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In April 2025, Chelsea Amelia Cruz, a National Community Relations Manager at Citi, embarked on a transformative journey with ELUME and The GREEN Program (TGP) in Iceland. This immersive learning experience, led by global sustainability experts, was designed to expand leadership toolkits, amplify social impact, and unleash the potential of organizations to address pressing global challenges. For Chelsea, this was more than just a professional development opportunity—it was a chance to reimagine how sustainability principles could be integrated into her work in economic and community development.
Chelsea’s Role at Citi: Driving Community Progress
As part of Citi’s Community Investing and Development division, Chelsea’s work focuses on providing philanthropic, programmatic, and capital support to initiatives that promote financial stability and economic progress for low- and moderate-income populations across the U.S. Her team takes a data-driven, community-first approach to address key needs such as affordable housing, workforce development, and financial education.
Accessible housing is a crucial element of sustainability, as it ensures equitable living conditions while promoting community resilience and reducing environmental impacts through efficient resource use and infrastructure development. Going into her experience, Chelsea recognized that the growing impact of climate change and extreme weather events necessitates a deeper integration of sustainability principles into community resilience efforts.
The Power of Immersive Learning in Iceland
Chelsea’s experience in Iceland with ELUME and TGP was a pivotal moment in her professional journey. The program’s immersive learning approach demonstrated how sustainability can be humanized, fostering trust, building community, and inspiring action. Reflecting on her time in Iceland, Chelsea shared:
“There is no report, video, nor photo that can replace the experience and impact of actually showing up and engaging with the community; bearing witness to the extraordinary impact that is possible when people come together to create solutions that are sustainable, community-driven, and systemic.”
One standout moment for Chelsea was visiting Flúðasveppir, Iceland’s only mushroom farm. The farm exemplifies circularity by using corn straw and chicken manure to grow mushrooms and then selling the spent substrate as fertilizer. This innovative approach to reducing waste and enhancing sustainability challenged Chelsea to think more holistically about solution design in her own field. She now frequently asks herself, “Are there byproducts of traditional interventions that can be leveraged for greater systemic impact?”
From Iceland to Action: Scaling Solutions at Home
Chelsea’s experience in Iceland didn’t just inspire her—it directly influenced her work back home. Chelsea focused on the Minimum Viable Impact (MVI) framework during her program, which serves as a practical tool to uncover innovative ways businesses can generate positive social, environmental, and governance impacts while enhancing overall business value. With the guidance from ELUME, the MVI framework encourages organizations to pinpoint a specific area where they can make a meaningful difference and offers a clear, step-by-step method for incorporating sustainability into their operations.
Through this process, participants are guided in testing their ideas to ensure they are viable before scaling their sustainable efforts. By utilizing the MVI framework, businesses not only achieve measurable financial and cultural benefits but also embed sustainability into their core identity. This approach fosters a robust culture of sustainability, empowering companies to drive significant change both internally and in the wider community.
Upon returning, Chelsea’s team integrated her MVI from Iceland and launched a pilot initiative aimed at improving financial health for families by enabling nonprofit affordable housing organizations to add residents’ rental payment history to their credit reports. Research shows that this can positively impact credit scores, particularly for those with low or no credit history.
But Chelsea and her team didn’t stop there. Recognizing that access to tools isn’t the same as usability, they incorporated financial education into the initiative. Residents now receive guidance on topics like credit building, budgeting, and homeownership, along with access to local resources such as 1:1 financial counseling. Community pop-up events further foster trust and engagement, ensuring the initiative is culturally relevant and impactful.
“The immersive learning I experienced with The GREEN Program inspired me to think beyond traditional solutions. It’s not just about providing tools—it’s about creating systems that empower communities and build trust.”
Looking Ahead: A Vision for Sustainable Community Development
Chelsea’s journey with ELUME and TGP has equipped her with a new lens for addressing community resilience and economic development challenges. By integrating sustainability principles into her work, she’s helping to create systemic, community-driven solutions that can scale across the U.S.
Her story is a testament to the power of immersive learning and the importance of showing up—both physically and mentally—to engage with communities and drive meaningful change. As Chelsea continues to lead initiatives that promote financial health and resilience, her experience in Iceland serves as a guiding light, reminding her of the extraordinary impact that’s possible when sustainability and community development intersect.
Chelsea’s journey highlights the transformative potential of strategic partnerships like ELUME and The GREEN Program. By stepping outside her comfort zone and immersing herself in a new environment, she gained fresh perspectives and actionable insights that are now shaping her work at Citi. Her story is an inspiration for professionals across industries to embrace sustainability, think holistically, and prioritize community-driven solutions.
If you’re looking to expand your leadership toolkit and amplify your impact, consider following in Chelsea’s footsteps with ELUME and The GREEN Program. Professionals who are seeking a bespoke, global learning experience and impact coaching can learn more about upcoming programming opportunities with ELUME and TGP HERE. To inquire about creating your own professional development experiences for your team, contact our team at info@thegreenprogram.com.
