An environmental option for graduating seniors

Not sure what to do after graduation? Neither was Tufts graduate Johanna Neumann (LA '01), the current Field Organizer for the Boston division of Toxics Action. A Biology and Environmental Studies double major, Neumann did not want to begin graduate school immediately, but desired a positive and challenging project after earning her degree.

Over Sunday morning brunch, a friend gave Neumann advice that would shape her career. The friend recommended that Neumann join Green Corps, calling it "by far the best program that you could possibly do."

A field school for environmental engineering, Green Corps was founded in 1992 in Boston by environmental activists Lois Gibbs, David Brower and Cesar Chavez. The three organized Green Corps with the hope of uniting skilled people and training them to bring about social and environmental change The program is designed to yield the next generation of environmental leaders. Although Green Corps is based in Boston, organizers travel the country initiating campaigns and recruiting. Green Corps has just begun to recruit for the coming year.

Neumann took her friend's advice, applied to Green Corps, and was accepted. She participated in the year-long training session, which consists of both classroom training (learning how to run press conferences and campaigns) and field work (running campaigns) around the country.

In 2002, the year that the United States Senate would reevaluate its energy policy, Neumann coordinated a campaign to protect the National Wildlife Refuge. The last pristine wilderness in the US, the refuge contains enough oil to power the country for about six months. In an effort to persuade Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas to protect the refuge, Neumann held press conferences with farmers and hunters, met with Lincoln's staff, and convinced hundreds of people to send letters and postcards to the Senator. Her hard work paid off: Lincoln was the 51st senator to commit to protecting the refuge.

Neumann speaks of her Green Corps experience with animated enthusiasm: "It was a very powerful experience. It convinced me of the power of the work that Green Corps teaches. I believe that grassroots organizing is the best way to change the world, and Green Corps teaches those positive skills.

During her time with Green Corps, Neumann traveled from Boston to San Francisco, Washington D.C., Denver, Little Rock and New Orleans. According to Neumann, Green Corps changes the world by starting with activism in the US "Even though Green Corps operates on only the national scale, the United States is responsible for the majority of environmental problems that we see in the world such as greenhouse gasses, and pollution by corporations," she said. "Therefore, change in the US will make change on a global scale."

After students have completed the year-long Green Corps training program, Green Corps then helps them to secure a position with a prominent environmental group. Eighty percent of Green Corps graduates now have leadership positions in top environmental organizations.

Green Corps placed Neumann at her current job with Toxics Action, an environmental organization that helps residents of dangerously polluted areas wage to protect their health and safety.

Neumann recommends Green Corps as "one of the greatest programs out there." Green Corps graduate Amy Leery, another organizer at Toxics Actions, also commends Green Corps.

"My English major didn't fit with the work that I wanted to do... how do you get your foot in the door for environmental activities? This is the way to go - you get experience, training in multiple areas of the non-profit world, and an average salary for a recent college graduate," Leery said.

Although her experience was mainly positive, Neumann does criticize the program's size. "It's not big enough," she said. "We need more people. The more people, the more you can make a difference."

College graduates can apply to Green Corps at Green Corps.org. for one of 35 available positions. Green Corps refuses both government and corporate funding. Members and partner groups such as the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and Public Citizen subsidize Green Corps. Green Corps workers are fully compensated, including a salary of $19,500, two weeks of paid vacation, and sick leave. Green Corps also offers a need-based student loan repayment program. This program allows Green Corps to add a $100 stipend to loan payments made by the student borrower. "Green Corps is designed to help launch your career. It is the first step to providing services for a long-term career," Neumann said.