Energy Warriors began with a bold vision: that environmental literacy and green job training could be tools of liberation for youth caught in the justice system. In 2014, Judge Marjorie Z. Olds—an Ithaca-based attorney, educator, and justice reformer—founded the program to serve young people in the New York State juvenile detention system, offering hands-on education in sustainability and green careers.

Judge Olds, one of the first women admitted to Johns Hopkins University, has spent her career building systems of care and accountability. She founded the Ithaca Law Guardian Office, helped shape the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) program in Tompkins County, and has mentored generations of youth, lawyers, and educators. Energy Warriors was her way of turning environmental education into a pathway for healing, purpose, and re-entry.

From 2015 to 2019, Judge Olds partnered with Dr. Aloja Airewele to deliver Energy Warriors programming across multiple Office of Children and Family Services juvenile facilities statewide, including Finger Lakes Residential Center, Youth Leadership Academy, South Kortright Residential Center, MacCormick Secure Center, and Brookwood Secure Center.

In 2015, Energy Warriors also subcontracted with the SEAT Center in Schenectady, a workforce development organization, to deliver specialized instruction in environmental literacy and building science principles at Brookwood Secure Center. This collaboration extended the program’s reach and deepened its technical rigor, offering incarcerated youth a rare opportunity to engage with sustainability concepts and hands-on energy systems in a secure facility setting.

Together, these efforts brought environmental education directly into carceral spaces—empowering youth with knowledge, skills, and hope for a future beyond confinement.

In 2021, Dr. Airewele relaunched and expanded Energy Warriors through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, transforming it into a regional workforce development initiative. Today, the program serves adults facing employment barriers—returning citizens, veterans, and low-income residents—while continuing to engage youth through school-based programming.

Participants complete a 12-week curriculum covering:

•  Climate change and environmental justice

•  HVAC, solar, and weatherization skills

•  Career readiness and wraparound supports

Graduates earn certification as Environmental Specialists, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. The program is now expanding into paid on-the-job training, advanced technical training, and regional replication—building a green workforce rooted in equity, resilience, and community transformation.