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Celebrating 30 Years

Thirty years ago, EarthCorps was founded as the world’s first international conservation corps in Seattle, WA, USA. Now a global community of countless members – and more than 1,175 alumni from approximately 80 countries and 41 U.S. States – we are humbled and grateful to celebrate a massive milestone. As we celebrate the past and look towards the future, it is our privilege to continue working towards our vision of an equitable world where all people and nature thrive together.

Thank you for 30 years.


EarthCorps' Present

Reimagining Our Place

As we enter our 30th year, EarthCorps is reimagining its place in the global environmental movement. With a steadfast commitment to environmental restoration and global leadership, our team is renewing its commitment to equitable environmental stewardship – listening, learning, and serving the communities that have been disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. To realize our mission of cultivating leaders and community partnerships to advance environmental justice, we have identified a Three-Year Strategic Plan, which will guide us as we navigate our 30th year and enter an exciting new chapter.

Join Our Upcoming Events

Join EarthCorps in celebrating 30 years. Throughout the year, we’ll have quarterly in-person and virtual community and partner events that showcase and celebrate the people, work, and communities that shape who we are.

EarthCorps' Past

As we celebrate 30 years, we want to hear your story.

EarthCorps’ history and narrative are shaped and defined by our robust global community of alumni, supporters, partners, and friends. As we take a walk down memory lane, we want to hear from the folks who make EarthCorps.

SHARE YOUR STORY

EarthCorps' Foundation

Inspired by his experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Chile and Honduras, EarthCorps Founder Dwight Wilson envisioned a Peace Corps for the Earth – a place where young environmentalists from across the world could come together to plant trees, exchange perspectives, learn through service, and return home to implement projects and share what they had learned. In 1993, he and several friends realized their vision through an experimental program called Cascadia Quest. This effort, now known as EarthCorps, grew into a year-round hands-on program for promising young environmental leaders.

Historical Highlights

1993:
EarthCorps’ Founder Dwight Wilson forms an experimental reverse Peace Corps called Cascadia Quest.

1995:
Cascadia Quest adds the name “King County World Conservation Corps” and starts a public-private partnership with King County that creates the corps program as a pioneering training and national service experience.

1999:
Steve Dubiel becomes Executive Director and renames organization to EarthCorps.

2000:
Volunteers plant 200,000 trees in the Mountains to Sound Greenway. EarthCorps earns the Anne V. Farrell Award for youth programs.

2003:
EarthCorps initiates efforts that place 42 acres of Seward Park’s forests into restoration.

2004:
Seward Park restoration efforts lead to the creation of the Green Seattle Partnership –  an effort to restore 2,500 acres of forested parks in 20 years.

2007:
EarthCorps expands its volunteer program to the cities of Kirkland, Tacoma, Mercer Island, and Everett.

2011:
EarthCorps formalizes a partnership with Friends of the Hylebos and launches a watershed improvement initiative in the Hylebos watershed.

2012:
EarthCorps adopts People for Puget Sound’s restoration program as they close their doors.

2013:
The team releases its first US field study on Blue Carbon, based on core samples in coastal wetlands in the Snohomish Estuary.

2014:
EarthCorps collaborates to establish the Commencement Bay Stewardship Collaborative, a first-in-the-nation model to maintain and monitor 17 Natural Resources Damage Assessment sites in perpetuity.

2017:
Begins a 10-year longitudinal impact evaluation on our flagship corps program.

2018:
EarthCorps celebrates 25 years and increases the corps program by 25%. Produces a Native Pollinator Habitat Restoration Guide for the Puget Sound region.

2019:
Senator Cory Booker cites EarthCorps report on Blue Carbon as data for his climate action plan. EarthCorps celebrates its 200,000th volunteer.

2022:
Evlyn Andrade becomes Executive Director and redefines EarthCorps mission and vision.

2023:
EarthCorps celebrates 30 years of cultivating leaders and community partnerships to advance environmental justice.

EarthCorps' Future

Invest in the Future

Join EarthCorps in working towards greener futures for all. By making a gift, raising awareness through peer-to-peer fundraising, and getting involved you’re supporting a world where all communities and ecosystems are resilient to the world’s most pressing environmental issues.

Community Partnerships

More than 10,000 youth, business leaders, and community members join us annually as we work to restore and sustain the region’s natural ecosystems and green spaces for future generations to enjoy. Our community partners invest in a healthy and sustainable world and provide the next generation of youth with the knowledge, skills, and experience to deal with pressing global environmental challenges.

Want to learn more? Connect with EarthCorps’ Director of Partnerships.