Now Accepting Project Applications for the 2016-17 Service Year
We are now accepting project applications for the
2016-17 service year (October 2016 - September 2017)! CivicSpark provides high-quality support services to assist local governments with their climate change related research, planning, and project implementation initiatives. Learn more at
http://civicspark.lgc.org/join-civicspark/project/
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2015-16 Mid-Year Gathering Highlights
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A total of 43 fellows, along with regional coordinators and LGC staff, reunited at the Happy Valley Conference Center in Santa Cruz, CA from March 15-18. Fellows had the opportunity to engage in various breakout sessions on service project topics, such as climate action plans, water, and transportation. Regional coordinators and LGC staff held professional development sessions on several topics, including public speaking, grant writing, and grad school, among others. Michael McCormick from the Governor's Office of Planning and Research also joined us to provide an update on state policy and learn about local efforts on the ground.
This was also a time for fellows and staff to relax, meet new fellows, and spend
time bonding during morning runs among the Santa Cruz hills, swimming at the beach, and showing off their talents during Open Mic Night. The first Annual CivicSpark Field Day was held on the second day of the gathering, in which regions competed in a variety of games in order to win the coveted first place.
After a refreshing mid-year gathering, fellows are reinvigorated to continue their impactful service projects!
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I was excited to meet the CivicSpark fellows during the Mid-Year Gathering. Unfortunately, LGC staff are true champions at tetherball and I left defeated. However, my CivicSpark jacket still smells like a campfire and my memories hold many fantastic conversations. Some great ideas were generated that I will be acting on in the next few months. We are working hard to connect fellows to the State folks that can help them most, as well as to set up a master services agreement with the State so that agencies can work more deeply with the CivicSpark program.
Sincerely
,
Michael McCormick, AICP
Senior Planner, California Governor's Office of Planning and Research. Michael.McCormick@opr.ca.gov
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Clean Transportation in Eureka
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Recycling in the City of Richmond
Fellow Samantha Carr is working in the
City of Richmond, which is abuzz with activity. Currently, the City is working to finish their
CAP, update their 2015 Strategic Business Plan, and implement a plethora of new
climate focused projects funded through the Environmental and Community Investment Agreement. Sam has worked on various projects with Richmond, including one in which she helped to implement a new recycling program at one of the
Richmond Housing Authority apartment buildings in January. Another project has been working to implement a recycling option along city streets and in seven high-use parks. Sam started this project on Day 1 of the program, finished all the research in January, and presented the plan to the City Manager in February.
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Water Management in Santa Ana
Fellow Arya Moalemi has worked on two separate projects at two separate water agencies in the Inland Empire. Alongside the planning team at the
Inland Empire Utilities Agency, he contributed to the creation of regional planning documents. He's excited to be part of the research and development of documents that will guide the agency for the future. With his recent transition to the
Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, he's excited to start working closely with a program that will directly provide water and energy savings to disadvantaged communities all throughout the vast watershed region. It will be a great switch from a regional focus to water management and conservation to an individual focus.
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Question of the Month: What did you enjoy most from the CivicSpark mid-year gathering?
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Alexis Krekel, Sacramento Region
A:
"The thing that I enjoyed most about the CivicSpark mid-year gathering was reconnecting with my fellow Sparkies! It was great to have the opportunity to swap experiences and see how much we have grown as a group. "
Alexis is a graduate of University of Idaho and received her Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science. In 2011 she was invited to be a researcher for PBS/DPTV Corps of Discovery. Currently, she is an instructor for Kaplan College and administers the ACT and SAT. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, playing video games, racing cars, listening to music, and being outdoors.
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Benjamin Silverman, Bay Area Region
A:
"I believe the greatest benefit from the mid-year gathering was the opportunity to communicate and share best practices amongst fellows working on similar projects. Learning about how other fellows have overcome related problems in fields such as energy efficiency, benchmarking, climate action planning, and sustainable transportation policy was of great utility."
Benjamin graduated with an MS in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from The New School in NYC and received his BA in Economics from the University of Vermont. He previously interned with the NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability working on climate mitigation for major civil society institutions, building energy efficiency regulations and city building retro-commissioning. He is also a LEED Green Associate and has worked in the past for a green building consulting company in areas around Energy Star benchmarking, lighting audits, and sustainable operations and maintenance tracking.
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Katie Webster, Central Coast Region
A: "
For me, the mid-year gathering was a chance for collaboration and learning. Each breakout session and group discussion offered an opportunity to hear new ideas from my peers and my supervisors. We all have been working tirelessly on our individual projects these past months, so it was great to be able to come together and share our successes and challenges with each other and take those lessons home with us. I think each fellow gained some valuable insight from our cohort collaboration."
Katie recently earned her degree in Marine Biology from Auburn University. During her time at Auburn, she conducted a study looking at how climate change affects deep-sea organisms in Antarctica. Katie is excited to move to San Luis Obispo from Georgia to begin her career in sustainability.
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Laura Moser, 2014-15 Sacramento Region Alumna
I'm Laura Moser, a CivicSpark alumna from last year's Sacramento team.
For the last three months, I traveled throughout Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. It was an incredible experience, but reminders were everywhere of the tension between society and nature, from the thick blanket of smog covering Santiago to a baby sea lion in Uruguay that we saw struggling with a scrap of fishing net around its neck.
But we also saw hope.....
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Amaury Berteaud, Bay Area North Region
The goal of this poem was twofold. First, to find a collective name for members of the CivicSpark program (beyond Sparkies). Second, to remake a tragic poem by Lord Tennyson (The Charge of the Light brigade) into a hopeful and hopefully humorous poem about what I feel CivicSpark is about....
Megan Hines, LA Region
There I stood looking out into a sea of inmates in blue and yellow jumpsuits. Many thoughts went through my mind including, "what the heck did you get yourself into Megan" "don`t make eye contact" and "it`s like I`m in one of those criminal shows on TV!"...
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CivicSpark 2016-17 Project Partner Informational Webinars
Register Today for one of three webinars:
Monday 3/28 at 10am,
Wednesday 4/13 at 1pm, or
Wednesday 4/27 at 10am
During the webinar, you will learn about being a project partner with CivicSpark for the 2016-17 Service Year, and having a CivicSpark AmeriCorps member work on climate action projects in your community. This 1-hour webinar will cover the program structure, application process, and local match costs. There will be time for questions at the end. Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/6395129436210642947
CivicSpark 2016-17 State Informational Webinars
Register Today for one of two webinars:
Tuesday 4/12 at 2:30pm, or Monday 4/18 at 10am
Join this webinar to learn about working with CivicSpark for the 2016-17 Service Year, and having a CivicSpark AmeriCorps member work on projects that advance your agency goals and support local climate action progress all while fostering emerging climate leaders. This 1-hour webinar will cover the program structure, past state agency partnerships and projects, the application process, and local match costs. There will be time for questions at the end. Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/2251376875107072258Â
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The California Water Policy Conference is an important forum that brings leaders from the agricultural, urban, academic, and environmental communities together to discuss policy issues impacting California's water management decisions.
Who Should Attend:
Officials and staff at all levels of government
Business, agricultural and environmental leaders
Academics and students
Members of the public interested in California water policy
For more information and to register, click
here.
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The Local Government Commission is offering a series of in-depth trainings in the coming months that aim to address some of the most pressing water issues in the San Joaquin Valley, including water conservation and groundwater management. Join us at these trainings and learn how to make your community water strong!
Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) Certification Courses: $50 each, $80 for both
- Comprehensive base QWEL: April 26-28th
- Graywater QWEL: May 24-26th
Both of these trainings
will take place at the Ted C. Wills Community Center in Fresno (770 N. San Pablo Avenue). Trainees who complete the combined 20 hours of coursework and pass the qualifying exams will earn US EPA QWEL certification.
Register today!
This training will focus on the principles of community-based social marketing, tools for making water conservation programs more effective, and how to conduct effective stakeholder engagement. Participants will also gain an understanding of SGMA and groundwater management in the region.
Register today!
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About the Forum
The two-day event will be the premier convening for a multi-disciplinary group of decision makers, leaders and advocates to discuss, debate and consider how we can most effectively respond to the impacts of climate change.
- A series of plenaries with high-level adaptation leaders
- A variety of sessions highlighting resources, best practices, lessons learned, new legislation and other essential adaptation topics
- Pre-forum regional project tours highlighting local adaptation and resilience efforts
- Pre-forum workshops on tools and strategies for implementing adaptation solutions
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About CivicSpark
CivicSpark is a statewide Governor's initiative AmeriCorps program implemented by the Local Government Commission in partnership with the Governor's Office of Planning and Research. Eight regional hubs host 48 Fellows across California, building capacity for local government agencies to address climate change. The 2015-16 service year started on Oct. 19
th
, 2015 and will go through Sept. 2016.
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