Help Green City Force get wheels!

Green City Force (GCF) aims to break the cycle of poverty, preparing urban young adults to succeed in their chosen careers by engaging them in service, training and work experiences related to the clean energy economy.  Our Corps Members are low-income, high-potential young adults who have a high school diploma or GED but lack the experience, hard and soft skills, and academics to make the next step to college or family-supporting work. As part of GCF’s Clean Energy Corps, Corps Members receive training, academics, and extensive field experience in the clean energy economy, as well as a stipend, MetroCard and an AmeriCorps educational award at the completion of the program.

Four days a week, Corps Members work in teams under the supervision of a Team Leader on projects related to sustainability. Through GCF’s multi-family energy efficiency projects, GCF provides low-cost measures and education that can saves money on utility bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions- and in providing these services, Corps Members gain marketable skills and valuable experience. GCF teams have accomplished a lot over the past three years: over 1500 audits performed in low to moderate-income homes, nearly 1000 tenants educated about how to conserve energy in their homes. It’s been great! But these activities place additional demands on our organization, including transportation and storage of materials.  We’re expanding our teams and ramping up our multi-family energy efficiency work, and to do so we need a VAN. We’ve secured a grant from Atelier Ten of $5K towards covering the costs of a van for our current cohort, but need to match it. Help us reach our goal of $2K! 

From September until January, our Corps Members will engage low-income families, informing them of several different services available to help reduce their energy costs. Building on the outreach of past Cohorts, our Corps Members will provide low-cost measures and education to help residents lower their utility bills, while also reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

We are in the midst of the worst youth unemployment crisis since World War II, and the situation for young people of color coming of age in poor neighborhoods in particular is dire. Studies show that the most important indicator of life-time earnings -- other than college education -- is a successful work experience by the age of 25 (Andrew Sum, "Confronting the Youth Demographic Challenge," 2000). There are long-term consequences if we don't find a way to put young adults living in poverty to work and support them in gaining needed skills and education to access family-supporting jobs today. At the same time, the push is underway to transition our cities to sustainability and to stave off the worst effects of climate change and environmental degradation, and in the process, generate work and service opportunities. In New York City, inefficient use of energy in buildings accounts for 75% of the City’s carbon emissions!

Green City Force’s multi-family energy efficiency projects work to provide low-cost measures and education to low-income families, helping them save money on their utility bills, while also reducing our city’s carbon footprint— and in providing these services, Corps Members gain marketable skills and valuable experience.