Links to Internship and Volunteer Opportunities

The ENVS program highly encourages experiential and service learning as part of your environmental studies degree. If you would like inquire about obtaining Guilford College credit toward your degree for an internship experience, please be sure to speak with the ENVS coordinator PRIOR to engaging in the activity. Not all internships will be appropriate for academic credit, so it is important to make sure!

Back to the Environmental Studies Home Page

Links to other helpful sites:

Environmental Careers Organization has listings of available jobs and internships in the environmental field. http://www.eco.org

Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University career links http://www.env.duke.edu/career/

Wake Forest Environmental Studies internship links – http://www.wfu.edu/academics/environmental/

Local Environmental Education:

The Center for Education, Imagination, and the Natural World at Timberlake Farm provides opportunities for college students to intern or volunteer as "Earth Guides." As an Earth Guide, you lead groups of children on nature hikes through the woods and do activities with them to become more aware of their surroundings and more connected with nature. http://www.beholdnature.org/

Piedmont Environmental Center provides programs and a place for people to learn, conserve, and enjoy the natural world. Through hands on education, the center emphasizes the interrelated and fragile nature of life. In addition to an outdoor classroom for all ages, the center has ten miles of relaxing trails to observe wildlife in their natural habitat. Volunteers help provide quality programming for school aged participants by being trail leaders, helping with special events, or working in the Nature Store. http://www.piedmontenvironmental.com/

The Greensboro Natural Science Center is a wonderful facility that sponsors children's programs and workshops, and has an amazing collection of animals on site including lemurs and large cats. They also have very nice fossil and mineral displays, and would likely have opportunities in both educational outreach as well as managing content. http://www.natsci.org/

Sci Works is the Science Center and Environmental Park of Forsyth County. The center has a planetarium, a 15-acre environmental park, and special exhibits and programs. Volunteers are needed to help with programs dealing with science, technology, environmental and contemporary issues. Volunteer opportunities at http://www.sciworks.org/volunteering.htm

Other Local Opportunities:

Appalachian Trail Maintaining Club needs volunteers primarily to help maintain weekend hiking trails across the state. Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers (PATH) is Greensboro’s local club http://www.path-at.org/index.html

Greensboro Parks and Recreation has some unpaid internships with exciting projects and room for leadership development, from sports to environmental law. During the summer months, part time paid job opportunities are also available in the regional parks of Greensboro. As a volunteer, you can help with tree and landscape planting, litter pickup, weeding and edging, or even adopting a park and or stream. Call John Hughes at 336-273-2173 for updates on volunteer opportunities. http://www.ci.greensboro.nc.us/leisure/

Greensboro Beautiful, Inc. is interested in helping Guilford County’s progress toward long term health and vitality. Volunteers and two interns can help with the Indicators of Sustainable Community Project, a project to create and sustain indicators that measure Guilford County’s progress towards sustainability. You can help revise these indicators, create mechanisms to support their implementation, and help educate the public in order to raise awareness about issues surrounding sustainability. 336-373-2199

Guilford County Soil and Water Conservation District focuses on protecting water quality as well as preventing soil erosion. The SWCD also offers educational programs on a range of topics such as protecting the wetlands, preventing pollution, and handling hazardous materials properly. Students can also be part of contests around conservation themes. Volunteers are encouraged to help out with programs, implementing conservation methods, and raising awareness. 336-375-5401

Guilford Environmental Coalition - Meetings are not held regularly, but the coalition of local organizations, like the Environmental Resource Center of Greensboro, come together to support environmental advocacy needs as they arise. Gary Kenton, 272-4020, has previously supervised a Guilford student in a local environmental political internship. The internship is loosely structured, so you need to have a lot of motivation. Gary is willing and excited to supervise another Guilford intern.

Parks and Land Management:

 

Piedmont Land Conservancy protects land in our area by working with interested landowners to help them achieve their conservation goals. Many Guilford students have worked as interns with this organization to assist in their efforts to preserve and protect land in the region. http://www.piedmontland.org

State Opportunities

Brooks, Pierce, McClendon, Humphrey, and Leonard is a North Carolina general partnership established to practice law. If you want to deal with environmental law cases, you can research cases, learn about court procedures, and become familiar with U.S. laws that deal with environmental issues. Although this internship has not been a paid one in the past, the partnership provides a valuable learning experience.

Carnivore Preservation Trust is located in Pittsboro, NC. It was founded to preserve certain endangered species that are essential to the survival of threatened ecosystems through a planned program of selective breeding. http://www.cptigers.org/

Clean Water Fund of North Carolina helps communities with education about environmental issues, citizen empowerment and investigative research about your problem. Their organization has volunteers, members, a biracial staff and Board of Directors. Volunteers and staff have helped communities survey local groundwater pollution problems, assess stream health, or educating community members about their environmental rights. The Clean Water Fund has two offices, one in Raleigh and the other in Asheville, North Carolina. http://www.cwmtf.net/

Environment Federation of North Carolina is committed to the well being of our community’s environment. 22 organizations across North Carolina make up the federation. Some organizations include the Agriculture Resources Center, North Carolina Solar Energy Association, Piedmont Land Conservancy (Greensboro), Rural Advancement Foundation International USA, and many more. These organizations are all working to protect, maintain, and renew North Carolina’s valuable resources. The federation focuses on educating communities, preserving mountains, waters, wetlands and woodland habitats, and restoring endangered plants and animals. Call individual organizations or see individual files for specific opportunities. http://www.efnc.org/

Jones Lake State Park in Elizabethtown, NC has summer employment opportunities for natural resource management. A salary and housing is available. For more information, contact the Jones Lake State Park office at 910-588-4550.

North Carolina Aquariums offers summer and academic internships. Activities may include support for field trips, children’s classes, live animal programs, interpretive demonstrations, etc. Some jobs are paid. Applications are required and housing is the responsibility of the intern. Depending upon the job, modest hourly wages will be provided. http://www.aquariums.state.nc.us/files/vol.htm

North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources - This is the NC state equivalent of the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Contact information and job opportunities can be found at their home page: http://www.enr.state.nc.us/

North Carolina State Government Internship Program provides 10 week summer internships for college students covering topics such as coastal management, environmental education and environmental health services. A full listing of current opportunities and an application form can be found at: http://www.doa.state.nc.us/doa/yaio/intern.htm

NC WARN (The North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network) is a citizen group that works on issues concerning hazardous waste, chemical as well as radioactive, throughout North Carolina. Contact email: nc-warn@pobox.com

SunShares is a non-profit organization based in Durham. Sun Shares has programs in waste reduction, energy efficiency, and water conservation as well. They are seeking interns for the summer as well fall and spring terms. Interns receive a large monthly stipend for working forty hours a week, but housing is not provided. 919-596-1870

National Organizations

Student Conservation Association is a very useful Job Page for volunteer, internship and employment opportunities in national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, urban greenways and woodlands managed by nonprofit conservation organizations.. http://www.sca-inc.org/

Environmental Protection Agency is the federal agency charged with protecting human health and safeguarding our air and water. Careers, internships and scholarships can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/students/careers.htm

US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation Its mission is to assist in meeting the increasing water demands of the West while protecting the environment and the public’s investment. Jobs and year-long student experiences at http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/hr/

US Fish and Wildlife Services offers volunteer opportunities at national wildlife refuges across the country including Alligator River, Pea Island, Mackay Island and Currituck in NC: http://volunteers.fws.gov/

 

Advocacy Institute is a US-based global organization dedicated to strengthening the capacity of political, social and economic justice advocates to influence and change public policy. Employment opportunities and internships are easy to find on the home page: http://www.advocacy.org/

American Rivers – Its mission is to protect and restore America’s river systems and to foster a river stewardship ethic. Internships at http://www.amrivers.org/index.php?module=HyperContent&func=display&cid=45

Brookings Institution – a famous left-wing think-tank based in Washington, D.C. Their mission is to write reports that bring issues (including environmental issues) to the attention of policymakers. Jobs and internships at http://www.brook.edu/admin/employment.htm

Center for Environmental Citizenship (includes Campus Green Vote) is "networking young leaders to protect the environment." Internship opportunities at http://www.envirocitizen.org/internship.html, job listings at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/index.asp, and to go directly to Campus Green Vote http://www.envirocitizen.org/cgv/

Center for Health, Environment and Justice was founded by a former resident of Love Canal. The center dispenses information on hazardous waste and toxins. Internships at http://www.chej.org/interns.html

Center for Policy Alternatives engages a new generation of leaders across the states to envision and realize progressive solutions for America's future. Home page: http://www.cfpa.org/cpa/jobs/index.cfm and an internship site is coming soon: http://www.cfpa.org/cpa/intern/index.cfm

Earth Team works to reduce soil erosion, conserve water and improve water quality, and developing pride in our country’s natural resource heritage. Volunteers can help on the land (with professional conservationists who are working directly with farmers and ranchers), in schools (with high school, college, and university students). Through camps and classes, you can introduce young people to the wonders of nature). You can help with organizations like youth groups, professional societies, or civic groups. All types of organizations are joining together to sponsor water quality education campaigns, community beautification, and erosion control projects. Opportunities are also available in offices: helping SCS or your conservation district with clerical assistance, organizing information in a computer, preparing newsletters, or educating others about natural resource conservation. (Raleigh) Note—There are offices in every US state as well as Guam and Puerto Rico. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/volunteers/

Environmental Defense (formerly Environmental Defense Fund) is a prominent national environmental organization with over 300,000 members. They are a leading advocate of economic incentives as a new approach to solving environmental problems. See http://www.environmentaldefense.org/home.cfm

Environmental Law Institute plays a pivotal role in shaping the fields of environmental law, policy, and
management, domestically and abroad. ELI is an internationally recognized, independent research and education center. Employment opportunities at http://www.eli.org/about/employment.htm

National Audubon Society seeks to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. Guilford has a long running relationship with this organization. See Lynn Moseley (Biology) for more information about the local chapter. National chapter human resources at http://www.audubon.org/nas/hr/index.html

National Wildlife Federation is the nation’s largest conservation education organization. NWF created Campus Ecology to help college and university communities educate themselves about how they can conserve natural resources on campus. Campus Ecology promotes action now to make environmentally sound practices a reality, coalition building to foster diverse environmental leadership and continuity in projects to create long term change. Volunteers are needed to be leaders on their college or university campus. Ten-month field coordinator interns provide assistance to colleges and universities in designated regions working on campus greening projects, such as ecologically sound purchasing and investing decisions. Applications and interviews are required for internships. Job and internship opportunities at http://www.nwf.org/careergateway/index.cfm

The Nature Conservancy began as an off-shoot of the Ecological Society of America. Its mission is to aquire and manage land to preserve biodiversity. The NC chapter is based in Durham. Ph: (919) 403-8558, e-mail: lwinston@tnc.org. National volunteer opportunities and jobs at http://nature.org/careers/index.html

Orion Society is a non-profit support network for grassroots environmental organizations in North America. Internship service at http://www.orionsociety.org/ogninternships.html

Physicians for Social Responsibility has internship opportunities in their environment and health program, violence prevention program and nuclear disarmament and security program. http://www.psr.org/home.cfm?id=internships

Resources for the Future is an independent nonprofit organization specializing in research, policy analysis and public education on environmental, energy and natural resource issues. Summer internships at http://www.rff.org/rff/About/Fellowships_and_Internships/Index.cfm

Sierra Club – The local chapter meets across the street from Guilford at New Garden Friends Meeting. National jobs and internships at http://www.sierraclub.org/jobs

The Washington Center provides internships in D.C. in the private, public and non-profit sectors. http://www.twc.edu/internships/index.htm

Zero Population Growth is a national nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. working to slow population growth and achieve a sustainable balance between the Earth's people and its resources. Fellowships and internships at http://www.populationconnection.org/Employment

 

Sustainable Communities and Lifestyles:

Aprovecho Research Center provides intensive ten-week internships in sustainable living skills. Daily classes focus on three major areas: sustainable forestry, organic gardening, and appropriate technology. The program begins every March, June, and September and there are up to fourteen internships available every term. Classes include lecture, discussion, and hands on experience; the knowledge applies to everyday life such as cooking with food from the garden, using native plants for medicine, food, and crafts. Located in Cottage Grove, OR, the center has an ongoing mission to learn how to live together sustainability and ecologically, and to help others do the same. Internships are offered on a space available basis to qualified applicants and priority is given to those who apply at least three months before the session begins. No specific educational or work related pre requisites are needed, but applicants are expected to have a willingness to learn and join in a cooperative learning experience. There is an $1800 tuition for a shared room, all organic food, and instruction for the term. One scholarship is available, usually to an overseas student. http://www.aprovecho.net/pages/index2.htm

Earthaven is a neo-tribal earth village located in Rutherford County. The permaculture village is dedicated to learning, living, and demonstrating holistic, sustainable culture. The community heavily focuses on supporting the creation and ongoing activities of an education center. Culture’s Edge, a nonprofit educational organization born in 1996, offers workshops and programs throughout t he year which are integral to the overall vision of Earthaven as a living demonstration ecovillage. Numerous intern programs are available, cost and duration vary. The internships offer practical training in ecological design and sustainable living based on care for the Earth, people, and community. Applications are required for the intern programs. If an internship isn’t what you’re looking for, Earthaven would be a great place for camping, working, and learning on a fall or spring break trip. http://www.earthaven.org/

International Organizations

EarthWatch Institute organizes volunteers for conservation research and education programs domestically and worldwide. Home page: http://www.earthwatch.org

EcoLogic Development Fund works to preserve the biodiversity of tropical ecosystems and promote the well-being of threatened local habitats through small-scale community based development. Internships at http://www.ecologic.org/subpage.asp?P=challenge&S=intern

Operation Crossroad is a program involving community construction/development, community health/medical, agriculture/reforestation and education/training projects in Africa or Brazil. Applications are accepted year-round, but the deadline for 2000 is February 15, 2000. The program costs $3500 for mid-June to mid-August. http://operationcrossroadsafrica.org/05/mainmenu.html