Team Descriptions-

2010-2011 Knox County CAC AmeriCorps

Our program has been in operation since 1994. I am an AmeriCorps Alumni with this program. We have great service sites that are facilitating awesome environmental education and service in low wealth communities in Knoxville. Our service sites have sponsored AmeriCorps members since 1995 and we have great supervisors that will develop you for your term of service and your life after AmeriCorps.

We have a 46 week term - we start on August 16, 2010 and end on June 30, 2011. Most AmeriCorps Programs are 50 or 52 weeks. By ending before July 1st, our successful members can enroll in grad school, law school, medical school or finish undergrad with enough time to get their ed awards and settle into their new situation.

You must be able to start on August 16, 2010. We have 7 days of pre-service orientation and training. This is a fun and interactive period with many training sessions that will be important to your service. Our training includes: AmeriCorps 101, Leadership Development, Volunteer Management, Communication, Diversity Training, Red Cross First Aid and CPR, Defensive Driver Training, and a team building ropes course. The rest of the service term you will be at your specific service site doing environmental service and facilitating service-learning with K-12 students, college students, community volunteers, and parents.

Here are the benefit basics:
$11,800 per 46 weeks or $513.04 / pay period (before taxes)
$4,725 educational award at end of service term to use for school or student loans
Health insurance provided, Training provided
We will have 40 AmeriCorps members at 17 service sites facilitating service learning, getting community volunteers mobilized, creating special events, recycling, gardening and teaching about land use, water and air quality. Not all of our sites are listed – some of the positions are filled…

Water Quality Team (7 positions): Members serve with the Water Quality Forum Adopt-A-Watershed Program (AAW) to teach students how to protect their local watershed. They facilitate teacher AAW teams, teach hands-on science activities (chemical and biological sampling and analysis, water pollution, land use, and other related topics) in the classroom. They organize stream monitoring field events (water sample collections and monitoring, fish collection, stream physical assessment). They provide technical assistance and support to students and teachers in the planning and implementation of AAW projects. http://www.waterqualityforum.org/
Summer 2009 WQF Newsletter: http://216.119.90.50/asp/pdf/WQF%20summer%2009.pdf

Knox County Solid Waste (1 position): This team member organizes recycling events with the Knox County Solid Waste Department to create awareness and educate adults about the importance of solid waste reduction techniques and litter abatement. http://www.knoxcounty.org/solid_waste/recycling_education.php

Knox County Recycling Team (3 positions): This team facilitates recycling events and provides environmental education to create awareness and educate youth and adults about the importance of solid waste reduction techniques and litter abatement. http://www.knoxcounty.org/solid_waste/recycling_education.php

Our service sites are in environmental organizations only.

Contact John Harris for more info at 865 546 3500
or john.harris@knoxcac.org

2010- 2011 Teams

We have a 46 week term - we start on August 16, 2010 and end on June 30, 2011. Most AmeriCorps Programs are 50 or 52 weeks. By ending before July 1st, our successful members can enroll in grad school, law school, med school or undergrad with enough time to get their ed awards and settle into their new situation.

Our program has been in operation since 1994. I am an AmeriCorps Alum with this program. We have great service sites that are facilitating awesome environmental education and service in low wealth communities in Knoxville. Our service sites have sponsored AmeriCorps members since 1995 and we have great supervisors that will develop you for your term of service and your life after AmeriCorps.

You must be able to start on August 16, 2010. We have 7 days of pre-service orientation and training. This is a fun and interactive period with many training sessions that will be important to your service. Our training includes: AmeriCorps 101, Leadership Development, Volunteer Management, Communication, Diversity Training, Red Cross First Aid and CPR, Defensive Driver Training, and a team building ropes course.

Here are the benefit basics:

$11,800 per 46 weeks

$4,725 educational award at end of service term to use for school or student loans

Health insurance provided and Training provided

These positions are available for the 2010-2011 year. We will be adding more positions as they come available.

Water Quality Team (7 positions): Members serve with the Water Quality Forum Adopt-A-Watershed Program (AAW) to teach students how to protect their local watershed. They facilitate teacher AAW teams, teach hands-on science activities (chemical and biological sampling and analysis, water pollution, land use, and other related topics) in the classroom. They organize stream monitoring field events (water sample collections and monitoring, fish collection, stream physical assessment). They provide technical assistance and support to students and teachers in the planning and implementation of AAW projects.

EarthFlag Team (2 positions): Each team member individually works with elementary or middle schools to increase their overall school sustainability. They teach students about solid waste issues in the classroom, facilitate the set-up and operation of school-wide composting and recycling programs, be a resource providing opportunity for hands-on learning. They also encourage students to recycle at home. They work with teachers and students to implement sustainable living practices (school gardens, nature trails, arboretums, etc).

Ijams Naturalist (1 position): Team member will facilitate Environmental Education (EE) activities for 5000 pre-kindergarten through 8th grade students visiting Ijams Nature Center on GO! Hikes. Facilitate School Yard Field Trips at area schools for Elementary students. Member assists in development, promotion and facilitation of the new Research in the Park programming. Member assists in curriculum development for new EE programming for pre-kindergarten-8th grade and special needs students. Member leads presentations of non-releasable wild animals for GO! Hike students. Member assists in volunteer field guide recruitment and retention.

Air Quality Team (4 positions): This team facilitates environmental outreach and education within the community through a variety of mediums, including the Young Biodiesel Leaders Program, workshops, community events and festivals. Team members also serve with students, schools, administrators, teachers, community members, businesses, stakeholders, and government agencies to communicate, plan, develop and implement clean air related projects in order to attain regional environmental goals of the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition. In 2010, 2 members may be working with UT Biofuels initiative to help make 500,000 gallons of biodiesel from local restaurant excess old vegetable oil.

TN Solar Energy Team (2 positions): members will assist in the outreach and education in public schools about solar energy and energy conservation techniques at home and school.

CAC Weatherization Team (2 positions): Two members will conduct energy audits, evaluations, and follow-up services for 150 low income homeowners in Knox County, Tennessee.

Urban Agriculture Team (5 positions): Members maintain a 1-acre urban community farm and the surrounding park area. They grow and distribute over 6,000 pounds of produce to volunteers, local food pantries and kitchens. They promote principles of gardening, composting, seed starting, and nutrition to 100 elementary students in 4 local schools. They increase community awareness of Beardsley Community Farm by planning festivals and special seasonal events.

Litter Prevention Team (2 positions): The Litter Prevention Team serves with Keep Knoxville Beautiful and Keep Blount Beautiful, providing litter-prevention and introductory environmental education to 10 neighborhood/community associations, and 10 school groups as well as individuals to clean and maintain some of our region's most littered areas.

Knoxville Recycling Coalition Team (1 position): This team member organizes events with the Knoxville Recycling Coalition, such as America Recycles Day, to create awareness and educate youth and adults about the importance of recycling.

Knox County Recycling Team (5 positions): This team members will organize recycling events with the Knox County Solid Waste Department to create awareness and educate adults about the importance of solid waste reduction techniques, recycling and litter abatement.

Sustainability Team (3 positions): One member will work with the UT Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment to assist the Tennessee Solid Waste Education Project (TNSWEP) program in its goals to promote solutions to solid waste issues. Two members will serve with Tribe One and S.E.E.E.D. to promote green jobs for low income people and mobilze commnuity service events for youth. Members will also facilitate and develop sustainable projects such as Earthfest and Sundown in the City recycling events.

2010-2011 CAC AmeriCorps Teams

CAC AmeriCorps is now accepting applications on www.americorps.org

Please select "* CAC AmeriCorps 2010-11" on your application to submit your application to us.

The my.americorps.gov portal (online application) has went through some changes over the last few months and there are character limited sections online - so this is a better way for us to explain our different teams, service benefits, .

We will start orientation on August 16, 2010 and our program ends on June 30, 2011. We are a full-time program that focuses on environmental service learning in Knoxville, Tennessee. Our program was started in 1994 and we have grown from 12 members in 2003 to 40 members in 2010.

We have 17 sites- serving as environmental educators, recycling gurus, urban farmers, and science teachers.

Look for more posts about the specific teams!