Albany, NY

Position Title: AmeriCorps Fellow

Organization: Radix Ecological Sustainability Center

Location: Albany, NY

Organization Overview: The Radix Ecological Sustainability Center is an urban ecological literacy and just sustainabilities advocacy non-profit in the South End of Albany, New York.  They strive for social justice, equity, and ecological regeneration by educating and empowering local community members with the resources, tools, skills, and knowledge for doing this work.  They maintain a one-acre urban farm with demonstrations of gardens, composting, microlivestock, rainwater harvesting, renewable energy, beekeeping, and more, and strive to have these systems replicated in a decentralized network throughout the city. More broadly, they support and advocate for environmental justice causes in the region. 

Position Overview:  This AmeriCorps project focuses on building community resilience and justice in the South End by increasing local food security and mutual support networks amidst the ongoing challenges of systemic racism, inequality, and climate volatility. On the direct service end, program participants will be engaged primarily in the maintenance of summer gardens and in surplus food redistribution/composting, street tree watering, air quality monitoring and river remediation. Additional responsibilities include supporting general operations and participating in organizing a fundraising event. Generally, they meet Monday through Thursday from the hours of 8AM to 1PM. Morning hours will be completed on multiple gardening sites and afternoon hours will vary between research, youth mentorship, facilitating group discussions, field trips, leading community presentations, and organizing open houses.

Using a sociological framework, they explore the emergent concept of “urban ecosystem justice.” With it, they ask questions of how social issues of class and race, access, equity, and fairness apply to both the biophysical dimensions of urban ecosystems such as soils, watersheds, biodiversity, waste cycles and climate as well as to issues of social sustainability and resource equity.  In doing so, they will examine whether it is possible to meet the material needs of city residents while simultaneously regenerating urban socio-ecological health. Further questions include whether urban ecosystem benefits can be distributed equally amongst a populace without further aggravating “green gentrification”, “disaster capitalism”, or “urban ecological securitization.”  The program will synthesize the social critiques of urban political ecology and environmental justice with the concepts of adaptive governance, urban commons, just sustainabilities, and resilience science.

AmeriCorps fellows will additionally engage in aspects of the Radix summer EcoJustice Associate summer youth employment program including facilitating a four-week urban agriculture/environmental justice-themed program for high school-aged Albany youth, taking on teaching roles in the ecojustice youth curriculum, and engaging in physical gardening activities.

Qualifications: It is essential that applicants have a commitment to principles of racial justice, gender equity, and be experienced working in diverse communities.  Furthermore, applicants should be comfortable working outdoors in hot summer weather conditions with plants, soils, compost, and animals. The ideal applicant will be capable of working both in groups and individually.  They strongly encourage BIPOC candidates, people identifying as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and people with working-class backgrounds to apply.

Start/End Dates: June 5- July 28

Salary/Pay: $675.08 bi-weekly living stipend.  Upon completion, there is a $1459.26 educational award This is a full-time (35 hours a week) volunteer fellowship position. Room and board is not provided. Accepted Fellows will be responsible for locating their own summer housing.

Application Deadline:  April 12

How to Apply: Interested applicants should request more information or send a letter of interest to Scott Kellogg at sk@radixcenter.org