Through the Blue Thumb Sustainable Landcare Training (SLC) program, we’re growing a local green infrastructure workforce and creating pathways in the environmental field. During the 30-hour program, trainees learn about stormwater best management practices (BMPs), including rain gardens, caring for native plants, and how to inspect and report on stormwater practices. SLC is geared for older youth and young adults, and we recruit trainees from communities that have historically experienced environmental injustice. We work to reduce barriers to participation, paying trainees, offering trainings at locations accessible via public transit, and providing technology, safety equipment, meals and other support. We connect our SLC graduates with mentorship and work opportunities, too. Some trainees from 2023 found immediate work work inspecting stormwater best management practices in the City of Minneapolis.

Learn more about the program here. Read a 2023 blog post about the program. Watch this short video on what participants learned.