National Service Bill Will Expand Green Service for Americans
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act will more than triple the number of volunteer opportunities for Americans, from 75,000 to 250,000, in part by establishing a new Clean Energy Corps focused on energy efficiency and conservation. The bill will increase the education reward participants receive for this service from $4,725 to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship award.It will also expand the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to include environmental and energy conservation efforts. Many of the new service and volunteer programs it will establish for younger students could include opportunities that enhance climate change education and introduce young Americans to the green-collar jobs of the future by performing energy audits and retrofits, weatherizing homes, rebuilding trails and parks, building and maintaining gardens and green spaces in communities, managing recycling programs, and more.