By Aleena Oakley and Gabbie Ulloa-Rodrigues 

In April, nine students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities across North Carolina and South Carolina gathered for the HBCU Energy Leadership Pathway Energy Summit, a collaboration between E4 Carolinas and SEI’s Energize Colleges program. Designed to build a more innovative and equitable energy workforce, the Pathway introduces students to industry careers through hands-on learning, mentorship, and professional development. 
​
Working in teams, participants representing Livingstone College, Claflin University, North Carolina A&T State University, Johnson C. Smith University, North Carolina Central University, and Shaw University tackled a complex problem: reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a city’s transportation sector. Students examined who is most impacted, explored environmental justice impacts, and built solutions grounded in both analysis and lived realities. They presented before a panel of judges, sharing bold, actionable ideas for a more sustainable future.

By Isaí Rea 

San Diego’s ambitious clean energy and decarbonization goals demand a skilled, diverse workforce. SEI believes that creating a sustainable future means empowering all communities with pathways to high-wage, high-growth careers in the clean energy economy.

That’s why we are thrilled to announce that SEI, alongside partners Resource Innovations (RI) and the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty of San Diego County (MAAC), has been selected to deliver Spark Your Career, a new program from the San Diego Regional Energy Network (SDREN). ​This comprehensive, system-wide initiative will serve 2,200 individuals entering or upskilling in energy efficiency, electrification and decarbonization industries.
​
“With this project, we are focusing on enhancing the great work that is already being done in San Diego through collaboration, refinement and streamlining rather than creating new initiatives,” says SEI Program Director Tiffany Mrotek. “We believe all the pieces are already here; it’s all about creating harmony in the workforce system to better serve San Diego.”

By Isaí Rea

By Gabbie Ulloa-Rodrigues

By Emily Mallen

By Aneri Rodriguez

School gardens play an important role in our school communities as a space for learning and connecting with nature. Yet, while 50% of California schools have dedicated garden spaces, fewer than 9% actively use them. 

Not on our watch! SEI has been a long supporter of garden education throughout the Bay Area, and is continuing to do so through their latest program: Energize Schools Garden Hub. ESGH is providing free services to elementary schools throughout San Francisco to help school communities engage with their garden. Teachers and school community members want to be empowered and excited to support their school gardens, and ESGH meets you where you are. We offer training workshops, instructional support, maintenance planning support, and access to garden curriculum and resources.

Dear Friends and Supporters of SEI:

It is with a heavy heart that I share the difficult news that our AmeriCorps grant, which supported SEI’s Climate Corps Education Outside program, was canceled without notice, along with 1,000 other program grants nationwide. This vital program has brought garden-based education to more than 10,000 children in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties each year since 2019. As a result, we face the heartbreaking reality that 29 dedicated garden educators — individuals who have inspired curiosity, nurtured growth, and built community in Bay Area school gardens — will be losing their jobs. 

Despite this sudden and immediate loss of AmeriCorps funding, we are currently able to retain our 29 Fellows until May 15 through alternative funding sources. Our goal is to extend this timeline so that students, teachers, and Fellows can experience as much closure and stability as possible. We are urgently calling on our community for emergency support to help bridge this gap.