California Greenworks was awarded the AmeriCorp Vista Grant. Founded in 1965, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) is an anti-poverty program designed to provide needed resources to nonprofit organizations and public agencies to increase their capacity to lift communities out of poverty. AmeriCorps VISTA provides opportunities for Americans 18 years or older from a diverse range of backgrounds to dedicate a year of full-time service with an organization (“sponsor”) to create or expand programs designed to empower individuals and communities in overcoming poverty.
Below are the AmeriCorps Vista positions we have available!
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
The Marketing and Communications Coordinator is responsible for developing, and implementing a marketing strategy that exemplifies California Greenworks’ mission, values and initiatives. The communications coordinator will help provide a supplemental workforce using corporate, community and individual volunteers. They will help craft and create marketing narratives, help create, manage and coordinate outreach events, and assist in projects via communication strategies.
California Greenworks is an environmental, nonprofit organization that strives to better the environment for Californians. The Development Resource Manager is responsible for developing, and implementing a fundraising program that exemplifies California Greenworks’ mission, values and initiatives. This program will focus on obtaining donations and grants for different projects and will look to obtain resources that will help expand the scope and reach of CGW. This position will ultimately increase the number of donations and grants provided to California Greenworks’ mission and vision.
California Greenworks is an environmental, nonprofit organization that strives to better the environment for Californians. The Project Assistant provides leadership and technical support for all CGW programs by collaboratively developing and advancing sustainable forestry and carbon mitigation projects throughout and providing technical and scientific support for forest management planning and conservation initiatives, environmental justice programs and green education and workforce development curriculum. He/She will engage with community and agency partners to design and implement projects that meet social, economic and ecological objectives. They also support strategies to secure public and private funding for conservation goals. The Program Assistant will engage both in research and development.
Why do equity and justice appear to be a central issue in dealing with the climate change problem?
As climate change increases, and environmental hazards become more prevalent, the imbalance in climate equity becomes more and more apparent. Today it is hard to dispute that human activity has a negative impact on our climate and that this impact has created a disproportionate ability to fully enjoy human rights.
In fact, climate change has profound impacts that expands throughout a wide variety of human rights, including the rights to life, self-determination, development, food, health, water and sanitation, housing, and more. Justice and equity became a central issue to dealing with climate change when climate change began affecting the ability for individuals to access basic human rights.
“To ensure communities, individuals and governments have substantive legal and procedural rights relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and the means to take or cause measures to be taken within their national legislative and judicial systems, where necessary, at regional and international levels, to mitigate sources of climate change and provide for adaptation to its effects in a manner that respects human rights”.
Climate Equity means ensuring that all communities have the opportunity to benefit from resources that promote sustainable living, such as renewable energy, employment and adaptation solutions. Typically, minority, low-income and otherwise marginalized populations have little to no access to these options.
California Greenworks primarily serves the communities of south Los Angeles, most of which are disadvantaged communities designated by the Senate Bill 535. These communities are predominantly minorities with high unemployment rate, high housing burden and low educational attainment. In engaging youth of underserved communities, we are establishing pathways to brighter futures for more people, and especially those traditionally left out.
“It should be a civil right for everyone to have clean water and clean air,” founder and CEO Mike Meador said. “No one should be denied from having this. Yet – many are.”
Our 2022 Climate Equity Forum Series highlighted a number of speakers who each present on various topics surrounding climate change as it relates to California. Our speakers included;
David McNeill, Executive Officer at Baldwin Hills Conservatory
David McNeill is the Executive Officer of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, which operates under the Natural Resources Agency for the State of California. He oversees the long-term acquisition and planned development of approximately two-square miles of oil drilling fields into much needed parkland for urban Southwest Los Angeles County.
With over 20 years of real estate, public outreach, and administration experience, Mr. McNeill has helped re-imagine the outdoor landscape in underserved communities. As a founding member of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, he has been a driving force behind implementing urban environmental initiatives such as the Verde Coalition’s City of L.A. landmark Walking to the Park Report.
Through his work, Mr. McNeill strives to bridge community, public and private partnerships to help sustain new park projects and inspire the next generation of open space stewards.
David is a graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication and a minor in Human Services. He has served as a member of the City of Los Angeles Recycled Water Advisory Group, South Coast Air Management District Environmental Justice Advisory Group, L.A. County Appointee to the Community Advisory Panel for the Baldwin Hills Community Standards District Overlay Zone, Board of Directors for the California Invasive Plant Council, Walk n’ Rollers and the Fulcrum Initiative.
Adrian Hightower, Sustainability and Resilience Manager at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Adrian Hightower is an experienced manager, educator and consultant with depth of knowledge in organizational change management and technical expertise in renewable energy and sustainable water treatment. Adrian enjoys consulting as a licensed engineer and certified sustainability professional with innovative teams in the energy storage, electric vehicle infrastructure, photovoltaic and power utility industries. He has managed numerous teams in public sector, academic and industrial settings. He has also conducted international research and facilitated entrepreneurial activities addressing Sustainability, Renewable Energy and the Water-Energy Nexus. Adrian has published numerous papers in these fields, holds several patents, and has been an invited speaker at national and international conferences. My B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. is from the California Institute of Technology.
Our event series moderator was the wonderful, Mischa Duffie.
Mischa Duffie is a writer, coach, inspirational speaker, and radio personality with a special gift for curating meaningful conversations. As a 33-year veteran of the human service profession with a specific expertise in human behavior, Mischa has spent more than half of her life offering individuals the necessary tools to find the reason and the courage to explore the more of life.
Mischa’s professional career has involved working in the non-profit, for profit, juvenile justice, social justice, and educational sector in capacities that range from volunteer to grassroots organizer to administrator to executive management leadership roles. For 17 fruitful years, through Greatness Now®, Mischa and her team developed a reputation for providing strength-based programs and instruction that was designed to improve behavioral, emotional, and social outcomes for the over 85 corporations, educational institutions, churches, and community-based organizations they collaborated with.
As a passionate, principled, prolific writer, Mischa has published over 20 of her of own books. As the owner of Morals & Values Press (MPV), Mischa serves as publisher, ghostwriter, and coach to those with a burning desire to share their story or perspective with the world. Having decided years ago to disrupt the frustration aspiring writers contend with, Mischa and her MVP team have in fact helped many writers become published authors.
Thank you to everyone that joined us for our 2022 Climate Equity Forum Series!
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year … no, not the holidays – but Earth Day month! At California Greenworks we of course love the opportunity to educate about and activate positive climate change.
Earth Day 2022 is coming up on April 22. This year’s theme is Invest in the Planet. Our mission serves to do this every day, and we invite you to join us!
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Visioning a Greener LA, “A single tree purifies 48 pounds of Carbon Dioxide out of the air per year. Your support, through volunteering, participating, donating, and spreading the word, helps CGWs to plant trees, clean up waterways, restore wildlife habitats, and provide no-cost environmental education and green workforce development programs throughout S. Los Angeles” Join us!
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Cleaner Air in LA, “California Greenworks, Inc. is committed to planting 1,000 trees in the next 3 years across Los Angeles.Tree canopy is directly linked to the quality of air we breathe. Here in south LA, trees are not as prevalent as in other parts of Los Angeles, which has inspired California Greenworks, Inc. to forge generational pathways to green LA one neighborhood at a time.
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Green Your Neighborhood, “CGWs partners with local community based organizations and groups along with other non profit organizations. Our partnerships empower us to provide no-cost educational programs and projects across S. Los Angeles. Partner with us!
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California Greenworks, in partnership with the Leimert Park Village Book Fair, presents four evenings of conversation;
Expanding Community Sustainability: four dialogues regarding the environment, sustainability, justice, and green leadership
Expanding Community Sustainability highlights the work and ideas of four diverse Los Angeles thought leaders. They will present and explain their definitions of sustainability and the future of “green” justice in our neighborhoods. In presenting these dialogues, California Greenworks seeks to inspire all to advocate a sustainable future, better understand best green practices for diverse communities, and foster community resiliency for our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Each evening will kick-off at 6:30 PM at the Community Room of the Crenshaw Baldwin Hills Plaza, 3650 W Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90008, and is free and open to the public. Speakers include;
Cindy Montanez, Chief Executive Officer, Tree People; Wednesday, June 14, 2017, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
David McNeil, Executive Officer, Baldwin Hills Conservancy, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Marcela Oliva, Professor, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, Architecture and Environmental Design Program, Wednesday, July 19, 2017, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM;
To Be Announced, Wednesday, August 2, 2017, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
California Greenworks is a community-based non-profit that focuses on environmental education, advocacy, and projects. California Greenworks’ motto, “greening communities one neighborhood at a time”, reflects their goal to improve all neighborhoods for all through sustainable policies, education, advocacy, and programs.
For more information, contact Mike Meador, Founding Director, California Greenworks, at
(323) 298-5077.
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California Greenworks to Honor Assemblywoman Autumn Burke with the Environmental Pioneer Award and Meghan Sahli-Wells with the Environmental Champion Award. The environmental organization California Greenworks will hold a reception in Culver City to honor Autumn Burke and Meghan Sahli-Wells.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Assembly Member Autumn Burke will be honored with the Environmental Pioneer Award for her work to protect California’s natural resources. Ms. Burke has led the charge to help protect California’s air and introduce measures to reduce climate change for all Californians. “As an African American led nonprofit, we want to come together and honor her as the first honoree of this award, which recognizes women in the environment who are making an impact to protect and conserve our natural resources,” says Mike Meador, Founder/CEO of California Greenworks.
California Greenworks will also be honoring former Culver City Mayor, now city council member Meghan Sahli-Wells for her efforts to make Culver City a green city. The award she will receive is the Environmental Champion Award. Following the awards presentation, swag bags containing special screening tickets to former Vice President Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power will be given to guests. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m., August 11, 2017 at the historic Culver Hotel, 9400 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232.
In 2017, Autumn. R. Burke introduced a landmark bill to End Child Poverty in California and has made expanding
health care access and economic opportunity the centerpiece of her legislative career. During her first term, she became well- known as a champion for reproductive rights, environmental justice and health care. Burke authored bills that established Transformative Climate Communities to help struggling neighborhoods, ease access to maternal health care, and create more accountability and transparency across government levels. Burke has also secured $900 million in funding for career technical education programs and advocated for new investments in affordable housing and transportation infrastructure. She has authored AB 151 which would strengthen California’s ‘Cap and Trade’ program to continue reducing greenhouse gas emissions that significantly contribute to global warming and climate change. Burke is a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, Legislative Environmental Caucus, and the Legislative Women’s Caucus. She represents the cities of Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, and Gardena, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Venice, and Del Rey, and the communities of Del Aire, West Athens, Lennox, Westmont, and Marina del Rey.
Meghan Sahli-Wells, Culver City Council member and former major has championed initiatives to improve the lives of children, and has led efforts to address climate change, active transportation, affordable housing, homeless services, government transparency, and health and environmental impacts of oil drilling. She is the Chair of the Council’s Sustainability Sub-Committee, and serves on the City Council/School Board Liaison Committee and Oil Drilling Sub-Committee. In addition to her City Council duties, she is on the national board of Local Progress. At the same time, she’s a Board Director of the Westside Cities Council of Governments and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the nation’s largest metropolitan planning association. She also served on the Board of Directors of the highly successful Metro Expo Line Construction Authority during the build-out between Culver City and Santa Monica. Prior to being elected to the City Council in 2012, Sahli-Wells led many community initiatives and held multiple community leadership roles. Notably, she co-founded what is now known as Bike Culver City and Transition Culver City, part of the international Transition Network.
The mission of California Greenworks is to provide environmental programs to urban schools, revitalize urban open space, and advocate for green economic development. California Greenworks is a non-profit organization chartered to promote environmental protection to urban watersheds, community revitalization, and economic development throughout southern California urban communities. The organization’s motto, “Greening Communities one Neighborhood at a Time,” reflects their efforts to help grow environmental outreach and educational programs that improve the quality of life in urban communities.
For more information on the event, or for press wishing to cover it, contact: Mike Meador mmeador@californiagreenworks.org