Julia Hall wants to get the word out about what Green Iowa Americorps can do for the community – and you.
Hall, Burlington, is in her third year with the program, which is a federal agency for national service and volunteerism. Locally, the program works in conjunction with the City of Burlington’s renewable energy commission to provide support for sustainable community initiatives and to provide education to children in the Burlington school district about energy conservation.
Hall said she spends a majority of her time working with school children providing them with environmental education and saving energy.
A favorite project for Hall is gardening with the students in Sarah Spears classroom. Each year Hall works with the students to grow a class garden and at the end of the year make salads from the produce. “It’s always really fun to watch their reaction,” Hall said.
She was at the Burlington noon Rotary Club meeting this week to talk about Green Iowa Americorps and lead the Rotarians in a project where they made seed planters out of newsprint. Through folding techniques, they were able to make a small box that could hold soil and seeds to germinate.
The program also provides home energy audits and testing for gas leaks Hall said.
“We have gone into the homes to make sure there’s no gas leaks and can figure out where the air is leaking out of their house so we can help them patch holes if needed or add insulation,” Hall said.
The efforts have been enlightening to Hall who said she was surprised to learn all that needs to be done to make a home energy efficient.
She is also hoping to let other students know more about the Green Iowa Americorps program and the benefits of taking part in the program. The program allows the participant to use a portion of their time to develop projects that align with their own professional goals. Hall said she is considering going to school to learn more about sustainable practices so she can be an environmental technician.
Member volunteers receive a living stipend, Segel Education Award, healthcare and childcare and federal loan deferment.
Green Iowa Americorp members are placed with partnered host sites in communities across Iowa to further the mission work of both Green Iowa AmeriCorps and the host organization. Members help to provide practical solutions to community needs focusing on things like energy efficiency education and home audits, volunteer engagement, environmental stewardship, and community de/construction projects. Members receive a wide variety of training based on coordinator positions and host site placement. Members also have numerous opportunities for individualized professional development training through the completion of a Professional Development Project (PDP) during their service term.
Green Iowa AmeriCorps and all AmeriCorps service programs in the state of Iowa are overseen by Volunteer Iowa. Volunteer Iowa is part of a network of service commissions throughout the United States that exist to foster a bi-partisan, state-level commitment to advancing service initiatives as well as developing, communicating, and promoting a statewide vision and ethic of service
