Menu

MN GreenCorps alumni careers soar in energy efficiency industry

April 2024

Story by Joel Haskard

The Minnesota GreenCorps program, coordinated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) aims to preserve and protect Minnesota’s environment while training a new generation of environmental professionals. 

The Clean Energy Resource Teams has been lucky to work with several GreenCorps members over the years. They have not only been exceptional individuals but also valuable assets to our team. Some members even went on to become remarkable clean energy leaders. (We're looking at you, Katie Jones!)

As the landscape of the energy efficiency sector continues to evolve, so too do the career trajectories within it. In our quest to delve deeper into the paths taken by these former members, we are delighted to introduce Ally Peters and Parker Lindberg!

Ally Peters

Close up shot of a woman smiling. She is white with brown hair and eyes. She is wearing gold jewelry and a light pink blouse., Location: Saint Paul, MN

GreenCorps service: I served with Saint Paul Public Schools in the Air Pollutant Reduction track, primarily focusing on contributions to an Energy Action Plan for the District.

Dates of service: September 2019 to September 2020 

Current job: Energy Efficiency Specialist at Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. I assist businesses doing walkthrough consultations to identify energy conservation and efficiency opportunities like behavioral changes, equipment upgrades, and high level audit programs. My team also connects businesses with relevant utility resources and financial incentives that can help make high efficiency projects more accessible. With the wide array of program offerings out there, it can often be too time consuming for already-busy business owners to find resources that are the right fit, so our goal is to bridge that gap. 

Minnesota GreenCorps is the gateway to opportunity for a lot of folks in the environmental field. It’s a great way to narrow down your interests, learn more about different career paths, and get really solid relevant experience in several different areas. In terms of exposure to different career options, it’s easily one of the best routes to explore. The field is growing all the time, and demand for talent is increasing in tandem. It’s a great time to jump in!

Get Energy Stories delivered

Parker Lindberg

Close up photo of man smiling. He appears to be white with brown hair and a beard. He is wearing glasses and a light red shirt.

Location: Minneapolis, MN

GreenCorps service: During my service, I worked with the City of Saint Paul on sustainability initiatives, including the energy benchmarking mandate and the Evie Carshare program.

Dates of service: September 2020 to August 2021 

Current job: Energy Analyst, Frontier Energy. In my current role, I am working as an energy efficiency consultant, working with utility companies to help their customers reduce energy consumption and provide conservation incentives.

My advice to anyone considering a GreenCorps service is, one, do it. Two, talk to your fellow GreenCorps members as well as coworkers at your host organization as much as you can. It will really help to get ideas about where you want to go in your career. My advice to anyone looking into a career in energy/climate work is to stay informed on the ways in which the industry is changing, and to be creative in your job search, there are lots of roles where you can make an impact.

Minnesota GreenCorps is an Americorps Program. In 2023 and 2024, CERTs joined RSDP in hosting AmeriCorps members through Ampact. Applications for 2024-25 AmeriCorps Climate Impact Project Coordinators through Ampact are open in each region of Minnesota. 

White man wearing a neon yellow vest and white hard hat handling equipment in a manufacturing-style facility.
March 2024

Minnesota biochar and the future of making steel

Latina woman with dark hair faces a person with their face to the camera. Trees are in background.
March 2024

Latino leadership delivering energy savings to manufactured home parks: Meet Growing Up Healthy

Black and white image. A man with a braid is sitting on a rock structure. He sits close to a boy with a braid. Their backs face us as they overlook a cliff and trees.
October 2023

Fanning the Flames: Native-run solar thermal company ignites careers

We encourage reuse and republishing of this story. All Clean Energy Resource Teams stories are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution license, meaning you can share and adapt the work as long as you give us credit. We'd also love it if you link back to the original piece. Have questions or want to chat? Drop us a line.