Meet the Californians serving in the first class of the American Climate Corps

At the start of summer, the White House swore in more than 9,000 members of the inaugural class of the American Climate Corps. The corps members are now serving across the country stifling wildfires, helping farms adapt to climate change, installing solar panels, conserving the country’s wildlands and, of course, helping climate organizations create some “hip” Instagram content. “I’m like, ‘Aw, you guys miss me.’ ” Now officially part of the ACC, “I’m so honored,” said Cobarrubias, who started in the California Climate Action Corps during its inaugural year. “I even had a few teachers say, ‘I’ve been working at this school for however long, and this is the first time anyone’s come in to talk about wildfire safety,’ ” said Thais. “There’s going to be bumps in the road — we still hit bumps in this program,” said Thais, “but getting more people out there who care about their communities is really awesome.” Taylor Vivona, right, holding tree trunk, plants trees, teaches urban forestry and runs Tree Treks — where he and a certified arborist take residents on an education walk at an urban park — as an American Climate Corps member at Tree San Diego.