tree health assessment/troubleshooting facilitation; community project design and leadership; analysis of existing and recommendations for updating policy to enable municipalities to make meaningful changes to approach to short and long-term urban forest management. They should also have some level of comfort in working on a project that has been conceptualized but not previously directly executed. The Fellows should be flexible and creative, yet able to maintain overall commitment to completion of deliverables even among challenges to project facilitation. While IERCD has organizational depth and capacity to provide as much mentoring and guidance as works best for the Fellows and the project, the ability to pivot and react to bumps in project execution is ideal for this particular opportunity.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

The IERCD is incredibly focused on safety during COVID-19, so 100% remote is OK. To that end, we will accommodate individual preferences of staffers contributing to project work to the fullest extent possible. Fellows may choose to what extent each would like to be involved in/out of a confined, 100% protected environment.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

IERCD is a uniquely structured public agency, staffed by a diverse group of dedicated professionals working to advance a variety of areas of District focus, and headquartered in a city with strong agricultural roots, surrounding biodiversity, and innovative industry anchored by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). While the District has physical headquarters in Redlands, its large service area and broad enabling language have supported evolution over the past 80 years from a soil health-focused entity to one addressing resource concerns ranging from healthy forests to water quality/quantity, to support of incentivized conservation on both working and demonstration landscapes. This broad spectrum of work has drawn a dedicated board of directors; passionate staff specializing in education, habitat uplift, and community organizing and engagement; and partners throughout the region, state and nation coordinating on timely, sustainable approach to natural resources management. While the primarily in-person collaboration has been limited in the wake of COVID-19, IERCD staff members, Board of Directors, partners, and active interns remain thoroughly committed to solving pressing conservation concerns within an environment conducive to personal and professional growth, happiness, and extension to continued work within the community.

Resource Conservation Districts are units of local government that are located throughout California, mandated to focus on natural resources management needs of individual service areas. Because the IERCD operates within a significant boundary comprising the full upper half of one of the most rapidly urbanizing watersheds in the state, areas of focus are continually expanding to meet the needs of District residents and resources. Candidates considering collaborating with the IERCD may be able to shadow and collaborate with RCD staffers and partners on other District projects of interest apart from the main project. Fellows will have ongoing opportunities to learn as much as desired about specific resource issues, critical RCD partner missions/functions, and major duties and benefits of various District roles. IERCD’s organizational culture characterized by cross-department coordination and active mentoring will further support Fellows in the professional development aspect of their time with the IERCD.

Host Partner: California Firesafe Council
Partner Location: McClellan, CA
Openings: 5 of 5
Project Focus: Wildfire Prevention and/or Mitigation, Disaster Response / Emergency Management
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration, Critical Thinking
Remote or On-Site Preference: Remote service ok, potential for limited travel

THE PROJECT

The California Fire Safe Council (CFSC) is a statewide non-profit that both encourages and enables local action through volunteer support and a champion for the cause of wildfire prevention and mitigation as a way to save lives, protect communities, and encourage healthy ecosystems. California has been on fire for the past 3 years in unprecedented disasters. We now live with a new paradigm of wildfire impact and have awakened to the urgency of climate influence on the millions of people currently living within the fire-adapted regions of the state. To address the complex problem of an environment that needs fire for healthy functioning and a citizenry at risk of losing life and home, we need to rapidly scale a wildfire resiliency program aimed at hardening homes, educating people about fire events, and combining multiple climate resiliency strategies into real change.

Fellows in this project will learn a lot about wildfire and the wildland-urban interface (WUI), starting with identification of the communities that are most vulnerable due to demographic-based needs, and assessing which homes are most vulnerable to embers and flames, then developing outreach and education strategies that translate into homeowner action. The Fellows will work county-level across multiple jurisdictions and organizations to discover what programs are available for assistance to homeowners to create defensible space around a home and what building retrofit opportunities can be implemented to make a home ember and ignition-resistant. The CFSC will utilize a statewide approach for this project with an emphasis on 3 counties (Los Angeles, Napa, and Butte/Nevada). All Fellows participating in the program will collaborate on all tasks but be responsible for the research, data collection, program delivery, and final analysis in the area they are individually assigned to. Fellows will be assigned to work directly with either a Regional or County Firesafe Coordinator to develop programs, research, communicate, and analyze the opportunities and gaps that exist in delivering this much-needed capacity to over 2 million homes in the WUI. The statewide elements of the Creating Community Wildfire Resiliency Project will be 1) research and design phase, 2) implementation phase, and 3) outcome management.

The ideal Fellows must be willing to work within the remote environment with guidance but not continuous contact. They must be able to research, engage with strangers, synthesize information, and be creative in solution-building. They should understand the practicalities of program development on a statewide basis and be comfortable with progress at a public pace. We would love our Fellows to desire being part of a team with an important mission and to be curious about how to make change happen one person at a time. Technical skills around data collection, digital survey work, GIS, or data analysis may come in handy as well. Fellows should expect to be functioning at a fairly high level of professional performance and must be able to self-direct, keep on task, and communicate broadly with many types of people. 

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

We anticipate that COVID will keep all employees working remotely for the better part of the Fellowship so engagement will be governed by CFSC’s employee safety procedures. Fellows are able to serve remotely, but may need to do some travel to participating areas to develop initial plans, assess ground conditions, and create engagement procedures for the program. All of this is subject to local health guidelines and an improvement or worsening of the pandemic. That said, fire prevention and mitigation is an essential activity and we are able to work in our targeted communities within safe, outdoor practices. We are flexible about adaptation to needs.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

The CFSC is a Sacramento-based non-profit with some employees working regionally around the state. We are a grants based organization as well, so our eye is on the efficiency, metrics, and ways to leverage every opportunity Fellows will learn about the working mechanisms of grant-based non-profits, how to examine policy at a statewide level, how to synthesize data and reports into program recommendations, and be exposed to professionals with deep wildfire experience form both a safety and climate/environmental perspective. 

Fellows will be assigned to a direct staff supervisor who is a subject matter expert in wildfire mitigation programs. Fellows may live in the Sacramento area, or be assigned to Napa, Butte/Nevada, or Los Angeles for some portion of the project. We anticipate each Fellow will be assigned to a larger Defensible Space/Home Hardening Grant Program that is in development for each of the three participating counties, so they will be engaged with a local group that is the recipient for that grant. This will give FellowS direct experience in grant implementation, outreach to citizens, local volunteer development, and a flavor of unique perspectives. Fellows will conclude the experience having been part of a team of 4-5 Fellows in a joint effort, and have had experience with research, data query and analysis, report writing, program development, presentation and speaking, community engagement, policy recommendation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Host Partner: City of Watsonville
Partner Location: Watsonville, CA
Openings: 2 of 2
Project Focus: Urban Greening, Disaster Response / Emergency Management
Desired Skills: Community Engagement, Environmental Justice / Equity, Communication
Remote or On-Site Preference: Local remote ok, in-office optional, field work needed

THE PROJECT

The City of Watsonville has recently completed a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) and is nearing completion of the 2030 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP); these planning documents have led to the identification of climate related vulnerabilities and risks in the community. The CAAP has focused on three elements: mitigation, adaptation, and repair/restoration. This has led to the development of nearly 100 climate action strategies which range from the traditional (transportation and energy) to the less obvious but equally important (neighborhood and community health, building codes and ordinances, and migration). The holistic approach to the CAAP recognizes that these strategies are interrelated and interdependent. The CAAP has also identified urban heat island effects in many disadvantaged neighborhoods that will be exacerbated by climate related extreme heat events. These neighborhoods typically also have higher food insecurity, less access to nature, fewer opportunities to grow their own food, and are not well prepared for disasters or able to quickly recover from challenges. Watsonville has historically struggled to engage residents in planning efforts aimed at reducing health and climate impacts. Primarily, this is because residents are overburdened with more immediate stressors, including lack of access to affordable housing, childcare, healthcare, food, and others. With most of Watsonville’s population working six days a week in the agriculture fields, Watsonville has a significant number of socially-isolated residents that do not have a personal network to rely on during an emergency. Additionally, Watsonville has a large percentage of people with limited English language proficiency that can limit their access and/or understanding of programs that could help during or after an extreme weather event or health crisis.

Fellows will work directly with community members and City staff to create a “Resilient Neighborhood Program Model” with a block leader/ambassador and neighborhood groups to implement climate strategies. The program includes two main components – 1) Community climate action projects focused on community urban food sources such as: fruit tree planting, replacing lawns for food gardens, home composting, and growing or developing community gardens on vacant space in the City; and 2) Disaster preparedness (ie floods, earthquakes, wildfires and power outages), which will involve a high level of communication and sharing of strengths, vulnerabilities, and resources within the community to better support each other in case of emergencies. The Fellows will facilitate this by organizing the information obtained, and research and connect the vulnerabilities with local organizations or programs that could assist in the community’s needs. The Fellows will work with the City climate team to identify which two or three small neighborhoods or city blocks or apartment complexes to pilot the Resilient Neighborhood Program Model. They will then work with staff to plan and facilitate community events, meetings and workshops; tasks would include recruiting neighborhood champions, creating social events/gatherings for neighbors to meet one another, planning events for the community focused on tree planting, gardening, disaster planning, among others. Fellows will also be tasked with providing a continuity plan for the projects they have helped implement, which ensure the ongoing success of this work by identifying key strategies and areas where continued support form the City, and identifying how to have block leaders stay connected to City staff to provide future workshops and other resources. Throughout the project, the Fellow will create metrics or a methodology to evaluate the success of different events and projects, and inform the city of the strategies that worked best to connect neighbors with each other and empower them to share their experience and knowledge with other neighbors. 

The ideal Fellows will be bilingual in Spanish, be self-motivated, enthusiastic, and be ready to attempt something different and challenging. Fellows will need to be willing to interact with strangers in a friendly and polite way, and have enthusiasm for climate change work.

SERVICE PLANS AND NEEDS

Through this project, Fellows will be doing on-site work, and have to do activities out in the field. Some remote work is possible, but the Fellow will primarily be on site; when outdoors, Fellows will need to maintain physical distancing and face masks. All gatherings will be facilitated in a manner that is consistent with social distancing guidelines and safety protocols, and will primarily be held outdoors.

PARTNER INFO AND FELLOW EXPERIENCE

Watsonville is a predominantly Latinx community with huge potential to become a vibrant sustainability trendsetter. What the community lacks in economic capital it more than makes up for in (sometimes latent) social, cultural, and community vibrancy. Watsonville is on the southern end of Santa Cruz County, approximately halfway between the City of Santa Cruz and the City of Monterey. The economy centers around farming and food processing. Local attractions range from bird watching to hiking along award winning wetland trails. Regionally the area is famous for surfing, mountain biking, a vibrant music and arts scene, and diverse and abundant outdoor opportunities – mountains, redwood forests, oak woodland, wetlands, and beaches. The proximity to Monterey, Santa Cruz, and the Bay Area provides additional access to cultural experiences and entertainment.

Mentorship will come from the Public Works Climate team – we are a group of creative, enthusiastic individuals who are not afraid to think outside the box, dig deeper into the causes of issues, and implement novel solutions. We encourage individual growth and provide guidance on developing professionally with a focus on personal fulfillment and personal well being. Workplace culture is welcoming and casual with a strong focus on achieving ambitious goals and implementing attainable programs. As part of the Public Works Department, the Climate team has a strong focus on listening, collaborating and implementing. We also have a strong commitment to inclusivity, equity, and creating a collaborative workplace where all are welcome.