A fair question to ask is "WHY CONSERVATION AWARENESS" training to our Corpsmembers? Part of the answer lies in the fact that conservation is literally our middle name. But simply focusing on a word doesn't mean that we're actually living up to the practice of conservation.

One reality of the California Conservation Corps is that most young adults who join are not doing so out of a desire to save the environment. The CCC is a place to improve one's overall employability through the experience of public service conservation work. Corpsmembers learn about the world of work by doing it in a structured setting.

Since the medium of the corpsmembers' work experience is in the field of conservation, it is incumbent upon CCC staff to emphasize the role of conservation both on and off the job as well as beyond the corpsmembers' stay in the CCC.

The essence of Muir's thought is that all things in the environment relate with one another. For reasons pertaining to many factors, we find ourselves out of balance with the environment. CCC work projects can help restore this imbalance.

Without an awareness of the conservation value of these work projects, corpsmembers will lose a valuable learning opportunity. With an awareness of the importance of conservation within and beyond their experience in the CCC, corpsmembers and staff will better understand that we are part of the environment, not the other way around, and that our actions can go a long way in being part of the environmental solutions, rather than part of the environmental problems.

For more information about this training module contact:

Kathleen Herriott
CCC
Conservation Awareness Program
880 Leff Street, Room #1
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805)541-4235