The GCF Service Year

10 Months of Green Collar Job Training & Sustainable Living

Green Collar Futures provides three semesters of sustainable living skills and business practices, uniquely suited to the economic and environmental climate of New Jersey; plus, a one-month internship with a local green business. Participants acquire the skills and ingenuity demanded in the emerging green collar economy, while simultaneously co-creating and cultivating an atmosphere conducive to regenerative living.  GCF members arrive from diverse backgrounds to join together in creating a new future for New Jersey that is BEYOND SUSTAINABLE, a future that regenerates the health of our social and environmental systems.

 

August: 1-week Wilderness Trek and Orientation
  • Focus on team building and growing personal confidence. Trek will set the stage and establish guidelines for the upcoming service year.
Sept. – May: Sustainable Working & Living Trimesters
Fall: Teamwork
Winter: Personal Excellence
Spring: Leadership
Green Building &
Renewable Energy
Craftsmanship,
Recycling & Reclamation
Organic Farming &
Food Preparation
  • Energy auditing
  • Home insulation
  • Renewable materials
  • Solar panel installation
  • Passive solar heating
  • Natural leather tanning
  • Woodworking
  • Clothing recycling
  • Sewing
  • Urban salvage design
  • Organic Farming
  • Composting
  • Maple-sugaring
  • Canning, preserving
  • Seasonal cooking
June: 1-month Internship with Regional Sustainable Business
  • Individual placements with partnering agencies provide “real world” work experience.

 Sustainable Small Business Development Training

  • Service projects are studied and measured as models of sustainable enterprise.
  • 1-week sustainable business seminar each May, prior to start of June internship.

 Concurrent Sustainability Projects:

  • Biofuels: waste vegetable oil recycling and biodiesel production.
  • Traditional living skills (soap making, candle making, timber harvesting, etc.)
 General Education Activities:
  • Nutrition counseling & healthy meal planning.
  • Literacy/Cultural Exchange: magazine/reading club, discussion & debate, music, art.
  • Outdoor Recreation: hiking, orienteering, birding, native plant walks, yoga.
  • Personal and career counseling.
  • Mentoring in:
  • Peer Leadership Circles
  • Non-violent Communication
  • Cultivation of Community