2024 Year in Review
There are no shortcuts when protecting the environment. That’s why Green Corps focuses on training organizers in the basic skills that have helped the environmental movement make steady progress for the last three decades: planning strategic campaigns, listening, storytelling and inspiring new volunteers to act.
Our organizers and alumni will continue to push the envelope for environmental causes by winning more hearts and minds and finding creative opportunities for progress in the year ahead. We will continue to innovate within our program and train young people to launch impactful careers that work to save the planet.
Spring
Save the Okefenokee Swamp. One of our organizers supported efforts to protect Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp from proposed mining development. Working with Environment Georgia, the Sierra Club and the Student PIRGs, Hannah McGrath and her team submitted 572 public comments and lobbied state legislators in Atlanta. Hannah collaborated with Josh Marks, a 1993 Green Corps alumnus, as he led Sierra Club’s volunteer effort.
Save Money, Save the Environment. Our team mobilized young people in six states to urge Congress to support federal investments in clean energy and energy efficiency. They collected over 3,000 petitions, 600 photo petitions and social media posts in support of climate action; they also educated more than 5,000 people on the benefits of these programs and trained volunteers to meet with members of Congress.
Protect Cashes Ledge. Cashes Ledge’s kelp forest and feeding grounds for whales and sharks faced threats, and our teams stepped up. They collected over 6,500 petition signatures and coordinated lobby meetings with the New England congressional delegation to push for permanent protection. Organizers also held the first New England Youth Oceans Summit, training 150 youth to advocate for ocean conservation.
Summer
The Class of 2024 directed citizen outreach, recruitment efforts and staff trainings to educate thousands of Americans about environmental problems and solutions. These efforts raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for campaigns to protect right whales, save old-growth forests, expand marine protected areas and tackle plastic pollution. Their work activated more than 15,000 members to take sustained action and gathered over 40,000 petitions.
In Massachusetts, organizers lead postcard-writing sessions at local schools.
Fall
Save the Whales: North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered and only 360 remain. To prevent deadly vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements, our team called on the Biden administration to pass new regulations to slow boats. For this campaign, organizers mobilized 3,500 New Englanders, built a coalition of 70+ local businesses, drove 600 calls to Congress and hosted beach cleanups.
Clean Energy Ambassador Network: Our team continued clean energy education in four states, reaching over 5,000 people. 50 volunteers committed to continuing the effort in the coming months.
Clean Air for Pueblo: With the Comanche Coal Plant in Pueblo, Colorado set to retire by 2031, Xcel Energy proposed replacing it with some renewable energy and new fossil fuel infrastructure. Our team mobilized 2,000+ Pueblo residents, coordinated local business support and generated 10 media stories calling for the Public Utilities Commission to prioritize clean air and energy.
Alumni Spotlights
Our alumni continue to lead in other areas of the environmental movement. Here’s a snapshot of some of the work of our recent graduates:
Flora Cardoni, GC’17, serves as Deputy Director of PennEnvironment, where she’s led Pennsylvania’s largest environmental advocacy event, the Climate Action Lobby Day and recruited and trained hundreds to advocate for clean energy.
Anna Fetcher, GC’19, served as State Director of Environment Maine before becoming Federal Policy Advocate for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. She now influences federal policies and works closely with Maine’s congressional delegation on environmental issues.
Josh Swift, GC’20, joined GreenPAC, Canada’s only nonpartisan nonprofit advancing environmental political action. He’s now Senior Policy Advisor to Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, shaping strategy for Canada’s ambitious emissions reduction goals.
Cailey Underhill, GC’22, began her Green Corps year working with Solar Rights Alliance, organizing 1,000+ people for rallies and petitions to protect rooftop solar. She’s now Advocacy and Development Director at Solar Rights Alliance, overseeing grassroots fundraising and statewide volunteer advocacy.
Belle Sherwood, GC’24, joined PennEnvironment as Climate and Clean Energy Associate, continuing Green Corps’s legacy of producing experienced, ready-to-act organizers.
