Conscious Choice: Volunteer for the Environment

June 2006 | Ask the Green Commish

Volunteer for the Environment

By Sadhu A. Johnston

Dear Green Commish: I recycle, I compost, I worry about global warming, but I don’t feel like I do enough. Is there anything else I can do? — Inquiring Mind

Dear Inquiring Mind: I’ve heard from many Chicagoans who care deeply about the environment but are unsure where to begin. That’s why the City of Chicago, working with 14 nonprofit, city and sister agencies, created a new environmental volunteer program called the Chicago Conservation Corps. The first class is just wrapping up this month and drew Chicagoans of all different ages and backgrounds engaged in grassroots environmental action in neighborhoods across the city.

In fact, one of the main reasons we formed the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) was to build a network of people like you and me who care about our communities, equipping us with the knowledge and skills we need to improve our neighborhoods’ environmental health.

It’s easy to get involved. You can choose to take C3’s volunteer leadership training and lead your own environmental service projects, or you can explore volunteering for a variety of environmental service projects as your schedule permits.

If you are considering a longer-term commitment, you can become a C3 Leader. Leaders participate in training that includes a short orientation meeting and five three-hour classes that cover conservation and leadership principles and skills in the areas of land, air, energy, water, community organizing and project development. The training concludes with the leaders designing and implementing their own environmental service project with support from C3 partners and staff.

If you’re interested in applying to take the C3 Leader training, check out further details on upcoming orientations at cityofchicago.org/C3 or call 312-743-9283.

If you want to explore Chicago’s environmental challenges and opportunities according to your own schedule, C3’s one-time “Explorer” service projects might be right for you.

As a participant in an Explorer project, you might: Help care for the city’s natural areas by removing invasive species, planting native wildflowers or helping with a butterfly inventory; participate in a clean-up along the Chicago River or Lake Michigan; or sort materials at an electronics recycling event.

I hope that you will consider volunteering in your neighborhood. Most of our partner organizations run volunteer programs specific to their missions, so if C3 isn’t right for you, one of them can probably meet your interests. I think the slogan of the Chicago Conservation Corps says it all: “You care. Do Something. We’ll help.”

Sadhu A. Johnston, is Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Environment. To ask a question, Email with “Ask the Green Commish” in the subject line. Or mail to: Ask the Green Commish, Conscious Choice, 920 N. Franklin, Suite 202, Chicago, IL 60610.

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