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CERTs AmeriCorps member joins Earth Day ceremony in Virginia

July 2024

Story by Keely Rau
Metro, MN

Earlier this year, I was in the middle of an important meeting when I got an exciting phone call - an invitation to attend President Joe Biden’s Earth Day remarks! The White House was inviting a handful of AmeriCorps members from around the country to attend a ceremony just outside of Washington, D.C., where the president would announce two major initiatives:

Keely with AmeriCorps members

  • $7 billion worth of awards for the Solar for All program, an Inflation Reduction Act initiative intended to bring the benefits of solar to 900,000 homes in EPA-designated ‘Disadvantaged Communities.’ (Minnesota was awarded $62.4 million!)
  • The rollout of the national American Climate Corps website, which will bring Climate Corps service opportunities to several states across the country.

AmeriCorps is a program that engages paid volunteers in many different sectors around the United States. I serve in the environmental sector in Minnesota, which includes Climate Impact Corps, Minnesota GreenCorps, Minnesota Energy Climate Corps, and Conservation Corps Minnesota. I serve as a Sustainability Project Coordinator in the Climate Impact Corps program. My host sites are the Great Plains Institute (GPI) and Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs). My work is focused on reducing the energy burden for underserved communities in the Metro. (I recently showcased my work to Sonali Nijawan when she recently visited GPI. This site visit put a national spotlight on our work at GPI and CERTs!)

In turn, I was graciously nominated to represent the Minnesota Climate Corps alongside two other AmeriCorps representatives. I joined Nick Olson, a Climate Corps member who served as a community forester with Ramsey County Parks and Recreation, and Sandy Pulles, the Vice President of Equity and Inclusion at ServeMinnesota (which leads all of the AmeriCorps programs in Minnesota). 

The most rewarding part? I got to personally meet President Joe Biden! Plus, U.S. House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey, and several others of our nation’s biggest clean energy advocates.

Earth Day Experience

After arriving in Virginia a day in advance of the event, we spent the evening hanging out with the Climate Fellows from California and hearing about their work. We also made a late-night run to Target to grab some “camp casual” clothes. (Apparently, our formal outfits were too fancy for a park event… or, maybe the president just didn’t want to be outclassed by our snazzy group!)

The Earth Day ceremony took place on April 22, 2024, at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, VA. They chose this historic park because, dating back to 1936, many of the facilities and roads in the park were built by the first Civilian Conservation Corps, proving we’ve been at this work for a long time. They also couldn’t have picked a better sunny day for this event. 

After passing through two security checkpoints, we finally got to the park. To our surprise, we saw a bunch of clean energy VIPs! First, we ran into Michael Smith, the CEO of AmeriCorps, and bragged about our Climate Corps work in Minnesota. We also caught up with Sonali Nijhawan, who had recently visited us at the Great Plains Institute. Then, we met U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan. 

Keely Rau poses with Michael Regan and two other AmeriCorps. Green trees in background.

Rau (second from left) and fellow AmeriCorps members meet with Michael Regan, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator.

A large group of AmeriCorps stand outside alongside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey.

U.S. House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey join the group of AmeriCorps members for a meet-and-greet. 

Rau stands outdoors with Michael Smith and two other AmeriCorps members, smiling.

 Michael Smith, the CEO of AmeriCorps joins the celebration.

While we waited for the president, there was a meet-and-greet planned with some of the key members of congress who helped create the American Climate Corps. These included U.S. House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey. They talked about their roles and inspiration for creating the program and their hopes for how it would grow in the future. 

Finally, President Biden arrived! We had a chance to introduce ourselves quickly and get a picture with him. Then the Earth Day remarks began, and we listened from our assigned seats under a big shading tree. There were speeches from the three members of Congress, Michigan Climate Fellow Za’Nyia Kelly, and then President Biden.

Takeaways from the Remarks

During the Earth Day remarks, one comment that stood out to me was from U.S. House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.A white chair with a paper sign on the seat that says "Keely Rau."

“Just three years ago, Senator Markey and I introduced the Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice Act,” she shared.“People said then, it was impossible.” 

It showed their dedication to bringing the Climate Corps opportunities to everyone in the United States. Hearing about the ongoing work from the Climate Fellows in California and Michigan was also inspiring. I’m excited to see how Climate Corps work will unfold nationally in the next three years.  

I was also excited to hear President Biden’s announcement on the Solar for All program, and I look forward to the program’s launch in Minnesota. It will have a large and direct impact on the work I do to help reduce the energy burden for underserved communities. CERTs will play a big role in this program’s launch and outreach in Minnesota.

It was unmatched to connect with so many clean energy VIPs and climate fellows and hear their stories. Their voices and work underlined the need for this program across the country. If you want to join the fun or learn more, visit the American Climate Corps website and the MN Climate Impact Corps program!

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