Nonprofit Spotlight: Browning the Green Space

For many community college students in Massachusetts, clean energy is a field they’ve heard of but can’t quite describe. They might know they’re interested in solar, or that someone mentioned battery storage, but the breadth of the industry is largely unfamiliar. That’s the gap Browning the Green Space (BGS) is working to fill.

Founded in 2020, BGS is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit focused on accelerating an equitable energy transition by creating jobs, building wealth, and reducing energy burden in Black and Brown communities. BGS is the region’s leading equity-first connector that ensures diverse workers, founders, and communities participate fully in—and benefit from—the accelerating clean energy transition. Through trusted relationships, a unique cross-sector network, and deep climate expertise, BGS serves as a bridge between the local workforce, community organizations, employers, policymakers, and innovators—ensuring that clean energy growth directly benefits the communities most excluded from climate opportunity.

We talked with Tatiana Soto, Program Manager at BGS, about the workforce side of that work and a new program she’s been building since joining the organization about a year ago.

Meeting students where they are

BGS has served as a training provider for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s Support Internship Program Success (SIPS) initiative, and also runs a similar program in Rhode Island for that state’s Office of Energy Resources. Over the last 5 years BGS has supported over 200+ BIPOC and first generation college students in landing internships with clean energy companies 

When Tatiana joined BGS, one of the first things that was discussed was the historic pattern that community college students were less represented in the cohorts. The internship programs tended to attract graduate students and older four-year degree candidates who already knew enough about the field to seek it out. Two-year degree students – often first-generation college students with fewer professional networks – weren’t showing up.

Furthermore, that data, combined with what Tatiana observed running internship workshops, pointed to a deeper issue. Even students who did participate in the internship program  sometimes struggled to speak to the full scope of the industry. They might come in with a specific interest, but needed deeper and prolonged  exposure beyond the summer workshops to offshore wind, geothermal, building performance, or the range of policy and operations roles that support clean energy work. As Tatiana put it, they couldn’t yet “walk the walk and talk the talk.”

Building the Climate P.A.T.H. curriculum

Out of that gap came Climate P.A.T.H. (Preparing for Access, Training and Hiring), a workforce development initiative that includes an 18-session introductory curriculum Tatiana developed alongside Alisha Harrington, BGS’s Managing Director. The curriculum component is designed for community college students and structured in four modules: foundations (energy in everyday life, climate basics, environmental justice), solutions and innovations (an overview of clean energy sectors), opportunities within those sectors, and a final module on next steps.

Students also complete a community innovation project throughout the course, connecting what they’re learning to their own communities and circumstances.

BGS is currently piloting Climate P.A.T.H. at Roxbury Community College in Boston as a non-credit course with 15 students enrolled with BGS staff serving as the instructors. The program runs as a hybrid – some sessions are virtual, others are held in-person at RCC, where students have access to computers if they need them. A $300 stipend helps remove participation barriers for this round. BGS also works alongside RCC’s existing career services team rather than running a parallel track, integrating its content with what the college is already providing students.

Recently, BGS received an award from MassCEC to fully implement the program, deepening the Roxbury partnership and bringing Climate P.A.T.H. to a second community college in Western Massachusetts.

A look at the model

The longer vision for Climate P.A.T.H. is a year-long experience. Phase one is building knowledge and awareness through the spring curriculum. Phase two is pathway identification over the summer, when students who are eligible and interested can feed directly into SIPS internships – or pursue other pathways for further technical training, certifications or continued education. Participants  receive mentorship, industry speaker exposure, and job readiness support. Phase three is activation in the fall, where BGS provides wraparound support to help students actively move into their next step, including full-time roles.

The program is built to serve two tracks common at community colleges: students on an associate/transfer path headed toward operations, coordination, finance, or policy roles; and students on a workforce track with access to hands-on technical coursework in areas like EV, solar, or building automation.

Success stories from the program

BGS’s internship programs offer some early evidence of what this kind of support can do. One former SIPS intern went on to become Director of Programs at a Massachusetts clean energy company within about two years of completing the internship, a trajectory Tatiana described as remarkable even for someone who came in with strong credentials. Another intern had his placement extended twice by his host employer, who chose to keep him on through the fall using their own funds after the formal program period ended.

A third intern, wrapping up her participation last year, wrote in her exit survey that the experience felt like “an opportunity of a lifetime” and that she was actively seeking full-time roles as she prepared to graduate. The employer who hosted her was interested in rehiring her.

The structure works well for everyone involved – students get paid, employers get reimbursed and gain capacity, and participants leave with real experience in the field.

Why it’s important

What BGS is doing with Climate P.A.T.H. reflects something broader about how workforce pipelines get built… or don’t. Internship programs and job boards assume a baseline of industry knowledge and professional confidence that not every student has. By building that foundation earlier, and specifically reaching students who have historically been underserved by those programs, BGS is trying to widen the door at the point where many people get left out.

To learn more, visit Browning the Green Space and explore their programs.