Green Internships

Internships are the best way to get a foothold in a career door you may never get otherwise. The tricky part for finding a green internship is that they may not be listed as such in your college or otherwise. You may find them under departments, like marketing, PR, journalism, etc unless it is specific to a major like environmental science. Part of my curriculum while attending college required I complete a 40-hour a week internship for the whole semester senior year instead of taking classes. It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Internships can be found during each semester or in the summer. Some are mandatory and some are not. You can get college credit or get paid (stipend, salary, etc.) depending on what the employer offers. It is important to consult your counselor on the requirements for your program.

Many businesses look for interns for fresh ideas, unique angles, the latest industry developments and hands on help, to name a few. Interning at a smaller business may give you the opportunity to take on a variety of responsibilities, which can help the student understand different facets of the job and what they may like and what they may not want to pursue.

There are job boards to search to find out what’s out there, whether it is green or not. Keep your eyes peeled for companies who may be green, but may not say it in the header of their ad. Do lots of research because the internship you want may not be publicized, so learn about the company and even propose an internship and what you could do for them. Employers like the initiative, especially when there may be little time for them to recruit. I created a dual internship at SUNY Plattsburgh so I could work at two different organizations that were connected on the state and community level. This offered me broader perspective on how to service a group I wanted to focus in my career. I also concentrated in two different areas under one major, which I had to get special permission to do.

Besides your college there are job boards, websites and recruitment organizations to search.

Eco18.com is looking for our first intern as we celebrate our one-year anniversary this summer. Read the posting located at the end of the article for details. We would love to hear from you!

Check out seven other places to find eco friendly internships:

1. CoolWorks-Internships in the U.S. with outdoor centers, conservation corps, resorts, national parks, summer camps, etc. Humanitarian and environmental Internship opportunities also available in many countries around the world.
2. Conservation Job Board-Jobs and internships in conservation, natural resources, ecology, wildlife, forestry, botany, marine biology, fisheries, and environmental education.
3. Craigslist-Although not all green, this site is worth the mention. More than 1 million new job listings posted each month.
4. GreenBiz-Their green jobs and career center has jobs in solar and renewable energy, cleantech, green building, sustainable businesses and socially responsible organizations, and more. Green Job Spider
5. Sustainable Business-Renewable and clean energy jobs (solar, wind jobs), green building jobs, organic jobs, and all environmental and sustainable jobs.
6. TreeHugger-The leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream with a job board listing.
7. WiserEarth-Organization helps the global movement of people and organizations working toward social justice, indigenous rights, and environmental stewardship to connect, collaborate, share knowledge, and build alliances.

There are many other career sites to scour for internships and tips in general like Risingstar, Novoresume and Dream Careers, Inc, but they don’t specifically target eco-friendly internships.

Let me know about one you discovered that isn’t on my list. Most importantly, invest your time in an internship, It’s amazing what you’ll learn, experience you will gain, contacts you will make and consideration you may receive for a permanent position when available.

Future employers consider it a real plus, so get creative and get going!

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FULL TIME, SUMMER INTERN FOR ECO-FRIENDLY LIFESTYLES MEDIA WEBSITE

Exciting, fast-paced, unpaid summer internship with an eco-friendly media site celebrating their first year anniversary.

Need Jack-or-Jill of all trades, in their junior or senior year, who possesses a can-do attitude and drive to meet the demands of a start up media property and brand poised for growth. The intern will report to our Editor/Social Media Specialist.

Responsibilities will include:

• Building followers on social media platforms
• Helping to manage content for social media platforms
• Connecting with brands on behalf of the site to fact check and/or get content
• Developing campaigns to build engagement
• Writing online content
• Coordinating editorial calendars
• Staying in touch with writers and helping them meet deadlines
• Following trends
• Posting stories on WordPress
• Building media lists
• Editing articles
• Representing site at green events
• Linking to complementary sites
• Researching Competition
• Monitoring SEO
• Analyzing and reporting on social media interaction
• Supporting office admin

Our ideal candidate should have excellent written and verbal communication skills, be a self-starter, creative, very interested in healthy lifestyles and sustainable living and able to work in a small team environment.

Excellent opportunity for a dynamic journalism, marketing or PR major to gain real-world, career experience. MUST take an interest in a green/eco-friendly lifestyle and be active in and have working knowledge of popular social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and blogs. Knowledge of online media and Word Press a real plus. Strong knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint and Word for MAC computers.

Please embed your resume in the body of your email and email to melody@eco18.com. Do not use attachments. Only resumes with cover letters will be considered.

Tell us you found the posting in this article!