The Minnesota GreenCorps program is a statewide initiative, coordinated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, to preserve and protect Minnesota’s environment while training a new generation of environmental professionals.
The program places AmeriCorps members with host organizations around the state to assist communities and local governments in addressing a variety of statewide needs, aiming to:
- Reduce solid waste and increase recycling in Minnesota communities.
- Reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and other air pollutants.
- Reduce water runoff and improve water quality.
- Assist community members to take eco-friendly actions.
- Increase community resilience and build local capacity to respond to the threats of climate change.
- Train new environmental professionals.
Minnesota GreenCorps is an AmeriCorps program. Funding is provided through a grant from ServeMinnesota and the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Members serve at their host sites for 11 months, from mid-September through mid-August. More than 240 GreenCorps members have served at over 130 organizations across Minnesota. Former and current host site organizations include cities, counties, public schools, universities, watershed districts, and non-profit organizations.
Since the program’s launch in 2009, Minnesota GreenCorps members have engaged and educated nearly 200,000 volunteers in communities around the state through service projects, including assistance with environmental fairs, multi-modal transportation events, energy benchmarking, waste sorts, tree inventory/citizen foresters, invasive species removal, tree planting, and building rain gardens. Many of these projects help to increase resilience of Minnesota communities to the impacts of climate change, such as increasing heat and heavy precipitation.
For more information
For more information, please email: mngreencorps.pca@state.mn.us
The Minnesota GreenCorps program is not currently accepting applications. Program staff are now reviewing applications for the 2019-2020 AmeriCorps program year.
Members serve with local governments, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions statewide. Members serve 40 hours a week for 11 months, from late September 2019 through late August 2020.
Learn more about the program and sign up to receive email notifications about future opportunities.
Currently there are 42 Minnesota GreenCorps members serving at host sites around the state.
Project summaries: Program Year 2018-2019 (p-mgc1-10)
2018: Member - Jaron Cook
About me. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, spent my early childhood in upstate New York, and lived in eastern Tennessee during my middle school and high school years. Growing up, I was surrounded by beautiful natural spaces where I took every opportunity I could to be outdoors. When I began college, my love for the outdoors quickly translated into studying the environment—a decision that was solidified by spending a summer conducting field research for a forest ecology lab in Missouri. I graduated in December 2017 from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in Environmental Earth Science. Since then, I’ve worked with environmental non-profits in both Missouri and Maine.
About my service. I am serving with the Anoka Soil & Water Conservation District on the Community Outreach and Readiness track. Here, I operate the district’s social media and create outreach materials in coordination with other stakeholder organizations and agencies in the county. Currently, I’m putting together an interpretive sign to install at rain gardens that will help create an understanding of what rain gardens are and how they function. I will also be assisting with a county-wide outreach collaborative that aims to create relationships amongst similar outreach programs and develop outreach programs for high-priority topics in the county.
GreenCorps member educates Anoka County residents about groundwater
Find out more about GreenCorps member Jaron Cook and his work at Anoka County.
Why I serve. Having already spent time working for small environmental organizations in 3 different states, I’ve come to appreciate the power of locally driven conservation and advocacy. I joined MN GreenCorps to empower citizens to stand up and take responsibility for protecting their own environments. While federal and state agencies play very important roles, I believe the strongest environmental movement of the 21st century will come from local governments, businesses, and citizens working together to create smart solutions to local environmental problems.
My favorite place to visit in Minnesota. I just moved to this part of the country in late September, so I admittedly haven’t had a whole lot of time to explore Minnesota. The Blaine Wetland Sanctuary is a wonderful way to experience the natural beauty of wetlands!