Thank you Susan Bence and WUWM for highlighting Great Lakes CCC’s Michael Brichta on climate change in “Perspectives on politics through the prism of the environment.” The article also offers an additional four-minute audio report about Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps’ Cedar Creek cleanup initiative.
Here is the excerpt about Michael and Great Lakes CCC:
Another Milwaukeean trying to make a difference is Michael Brichta. He says climate change drove his career path. “I spent ten years in landscaping and then went to school for permaculture design,” Brichta says.
Permaculture mimics the diversity and resilience of nature by integrating perennials — like fruit and nut trees — with annual vegetables and herbs.
I found him working with a small crew in the Metcalfe Park neighborhood.
“What we do is go around to startup farms, nonprofits and help them… Over here, we were doing some weeding, and we planted daylilies, black-eyed Susans,” Brichta says.
He wants elected officials—at every level of government—to support neighborhood initiatives rather than industrial-scale operations, which Brichta says “require massive input—thousands of pounds of chemicals and fertilizers that get into our waterway and creates a cascade effect over every single organism in the ecosystem.”
He believes, “There are millions of people in this country who want a clear path to the solutions that we already have available to us at a small scale.”
Photo courtesy Ryan Patterson, Racine Journal Times
Mitchell eighth graders in Racine, WI, learn about growing trees in communities from Chris Litzau and Great Lakes CCC.
Thank you Ryan Patterson and The Racine Journal Times for covering the “Impact your Community Expo.” Our director, Chris Litzau had the opportunity to interact with middle school students about the importance of the natural environment in our communities. Read the article below that appeared on the front page in the May 3rd issue.
RACINE — Chris Litzau spoke with middle schoolers about the process for and importance of growing trees.
Students then took home swamp white oak saplings to plant.
“You’ve got it right in your hands; the power to make change starts with you,” said Litzau, director of the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps.
Litzau was part of an inaugural event intended to help eighth grade students grow and become more rooted in their communities.
The GLCCC was one of more than a dozen organizations at Mitchell K-8 School, 2701 Drexel Ave., on Tuesday for an “Impact your Community Expo.”
Chris Litzau, director of the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps, talks to students while holding a tree sapling during the “Impact your Community Expo.”Ryan Patterson
The expo was designed to help students learn about the community and potential ways to become involved and employed. It also aimed to increase awareness for students and their families about the variety of offerings from local organizations, such as affordable housing and literacy assistance.
“They’re learning about all these great entities in the community, (and) a lot of them are under-tapped,” said Kari Morey, Racine Unified academy and transformation coordinator.
Small groups of students attended several workshops that lasted about 20 minutes and listened to keynote speakers for an hour.
Eighth graders Devarion Sims, from left, Sofia Guerrero and Eliana Ordonez listen to a presentation about tree saplings during the “Impact your Community Expo” at Mitchel K-8 School, 2701 Drexel Ave.Ryan Patterson
The organizations were mainly nonprofit and civic groups such as Focus on Community, United Way of Racine County and the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
Tuesday’s event was a pilot program. Next school year, RUSD plans to have one large event at the start of both semesters for eighth graders at Mitchell, Gifford and Jerstad-Agerholm schools to learn about the community and get potential ideas for capstone projects.
Capstone classes are new this school year at Racine Unified. They are part of the middle school academy models that began last school year at Mitchell, Gifford and Jerstad-Agerholm.
RUSD will likely adjust the events next school year based on feedback from organizations and students about Tuesday’s expo.
The expo was logistically difficult to organize and included a few late cancellations, which resulted in other entities filling in at the last minute.
That included the Racine Fire Department, which provided hands-on examples for how to use a fire extinguisher and help a choking baby.
Eighth grader Marcus Dorsey practices using a fire extinguisher during the “Impact your Community Expo” at Mitchel K-8 School. The Racine Fire Department was one of more than a dozen organizations at the event.Ryan Patterson
Morey said it is an ongoing process to engage community entities to work with the school district on the middle school academies, and she encouraged interested organizations to contact the district.
“We’re going to have to grow it with two more schools next year,” Morey said.
One committed organization is the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps, which Litzau said many young people work at, including middle schoolers during summer.
Mike Brichta, GLCCC project manager, spoke about the importance of biodiversity and planning ahead when planting trees, which also applies to students’ futures.
“It starts with the next generation,” Brichta said.
Chris Litzau, director of the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps, speaks about the process for and importance of growing trees during an “Impact your Community Expo” Tuesday at Mitchel K-8 School, 2701 Drexel Ave. Ryan Patterson
The Environmental Protection Agency has chosen the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps to receive a grant to recruit and train workers for Racine community revitalization.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced on December 8, 2023 that Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps is one of 14 national organizations awarded a large grant to recruit and train workers. Great Lakes CCC will implement work, funded by the grant, in Racine, Wisconsin as part of the Investing in America agenda.
This latest funding for EPA’s Brownfield Job Training Grants is supported by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will boost workforce training in underserved and overburdened communities.
The Great Lakes CCC Veterans Corps constructed a “Community Shares” farmstand this month to provide fresh produce to community members during the Thanksgiving season, veteran or not.
Special guests Racine Mayor Cory Mason and Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary-Designee Kathy Blumenfeld visited the GLCCC headquarters at 1437 Marquette St. in Racine. Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps Director Chris Litzau discussed ongoing clean energy workforce development and other clean energy efforts the GLCCC is doing.
Each Great Lakes CCC graduation ceremony consists of opening remarks from President Chris Litzau, followed by opening remarks, a special speaker, diploma and certification presentations, and a luncheon reception. The event offers the opportunity to celebrate the students’ achievements and reflects on their development.
For our (CERT) School graduation, students had the opportunity to listen to Muhibb Dyer at Great Lakes CCC. Mr. Dyer is a Milwaukee native and one of the founders of the I Will Not Die Young Young Campaign and Flood the Hood with Dreams. Both grassroots initiatives inspire inner-city youth with hope and guidance away from youth violence.
It is a proud day for us all when the Great Lakes CCC helps a veteran achieve their dream. The Great Lakes CCC Veterans Corps program serves all veterans transitioning into civilian life, without age limits. Our goal is to promote a sense of purpose, provide peer support, develop job skills training, and instill self-confidence among veterans.
Read Rachel Kubik’s moving story about Travis Gardner. As a member of the Veterans Corps of the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps, Gardner earned project-based credits in our Certification and Emergency Response Training (CERT) School that helped him achieve a life-long dream.
For two years, the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps worked with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to produce a “tiny, but mighty” portable solar-powered charging station.
Community resiliency and preparedness has become a top priority as we face more extreme weather conditions and potential natural disasters. Residents and first responders need to have reliable communication methods. If the electrical grid goes down, and people are without power, alternative power sources like solar, can help people manage emergency situations. A solar-powered charging station can be mobilized quickly to critical areas needing an electricity source.
