<aside> 💡 Now is the time! There is incredible momentum across the country around building statewide service initiatives focused on climate change activities. With the White House Announcement of the American Climate Corps, more people are talking about climate corps and interested in learning more. Several states have been demonstrating that it is possible to move ahead with broad-based, state-level climate corps. In some states, these efforts are closely coupled with state agencies and leadership; in other states, the initiatives are more loosely structured. Additionally, there may be opportunities to tap into IRA resources and support at the federal level, even without a dedicated funding stream from AmeriCorps and climate corps. In the context of this toolkit, we refer to climate corps as statewide initiatives, not a single program or network.

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<aside> ❓ What do we mean by climate corps?

There is no clear set standard or definition for the term “climate corps.” Additionally, there is no national program or established guidelines for what this could look like for your state. Many existing climate corps take different forms with different names, including the Civilian Climate Corps mentioned above, and state-specific service programs.

In general terms, climate corps are statewide service initiatives that have a climate focus, usually aligned with the state’s climate goals. This kind of broad initiative can be differentiated from an individual program that may address climate change, but is not connected with state climate efforts and may operate only within a limited geographic boundary for a state. States are learning from each other as they create their own climate corps and building on the successes of their peers.

See the articles in the Making the Case section for guidance on describing and defining your climate corps.

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This Climate Corps Startup Toolkit ****builds on the lessons learned and processes undertaken to help others develop their own climate corps. With funding from America’s Service Commissions, this toolkit ideally connects national service activities to state climate goals and policies. This toolkit seeks to break down the likely steps and questions central to building out a climate corps initiative to help guide consideration and planning.

Where possible, suggested actions, examples, and supporting resources are included to help users most effectively move from planning to implementation.

A menu of options is provided on the right side of your screen to help you navigate your way through the toolkit. We suggest also visiting the Climate Corps Profiles and the Resource Library for additional information.