WRD Environmental Results Gallery, Stewardship

Greencorps Chicago, Chicago, IL

Greencorps Chicago is the City of Chicago’s community landscaping and job-training program. Launched in 1994, it is one of the first green-collar job-training initiatives in the country. Greencorps provides extensive re-entry training in horticulture, weatherization, electronics recycling and warehousing to unemployed individuals. At the same time, it offers horticultural instruction, plants and technical assistance to Chicago organizations that garden in public spaces.

Goals

• Realize the mayor’s vision for a citywide, multifaceted program that transforms communities and lives through green-jobs training and urban greening

Sample Results

• A 12-year partnership between WRD, which has managed the program, and the City of Chicago
• 475 graduates since 2000
• Placement of 75% of graduates into green-collar jobs
• Over 1,000 new greening projects throughout the city
• Launch of Greencorps Chicago-Calumet, which provides ecological restoration training while restoring Chicago’s Calumet-area open spaces

Learn more about Greencorps Chicago.