Contact: Bryce Frohlich, Community Resilience Specialist,
[email protected]
A2ZERO Ambassadors
Interested in being involved in local climate and sustainability action? Apply to be an A2ZERO Ambassador.
What is the A2ZERO Ambassador Program?
The A2ZERO Ambassador Program is a 12-session training program that hosts community members to dive deeply into pathways for advancing local sustainability initiatives, resilience, and carbon neutrality in Ann Arbor. Sessions are held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT and include both in-person and hybrid components.
Why
become an A2ZERO Ambassador?
Ambassadors will gain increased knowledge, tools, and resources to discuss sustainability broadly and specific actions they and their communities can begin implementing to advance carbon neutrality. There are no previous experience requirements, and all who are interested in sustainability are encouraged to apply.
During their training, A
2ZERO Ambassadors learn about topics such as:
- Principles of equity and environmental justice
- Community sustainability, climate change, and climate action
- Energy principles, beneficial electrification, and renewable energy
- Water efficiency, water quality, stormwater, and our watershed
- Transportation and our choices about moving around our community
- How to get to a circular economy through waste reduction, composting, recycling, sustainable purchasing, and material reuse
- Local food: how to grow it, eat it, and find it
- Personal and community resilience
- What Ambassadors can do to advance carbon neutrality
How can I get involved?
Applications for our 7th Cohort of A2ZERO Ambassadors will open up in late 2024. Interested applicants are invited to subscribe to the Office of Sustainability and Innovations
newsletter to stay current on A2ZERO initiatives.
Email Bryce Frohlich to learn more or get engaged!
Are you interested in joining the next cohort of Ambassadors? Fill out this interest
form
Expectations of A2ZERO Ambassadors
Upon acceptance into the program, A2ZERO Ambassadors pledge to attend and engage in all 12 training sessions and commit to upholding the values of A2ZERO and the Office of Sustainability and Innovations (OSI) as a community extension working towards achieving an equitable transition to community-wide carbon neutrality.
Ambassadors are also expected to engage with at least one OSI annual or seasonal event, such as:
-
A2ZERO Week (Second week of June annually)
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Local Food Fest (Annually in the Fall)
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A2ZERO Green Fair (Annually in the Fall)
-
Home Electrification Expo (Annually in the summer)
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10,000 Tree Giveaways
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Neighborhood Swap Days
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And Other community sustainability events
Applicants to the Ambassador program will have a choice of applying to one of two pathways to become an A2ZERO Ambassador:
Pathway #1: Ambassadors commit to attending all training sessions and, upon completing their training, pledge to complete at least one outreach activity, such as giving a presentation to a group they are part of about a current Office of Sustainability and Innovation priority.
Pathway #2: Ambassadors commit to attending all training sessions and assisting on a sustainability-related project with other members of their cohort supported by the Office of Sustainability and Innovations staff or a community partner. Project lengths can vary depending on scope and interest.
Ambassadors in action
2024 Free-Tree Giveaway
A2ZERO Ambassadors volunteer at the Clague Middle School site for the Office of Sustainability and Innovations Spring Free-Tree Giveaway! Over 4,500 trees were given away.
You can track tree plantings from these and other 10,000 Tree events by visiting our
A2ZERO Metrics Dashboard.
Green Energy Neighbors
Whether it’s a home energy audit, energy recovery ventilator, electric appliance, heat pump, solar panel, storage batteries, electric vehicles, and chargers, or even insulating your home, making energy efficiency changes can be time-consuming and confusing. Luckily, we have friendly neighbors who can share their experiences and lessons learned to help you get started!
The Green Energy Neighbors, developed and administered by a dedicated group of A²ZERO Ambassadors, is a free service that connects individuals considering energy efficiency improvements (“Learners”) with people in the community who have already made some of these changes (“Mentors”).
Click here to learn more about the Green Energy Neighbors!