Celebrating its second year, America’s Climate Corps is a game-changer for young people and an important first step toward building a green workforce.  It is the pillar of the historic Biden-Harris climate, conservation and clean energy agenda to “mobilize the next generation of clean energy workers.”   Thirteen states have already embraced the program: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. Massachusetts models their program after Pennsylvania started in 2014.

What We’ve Learned: Our Case Studies 

The Stone Soup Leadership Institute is a global leader in developing climate education and sustainable workforce development educational tools, trainings, and initiatives for the transition to a sustainable economy. For over 25 years, we have worked with business, government, education and community leaders to develop strategic initiatives, public-private partnerships and build sustainable communities — from New England to Hawaii; in the inner cities of Boston, Oakland, and Cincinnati; and on the islands of Vieques, Puerto Rico, to the British Virgin Islands and the Philippines. 

Boston

In July 2024 the Institute conducted its Teacher Training program with the PowerCorpsBOS Program to train their facilitators to use the Stone Soup Climate Education Curriculum’s Sustainable Career Pathways to broaden their members’ awareness of the wide range of well-paying jobs in the green economy.

“You are the champions of the green economy.  You are the ones who will be ready for these 10 million new jobs!” said Marianne Larned, Author and the Institute’s Founding Director.

PowerCorpsBOS’s Green Industry Workforce Development program provides young adults with training, career readiness support, and connections to employers in the green industry. An “earn and learn” program, PowerCorpsBOS pays its members to participate in hands-on training that prepares them for living-wage careers.  The Institute’s Sustainable Career Pathways Survey results show tremendous learning among participants. While all the members had a high school diploma or GED, they had been reluctant to pursue higher education opportunities.  However, once they saw the direct connection between higher education and higher salaries, their interest increased by (300%).  Their interest in Sustainability Certificates increased, especially Business Energy, Clean Water Management, Solar, and Sustainable Agricultural. Their interests increased in Online Learning (133%), Green Job Training (450%) and Start-Up Funding (100%).

Hawaii

The Institute was inspired by Hawaii Governor Ige’s vision of 100% renewable energy by 2045 for his state – with its first-in-the-nation legislation in 2015.  Working alongside Hawaii’s youth and business leaders to support this ambitious goal, we learned firsthand how green companies and their investors were struggling to scale their innovations due to their inability to recruit a green workforce.   The states’ lowest level of teacher salaries – combined with the highest cost of living in the nation – was preventing Hawaii’s schools from hiring and retaining the STEM teachers they needed.   To bridge this gap, in 2018 the Institute partnered with Design Thinking Hawaii and the Department of Education and received funds from the DBEDT (Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism) to develop the first online platform to provide free resources to all teachers in Hawaii so they could educate their students for these new green jobs.

Learn more about Hawaii’s challenges on Hawaii: Last Week Tonight John Oliver’s show.

As we worked with communities in other states, we discovered that Hawaii’s challenge was universal.  The lack of a green workforce pipeline was adversely affecting even the most visionary government leaders, and progressive companies as well as the bravest investors.

Fall River, Massachusetts

In 2020, the Institute worked with the small economically challenged southeastern Massachusetts city of Fall River. Their mayor was faced with a dilemma.  Business leaders from local clean water management companies were offering much sought-after jobs – but they couldn’t find a trained workforce.  As it turned out, the solution to this conundrum was right across the street from the high school.  While Bristol Community College (BCC) had been providing clean wastewater training for over 25 years, their enrollment was so low they had canceled their programs.  Meanwhile the local high school graduated 80% of students – some left for college, while many others got out minimum wage jobs so they could help their families.  To bridge this gap, the Institute developed another online ​site and hybrid program to supplement CTE’s Environmental Sciences. We wove together stories and activities from the Stone Soup Climate Education Curriculum, inspired students to be open-minded and learn about job opportunities in their community.  We hosted guest speakers including the BCC’s Professor; organized field trips and revived the school’s dual enrollment program, through which students discovered they could graduate with a 1-or-2-year clean water management certificate – and get a high-paying job right out of high school.  

Sustainable Workforce Development: From Vision to Action

Growing the green workforce to adapt to increasing climate change requires everyone’s involvement — especially in cities like Boston, where local companies are struggling to replenish their workforce pipeline as employees are aging out. These young adults represent a new generation that is ready to rebuild the pipeline – along with our cities and our planet. Watch this ​video

PowerCorps Boston is a direct response to Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer’s far-reaching report – for developing a climate-resilient workforce. Growing a workforce that is adapted to climate change requires everyone’s involvement. By intentionally investing in green job creation, we can simultaneously address systemic inequalities by offering pathways to economic empowerment for marginalized communities. Read more

The Institute’s Case Studies spotlight how the Stone Soup Model – carried out with our educational tools and trainings – can serve as a roadmap: when we all work together, we can build a more sustainable world. The Institute hosts an annual Green Job Shadow Day and has created our Sustainable Career Video Series featuring sustainability practitioners from a broad range of careers sharing their pathways. Watch this video

The Stone Soup Climate Education Curriculum is the only comprehensive platform dedicated to development of climate education and sustainable career pathways, to prepare all young people for well-paying green jobs. Based on the 100 real-life stories of young people from 38 countries, the Curriculum’s 100 easy-to-use lesson plans are aligned with Massachusetts State and NGSS standards (used in 20 states) and the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has been endorsed by education, business, and government leaders; tested by educators and students in high schools; and developed working with young people from the Institute’s climate education initiatives. Learn more here