Corpsmembers Visit State Capitol for Government Education Day

On Wednesday, March 7th, SFCC Corpsmembers and staff attended the Government Education Day hosted by the California Conservation Corps and Local Conservation Corps in Sacramento, CA. We arrived early to prepare for meetings with our local representatives and speak about the important work we do in our community.

Corpsmembers met with Assemblymembers Kevin Mullin, David Chiu, and Philip Ting, to tell their stories of how being in the Corps has impacted their lives. Additionally, we attended the CalRecycle meeting and the Natural Resources Agency round table with other Corps. SFCC was also excited to meet and mingle with other Conservation Corps from across the state, and our Corpsmembers learned how large the Corps network really is! We had a great time and are looking forward to next year!

Corpsmembers (from left) Aung, Kira, Brittany, Josh, Henrietta, and Tyjay

Corpsmembers and staff with Assemblymember David Chiu 

Corpsmembers discuss the impact of SFCC with Assemblymember Kevin Mullin's staff 

We had a great time at Government Education Day! 

City College of San Francisco Campus Tour

This year, SFCC was able to host two events for our City College of San Francisco Week. City College Outreach Coordinator, Dion Libutti visited SFCC on Tuesday, February 20th to present to the Corpsmembers and academy students and speak about SF City College, the application process, new and upcoming programs, and completing the financial aid application. Dion mentioned in particular a new program which falls under the Forestry and Natural Resources Career Pathway which is the environmental horticulture program that Corpsmembers may be interested in. See link for additional information

Additionally, on Friday February 23, 2018, Tom Holcomb Jr, SFCC Director of Community and Career Development, took 14 Corpsmembers on a SF City College Campus tour that was facilitated by Dion Libutti. During the tour, Corpsmembers were exposed to the various program offerings at SF City College, saw many cultural arts sculptures, and were able to interact with the media center representative where we learned about the collaborative project that SF City College was undergoing with the new technology and engaging approaches to learning called the collaboratory. Due to scheduling conflicts, we were not able to tour the inside of the horticulture greenhouse, but we were able to take a stroll on the outside where you could see the green space and the green roofs. Thank you City College for having us!

Corpsmembers Travel to Santa Cruz for Oil Signage!

During the week of February 19-22, for the first time, SFCC went on a multiple-day work crew. Four SFCC Corpsmembers and one amazing staff member took a trip south to conduct oil signage reviews in Santa Cruz and Monterey County. This week-long overnight trip was an opportunity for dedicated Corpsmembers to interact with the community and represent SFCC while gaining hands-on job experience. This oil crew was able to conduct over 50 reviews throughout Salinas, Santa Cruz, and Monterey, ensuring that used oil get's recycled! 

Learn more about used oil collection centers from CalRecycle: http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/usedoil/certcenters/ 

SFCC Celebrates Black History Month

On Thursday, February 15th, the San Francisco Conservation Corps hosted a Black History Celebration event at our headquarters for Corpsmembers and staff. Our young adults spent a week prior researching prominent black figures in history, and presented to the community at this event. They learned about Jean-Michael Basquiat, George Washington Carver, Michael Jackson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, and Henrietta Lacks, among others. This event also included a delicious homemade soul-food meal from our dedicated staff, Kisha! 

Jarrell presents to SFCC community on Michael Jackson. 

Staff serve soul-food meal. 

Delicious food made by Kisha! (left)

Black History Month poster board displayed at SFCC throughout February. 

Literacy for Environmental Justice: Building a Strong and Green Community

The San Francisco Conservation Corps has been working in partnership with Literacy for Environmental Justice on their site at Candlestick Point Native Plant Nursery. Corpsmembers have been planting, weeding, and learning about greenhouse and nursery maintenance all while having a great time outside! We are excited about offering our young adults opportunities to gain essential job skills in the green workforce. Thank you for having us LEJ! You can learn more about the Candlestick Nursery here.

GRID Alternatives PV101 Training

On January 25th, 2018, our Career Development team took nine Corpsmembers to Oakland for the GRID Alternatives PV101 training. This workshop was focused on electrical skills such as understanding circuit control boxes and solar panel types. SFCC Corpsmembers were excited about the on-the-job experience they recieved while learning important energy-specific career skills! Thanks to GRID Alternatives for hosting this workshop. You can learn more about them here.

Corpsmembers Cleaning Bioretention Gutters, Helping SF Prepare for More Rain

SFCC Corpsmembers are currently working with SF Public Utilities Commission to maintain the City's many bioretention rain gutters. These are a stormwater management strategy, which helps slow and direct rain runoff into the drains. Corpsmembers are collecting litter, cleaning drains, and weeding the plants nearby so SF is prepared for more rain! 

E-Waste Event

Wednesday, December 13th: Corpsmembers worked to collect Electronic waste this week at an event at our partner location, UCSF Medical Center. Corpsmembers removed screens and hard drives of the collected E-waste to sorted into gaylords, and interacted with staff and employees of UCSF to encourage recycling in our community! If you have E-waste to recycle, please check our website frequently for our next amnesty event. 

SFCC Excited By Mobile Recycling Opportunities

Monday, December 11, 2017: The San Francisco Conservation Corps attended a press conference with Senator Scott Wiener and SF Department of the Environment to celebrate the new Bottle Bill 458, signed by Governor Jerry Brown in October. SFCC has been advocating this bill as an opportunity to both help San Francisco achieve our zero-waste goals, and increase job opportunities for low-income youth. 

Joe Rodriguez writes in the SF Examiner article: "Debra Gore-Mann, executive director of the San Francisco Conservation Corps, told me there may be pop-up recycling centers in different neighborhoods. Others described possible “mobile recycling centers.” The solution is a long way off — 2019 is the launch date for any potential plan, the department said — but we’ve got state Sen. Scott Wiener to thank for it."

SFCC is looking forward to providing more recycling job opportunities for youth in our community!

Happy Thanksgiving from SFCC!

We hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving with family and friends! We celebrated with Corpsmembers and Staff at our annual Olympics, where staff hosted workshops for teams to compete including a Dance-Off, Recycling Relay, and Basketball tournament. After, we shared a delicious meal together and expressed gratitude for our community. Thank you all who made this event so special!