Guam Green Growth reports hundreds of thousands of cans collected, thousands of trees planted through village Conservation Corps

A representative of Guam Green Growth told the Mayor’s Council of Guam on the council’s meeting that the organization’s Conservation Corps workforce program has produced measurable results across the island.

"We've collected 203,000 cans," the presenter said, adding that redemption proceeds are returned to local schools. "We've planted over 5,000 trees," they said, and that the program has removed "over 2,600 large bags of trash" and cleared "76 cubic yards of large waste." The presenter also named program team leads and asked mayors to identify high-impact village projects for upcoming visits.

The presentation described the Conservation Corps as a five-month program that sends crews to a different village each Friday to support beautification, mural work, tree planting and trash removal. The presenter asked village staff to coordinate on scheduling and hospitality needs and directed mayors to contact Anania Nauta Kemp or Joyce Serteza for scheduling and details.

Council members asked whether the program could support environmental efforts beyond traditional cleanups and whether scheduled dates could be swapped; the presenter said the schedule is flexible and the team can support non-cleanup environmental projects if villages request it. The presenter also invited mayors to the University of Guam’s conference on island sustainability and offered sponsored registrations for mayors and vice mayors.

The council did not take formal action on the presentation but the executive director and mayors discussed follow-up items, including local coordination, program contact information, and clarifying how redemption funds and volunteer support are routed.

The Conservation Corps update is informational; the council’s next step is to work with village offices and the Conservation Corps contacts to finalize schedules and project scopes.