By Suzie Lucken, 350CO Renewable Energy & Legislative Action Committees member & volunteer

Have you ever wished something in your community was more environmentally friendly or have you had an idea about building a healthier, more sustainable community but didn’t know how to get started? Perhaps you wished there were more filtered water stations in your town to reduce plastic bottles, or you wanted to host workshops to train people to calculate their carbon footprint, or you wanted to improve composting in your town or advocate for electric car chargers at your workplace? 

Well, you’re not alone – and so a self-professed ‘eco nut’/community organizer/wellness coach/engineer took the best practices from her mentoring dozens of groups working on environment-related projects and developed a framework and program for the International Climate Action Challenge (ICAC). 

The ICAC is a  90-day guided journey where the Green Team Academy and its team of volunteers help turn your vision and ideas into plans and real-world impact – and there is no fee to participants. People from around the world sign up to get the support they need to launch their own eco-projects in their communities.

The program is based on the book Climate Action Challenge: A Proven Plan for Launching Your Eco-Initiative in 90 Days, by Joan Gregerson, founder of Green Team Academy. It is a learn-as-you-go course, taking participants through the steps of envisioning, planning, organizing and implementing their initiatives. The process includes weekly training videos and coaching to guide participants through each step.

Anyone worldwide can Register for the 2022 Challenge through mid-August, with kickoff on August 17. Learn more about the International Climate Action Challenge or register now – at no cost. (Green Team Academy relies on donations and sponsors to support its work.)

The International Climate Action Challenge is an annual event, now in its third year, with steadily growing participation and impacts. Last year, 275 Challengers in 28 countries completed the program, with cumulative impact including 150,000 trees planted, 48 tons of debris removed from waterways, and 8.9 tons of organic waste diverted.  

“Green Team Academy is here to make taking action easy and fun, in a world that so desperately needs it,” says Gin DeMaio, Director of Green Team Academy. She adds, “The organization was started in Denver, Colorado, but sees no boundaries. We hope to play a substantial part in the rise of grassroots organizations globally!”

Full details about the event, participation requirements, and available sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are available on Green Team Academy’s website. Anyone interested in learning about or joining the challenge should visit greenteamacademy.org/climate-action. Businesses interested in becoming official sponsors of the event should visit https://greenteamacademy.org/be-a-sponsor.

 There are ways for everyone to participate – you just need a desire to #BeTheChange. 

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About Green Team Academy: Green Team Academy is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit organization headquartered in Denver, CO, and operating internationally. Annual programs include the International Climate Action Challenge, Earth Week Summit, Impact Summit, and Wild and Scenic Film Festival, podcasts, workshops, and other events are held throughout the year. Green Team Academy focuses on providing training, networking, and support to ecologically minded grassroots initiatives.