Sometimes EcoStudio positions remain unfilled after our application window. The following positions may still be available:
Client: Chapel Hill Public Library
Chapel Hill Public Library Park Maintenance Technician and Environmental Education Assistant
The Chapel Hill Public
Library Park Maintenance Technician and Environmental Education Assistant internship
is designed for someone who loves being outdoors in all types of weather
working with plants, people, and nature. This position will be responsible for
maintaining and monitoring a variety of garden spaces in Pritchard Park as well
as aiding with environmental education programs. The primary objectives for the
summer semester will be assisting with public programs that involve removing
invasive species, maintaining native plant gardens, planning activities for summer EE programs, and monitoring
nature in Pritchard Park.
Project Location: Chapel Hill Public Library
Project Level: Entry Level
Project Type
Internship
Skills Desired
Good communication/writing
skills.
Good people skills
with all ages.
Some botany knowledge
or a strong interest in native plants.
Ability to lift and push a partially loaded wheelbarrow.
Working knowledge of basic gardening tools and/or a desire to learn.
A love of people, nature, and being outdoors!
Project Deliverables
The ideal candidate
will:
1. Organize and assist with Volunteer Workdays in Pritchard Park on May 25, June
15, July 20, and August 17.
2. Learn which invasive species are living in
Pritchard Park and the best management practices for removal.
3. Swap out Story Walk books at three Town of Chapel Hill Parks.
4. Learn the needs of the native plants growing in the Sensory & Pollinator Gardens
and assist with maintaining them.
5. Organize and assist with activities for
children and families during our annual Meet the Creek event on June 23 and Moth
Night on July 13.
6. Monitor nest boxes and trail cameras in Pritchard Park
7. Use Canva to create informational posters for programs and events.
8. Supply
a progress report to your mentor at the end of each month.
9. Other
duties as required.
Unpaid internship
Comments:
Personal computer is required for some of the tasks.
Office space can be arranged but may change each week.
Contact Information
For more information about this project, please contact:
Dale Morgan
dmorgan@townofchapelhill.org
About this Organization
Total EcoStudio projects since 2018: 8
Projects led by this mentor: 7
Client: Orange County Solid Waste Management
Recycling Stars Internship
The “Recycling Stars”
Program with Orange County Solid Waste Management has been ongoing since May of
2022. The main goal of the program is to educate residents about recycling and improve
the overall quality and quantity of recyclables collected from households
around the County. Residents recycling properly are rewarded through star
stickers and raffle prizes. Residents not recycling properly receive ‘oops’
tags, personalized contamination letters, and other educational materials.
Teams of inspectors go
out to evaluate the recycling carts, collect data, assist with communications
to residents, and help make sure the program runs smoothly.
The program involves a
hands-on educational approach to educate residents on what can/can’t be
recycled in Orange County curbside carts along with creating awareness around
the harmful impacts of contamination.
An intern will be a part
time inspector and part time data analyst, gaining both experience in the field
and data management. They would help with the collection, input and analysis of
data from the cart evaluations.
Project Location: Chapel Hill and Remote
Project Level: Entry Level
Project Type
Internship
Skills Desired
Valid driver’s license
preferred
Strong oral and written
communication skills
Excellent program
management skills
Proficiency in Excel and
other Microsoft Office Suite programs
Capability with GIS
database program is a plus
Be motivated to improve
recycling in Orange County
Project Deliverables
Collaborate on a GIS and
data monitoring program to track the stage of the recycling evaluation to be
carried on by future interns
Collaborate on a
streamlined contamination inspection and recording process
Collect and analyze data
from STARS program
Minimize contamination
through education efforts
Track common contaminants
and rate of contaminants
Improve communication efforts
Funding$16.6/hr
Contact Information
For more information about this project, please contact:
Rachel Potts
rpotts@orangecountync.gov
About this Organization
Total EcoStudio projects since 2018: 24
Projects led by this mentor: 10
Client: Orange County Solid Waste Management
Glass on the Side Internship
The Glass on the Side (GOTS) program is a separate glass recycling program in Orange County for residents and restaurants. The County provides curbside collection for participating restaurants and drop-off locations for residents. Since the start of the program in late 2019, about 100 establishments have been added to the program.
Separate glass collection results in improved recycling efficiencies and program savings for the County. The intern will gain knowledge of the financial, efficiency, and systematic differences of separate glass collection in comparison to single-stream recycling and use this information to expand the existing GOTS program to more restaurants in the County that regularly use glass bottles and jars. The intern will conduct inspections of current participants’ glass recycling and support and educate participants on how to recycle correctly.
Project Location: Chapel Hill
Project Level: Entry Level
Project Type
Internship
Skills Desired
-Excellent program management skills.
-Strong data management skills. Experience with Microsoft Office Suite and/or Google programs.
-Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
-Knowledge of recycling, waste management, and/or life cycle assessments is preferred.
-A valid drivers license is highly preferred to allow the intern to drive to restaurants.
-Outdoor work is expected.
Project Deliverables
-Maintain databases of on-boarded restaurants and recycling contamination.
-Edit and hand deliver letters to program targets and participants.
-Submit weekly summary of work and hours at the end of the week.
-Summary report of project expansion efforts at the
end of internship.
-In addition, submit all deliverables for weekly
EcoStudio meetings and reflection paper if required.
Funding$16.6/hr
Contact Information
For more information about this project, please contact:
Caroline Hausler
chausler@orangecountync.gov
About this Organization
Total EcoStudio projects since 2018: 24
Projects led by this mentor: 3
These are other internship opportunities that we've heard of that may be of interest to our students. You will need to contact and apply to each organization and opportunity separately. We'll do our best to keep this page up-to-date, but there may be some opportunities that have already expired.
The Molchanov Scholars Program is an endowed internship program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Institute for the Environment. The program is a partnership between the UNC Institute for the Environment and environmentally-focused small businesses, non-profit organizations and government institutions in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Each year undergraduate students are matched with an environmental internship where they gain hands-on, professional training. Each Molchanov Scholar receives a $5,000 stipend to support their summer experience.
Undergraduate Internships and Fellowships: Find opportunities to conduct authentic research through internship programs across the country
This listing includes all kinds of opportunities for students at every grade level. You can filter the results to just show what you want. Also check out the NOAA undergraduate scholarships, because they have some paid internships listed here.
Check out the Resource Assistants Program. All RAP interns receive Direct Hire Authority (DHA) at the successful conclusion of their internship, which is a useful tool that can help with future employment in a federal agency.
Kay Blada Recycling is a 501(c)(3) certified non-profit, founded in 2015 and dedicated to alleviating poverty and cleaning up plastic waste in Haiti, while providing environmental education to the children of the community.
NCPIRG Students is a student organization that works with UNC students to protect the environment, and promote civic engagement. This Fall our priority campaign is our New Voters Project, where we will be working with the student government and other student groups this fall to make sure no one misses Election Day. We have virtual volunteer and internship opportunities doing outreach, organizing events, and spreading the world through media and social media. Click here to sign up for an information session and apply.
Interns and volunteers support office administration, attend events at the UN as Peace Boat US representatives, support campaigns, projects, and educational programs through outreach efforts, and write news and blog articles about our activities. Especially valuable skills and qualities include being multi-lingual (Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, and Japanese are especially helpful), graphic design, networking, photography, communications, public speaking, and very importantly, a passion to support the issues that Peace Boat US works on.
Let us know if you want us to list your position by emailing ecostudio@unc.edu
Send an email to ecostudio@unc.edu.
