NEWS RELEASE
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, GREAT LAKES, AND ENERGY
*************************
Today, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced the launch of the second cohort of the MI Healthy Climate Corps (MHC Corps).
The MHC Corps is a service program dedicated to developing an enduring, capable network of climate professionals committed to serving communities and building a more sustainable future for Michigan.
The new contingent of 31 MHC Corps members will work through October 2025 to develop practical resources for Michiganders, bolster the state’s clean energy and sustainability workforce, build climate action capacity in communities across the state, guide federal and state resources to communities in greatest need, and advance the MI Healthy Climate Plan and its goal of a prosperous, equitable, carbon-neutral Michigan economy by 2050.
“These 31 new MI Healthy Climate Corps members will gain valuable workforce and leadership skills while providing additional climate capacity to communities, universities, and nonprofits from Marquette to Metro Detroit,” said Phil Roos, director of EGLE. “With this program, we are fostering a new generation of leaders who are not only equipped for the workforce of the future but are dedicated to improving the lives of residents, bettering their communities, and building a more sustainable future for all Michiganders.”
EGLE’s Office of Climate and Energy (OCE) partnered with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) to launch the MHC Corps in March 2024 as part of AmeriCorps and the new American Climate Corps. The nonprofit Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) manages the state program.
MHC Corps members are paired with hosts in state agencies, local governments, universities, and nonprofit organizations all over Michigan. A full list of the new cohort’s hosts is below.
Many corps members are recent college graduates or graduate students, but the cohort . Some are extending their service from the first cohort.
Corps members earn a living stipend and benefit from career-focused networking, training, and professional experience.
The 30 corps members who inaugurated the program in March just completed an eight-month term of service, and many are moving on to new career-focused jobs and job offers. Their service focused on initiatives to expand public transit, reduce food waste, lower home energy costs, support green workforce development, build more resilient landscapes, and much more.
Member projects included recommending solar development sites for the City of East Lansing; publishing a green workforce resource guide for the City of River Rouge; and helping low-income Marquette residents with home weatherization, repairs, and resources to reduce their energy costs.
The MHC Corps supports Michigan’s leadership in clean energy jobs. A 2024 report finds that the state leads the Midwest and is sixth in the nation for clean energy job growth. According to the report, Michigan is home to 127,690 clean energy jobs, and the sector is growing nearly twice as fast as economy-wide employment.
Prospective host partners, corps members, and anyone interested in supporting the program can find more information and sign up to receive updates on the MHC Corps webpage. New cohorts will be selected annually.
Here’s a list of communities and organizations hosting the new cohort. Some positions are remote.
- City of Eastpointe
- City of Grand Rapids
- City of Kalamazoo
- Community Housing Network, Troy
- Detroit 2030 District
- Eastside Community Network, Detroit
- EGLE Environmental Support Division
- EGLE Office of Climate and Energy
- EGLE Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate
- Grand Valley Metro Council, Grand Rapids
- Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Traverse City
- Ingham County
- Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Sault Ste. Marie
- Let’s Grow Michigan, Lansing
- Macomb County Planning and Economic Development
- Marquette County
- Michigan State University MassTimber@MSU
- Michigan AFL-CIO Workforce Development, Lansing
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
- Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Community and Worker Economic Transition Office
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources Office of Public Lands
- Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Detroit
- Michigan Environmental Council, Marquette
- Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity, Traverse City
- Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, Grand Rapids
- Northern Michigan University
- Plaster Creek Stewards, Calvin University, Grand Rapids
- SEEDS Ecology and Education Centers, Traverse City
- Superior Watershed Partnership, Marquette
- Washtenaw County Resilience Office
- Wayne County Sustainability and Innovation
*************************
