IU grad finding niche with environmental group Green Corps

During her undergraduate tenure at IU, Cassie Wyss' goal was to make a difference in the fate of the environment.\n"I always knew I wanted to do something with the environment, but I didn't know exactly what," Wyss said. "When I was a senior at IU, I worked with the Indiana Forest Alliance to help protect state forests in Indiana and we got some victories and some losses. I wanted to learn how to get more victories."\nAfter graduating in 2001, Wyss decided to make her dream a reality by enrolling in Green Corps, a year-long environmental leadership training program with bases in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, DC. \nCreated in 1992 by environmental activists David Brower, Cesar Chavez and Lois Gibbs, Green Corps recruits 35 recent college graduates every year with hopes of transforming them into social leaders.\nProgram participants undergo one month of classroom training in August and later participate in four one-week workshops. Between seminars, students serve as full-time, paid "field organizers" at various environmental organizations. These job placements allow the students to exercise their newly acquired skills by orchestrating campaigns to improve the environment of the region where they complete their instruction, Wyss said.\nWyss, a former Wells Scholar who is currently undergoing Green Corps training in Boston, was assigned to the Toxics Action Center, where she lobbies against pollution by corporations. In addition, Wyss serves as the only full-time staff member at Recycling Action, an outgrowth of the Toxics Action Center. \nCurrently, she is leading a Recycling Action campaign to convince the Boston City Council to pass an ordinance requiring all apartment buildings in the city to be equipped with recycling programs.\nWyss' success in Green Corps influenced Midwest Recruiter Colleen Sarna's decision to actively hunt for graduating seniors from IU. \n"I'm excited at the prospect of having IU students work with us," Sarna said. "It seems like a wonderful atmosphere for future environmental leaders."\nShe explained that graduating seniors from all backgrounds can apply.\n"We're looking for people who want to be future leaders in the environmental movement," she said. "Leadership experience is key no matter what organization you were active in during your college years or what subject you majored in."\nJenna Perry, assistant recruitment director for Green Corps, said the program offers employment and networking opportunities to graduating seniors.\n"It's an excellent way to launch your environmental career," she said. "Green Corps is a way for graduates to really get the skills and training they need from leading environmental and social leaders."\nStudents can apply online at the Green Corps Web site (www.greencorps.org) no later than Jan. 21. All applicants will be contacted by telephone and can schedule a phone interview or an in-person interview in Chicago. Applicants who advance to the second round of interviews will be interviewed Feb. 15-16 at Northwestern University. \nWyss will complete her Green Corps requirements in August and feels her training has taught her valuable career information.\n"I was taught to look at a problem and think strategically about how to change it using tactics I never knew before," she said.