Climate Action & Advocacy Virtual/Remote Internship
Climate Action & Advocacy
The Climate Action & Advocacy department at Seaside Sustainability is dedicated to leading impactful environmental initiatives and advocating for legislative changes that protect our oceans, marine life, and ecosystems. The team focuses on developing and implementing climate adaptation and mitigation projects locally, nationally, and globally, using the latest climate science and international sustainability guidelines. We are looking for hardworking individuals passionate about developing forward-thinking approaches to climate change.
The ideal candidate will be organized and innovative and enjoy performing research and project development. The Climate Action & Advocacy team works across five key sub-teams: Climate Change Newsletter, Action Network, Nature-Based Solutions, Climate Mitigation & Community Action, and Zero Waste. If you want to collaborate on any of these initiatives, please apply!
Climate Action & Advocacy Teams
Climate Change Newsletter
The Climate Change Newsletter team is responsible for researching, drafting, and publishing Seaside Sustainability’s monthly newsletter, C Change. This publication highlights new and relevant topics concerning fossil fuels, the renewable energy transition, climate change mitigation, and actionable steps individuals can take to contribute to climate action. The team is crucial in educating and engaging the community on pressing environmental issues through accessible and well-researched content.
Job Responsibilities:
- Research, draft, and publish Seaside’s monthly climate change newsletter, C Change.
- Cover new and relevant topics regarding fossil fuels, the renewable energy transition, climate change mitigation, and ways individuals can get involved to take climate action.
Desired Skills/Experience:
- Excellent writing skills.
- Experience with the drafting process (research, drafting, revising, editing) for publications of any size.
- Coursework/academics focused on topics of renewable energy, sustainability, or climate change.
- Any experience with Mailerlite or digital marketing is a plus.
Action Network
The Action Network team focuses on developing communication strategies to raise awareness about environmental justice issues. This team creates engaging content for various platforms, including social media, newsletters, and press releases. It plays a vital role in organizing events and campaigns that amplify the message of environmental justice. Through their work, the team helps to ensure that critical environmental issues reach a broad audience.
Job Responsibilities:
- Assist in developing communication strategies to raise awareness about environmental justice issues.
- Contribute to creating engaging content for various platforms, including social media, newsletters, and press releases.
- Collaborate with the team to organize events and campaigns that amplify environmental justice messages.
- Support creating campaigns advocating legislation and drafting letters for people to share with their representatives.
Desired Skills/Experience:
- Strong communication skills for writing and outreach.
- Experience with community organizing or activism.
- Research skills for policy analysis and advocacy.
Nature-Based Solutions
The Nature-Based Solutions team researches, plans, and executes natural climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. This team focuses on implementing nature-based solutions in local communities, ensuring that these solutions are integrated with sustainable development practices. The team’s work is essential in promoting ecological restoration and conservation as critical components of climate action.
Job Responsibilities:
- Research, plan, and execute natural climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.
- Focus on developing and implementing nature-based solutions in local communities.
- Ensure that natural climate solutions are pursued in tandem with sustainable development.
Desired Skills/Experience:
- Coursework/academics focused on environmental topics, ecology, conservation, sustainable agriculture, and forest management.
- Experience collaborating with multiple teams on joint projects.
- Strong research skills, with the ability to synthesize research into accessible terms.
- Prior experience with conservation or restoration fieldwork is a plus.
Climate Mitigation & Community Action
The Climate Mitigation & Community Action team engages with local communities to promote climate awareness and action. This team supports the planning and execution of community-based climate initiatives, working to empower individuals and groups to take meaningful action on climate change. The team’s efforts foster grassroots movements that contribute to larger climate goals.
Job Responsibilities:
- Engage with local communities to promote climate awareness and action.
- Support the planning and execution of community-based climate initiatives.
- Assist in coordinating workshops, events, and campaigns to empower communities to take action on climate change.
Desired Skills/Experience:
- Experience with community outreach or organizing is optional but optional.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to engage with diverse communities and individuals.
- Highly organized and able to track and maintain various external contacts and partnerships.
Zero Waste
The Zero Waste team is focused on researching and developing strategies to reduce single-use plastics and minimize waste. This team contributes to a case study and white paper on PFAS and single-use plastics and collaborates on initiatives to promote zero-waste practices in communities and organizations. The team’s work is vital in advocating for sustainable waste management solutions and creating educational materials and campaigns that raise awareness.
Job Responsibilities:
- Contribute to a case study and white paper on PFAS and single-use plastics.
- Assist in researching and developing strategies to reduce single-use plastics and minimize waste.
- Collaborate on initiatives to promote zero waste practices in communities and organizations.
- Support the creation of educational materials and campaigns advocating for sustainable waste management solutions.
Desired Skills/Experience:
- Experience in environmental policy or advocacy is a plus.
- Vital research and project management skills.
- Ability to work on evolving topics and adapt to new challenges.
GIS Projects:
- Some interns will work on ArcGIS projects within each sub-team. If you have any GIS experience, please apply! (But don’t worry if you don’t!)
“Sustainability, Education, Action”
What is Seaside: Seaside Sustainability is a nationally recognized, award-winning 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to community engagement, public education, and environmental conservation. Seaside aims to be a leader in environmental and STEM educational programs and recognition initiatives. We help by promoting public awareness about the importance of environmental health, providing resources to develop problem-solving skills, and chances to get engaged as part of a community to take action. We organize our works and initiatives around these areas: plastic mitigation, marine citizen science, sustainability education, and solar energy in the community.
Why Intern at Seaside: Seaside’s internship program is hands-down one of the best in the area! With its roots firmly seated in education and hands-on learning, there is no doubt that that is why we have more than 50 interns at any given point throughout the year. Our programs and initiatives encourage members of the community, young and old, to build and nurture a relationship with local land and seascapes. An internship at Seaside allows you to explore a myriad of internship opportunities, relevant to almost any future interest. Join Seaside Sustainability for any season, or during breaks in your school schedule. We are looking for part-time interns in high school, college, and beyond to work on a diverse and challenging array of projects and initiatives. We are accepting applications for unpaid internships, with hours available any day of the week and practically any time of day: weekdays, weekends, and evenings included. We prefer to have our local interns work in person at the office in Gloucester, and we also invite interns from all over the United States and internationally to apply. Seaside Sustainability provides interns with real and meaningful work, and internships are available in any season with flexible time schedules.
Mission: Seaside Sustainability's mission is to preserve and protect the world's oceans, seas, wetlands, and estuaries by motivating citizens to evaluate the critical issues facing the water environment, educating the public on best practices for sustainability, and providing guidance for taking effective action. Among our most important areas of focus are the elimination of consumer plastics and the creation of educational programs for students of all ages. By partnering with diverse stakeholders, including educational institutions, environmental groups, and other organizations across the public and private sectors, Seaside Sustainability is committed to building an informed citizenry to address the sustainability of water-based ecosystems in communities around the world.
Vision Statement: Seaside’s programs and initiatives encourage members of the community, of all ages, to build and nurture a relationship with local land and seascapes. We believe that environmental challenges can be overcome by instilling ethical and social responsibility into our existence. And we address these challenges by illuminating the heavy costs of environmental degradation by providing resources to develop skills, solutions, and community involvement.
What Interns Do at Seaside Sustainability: Our interns are not limited to just one role; we encourage each intern to take advantage of the opportunity to explore a variety of roles and responsibilities. Our interns are never bored as they’re always given real and meaningful work that is essential to the day-to-day operation of the company. As an intern with Seaside Sustainability, you will be asked to perform a myriad of tasks, most of which can also be found at https://www.seasidesustainability.org/intern-details.
Market Research Weekly Work: In order to fulfill our mission, we need to communicate with educators who are passionate about sustainability. To meet our weekly goals of outreach to these educators, all interns are required to spend no more than 2-hours a week collecting this critical and game changing information. When you are researching these educators, you are literally selecting the people who will be changing the lives of their students by taking part in our programs. This role is one of the most important parts of working here at Seaside. You will gain so many useful skills such as how to be a more effective researcher and how to remain organized all while playing a key role in expanding the size and scale of Seaside. As Interns join Seaside’s leadership, they take on increasing responsibilities and are not required to do weekly information collection.
Course Credit: Students may receive course credit for this internship. Staff will work with the intern’s school/advisor on achieving desired learning outcomes and completing all necessary paperwork.
Check with your school's Internship Coordinator BEFORE accepting the hiring offer to determine if this position satisfies the criteria for receiving academic credit.
Requirements: Seaside Sustainability requires interns to work at least 15 hours per week.
President’s Volunteer Service Award: Seaside Sustainability is now certified to give out the “President’s Volunteer Service Award” to eligible interns. This award was created to, “recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.” This is a great achievement to put on your resume! What are the requirements for this award?
- Must be a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident
- All hours must be completed within a 12-month period to be counted towards the final total
- All hours must be tracked in Seaside’s weekly shift report to be counted
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement: Seaside recognizes that environmental issues are human issues, and therefore everyone has a right to be a part of the solution. Seaside is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment that welcomes all participants irrespective of their gender, race, sexuality, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, or socioeconomic status. The demographics of our internship program directly reflects the composition of our national outreach while the composition of our board more reflects the local composition of our communities. With the understanding that Environmental Issues disproportionately affect low income communities, minority communities, and communities of color, we are actively seeking to ensure that our environmental work, our projects, and programs are crafted in a way that both reflects and aids in combating the plight of minorities, of people of color, of economically challenged, and other disadvantaged individuals.
General Skills Needed:
- Passionate and dedicated to making a difference in the environment
- Good virtual communication skills
- Comfortable working in teams
- Good time management skills
- Willingness to learn and work outside of their comfort zone
- Basic knowledge of communication technology (G-Suite, Zoom, Email)
- Leadership skills
Management Roles
Advisors
Seaside Sustainability’s Community Advisory Team members work directly with our Executive Director, Eric Magers, and work alongside Board members, Intern Directors, Management Fellows, other Community Advisors and a large cadre of interns organized in teams to further advance the organization’s goals. Common Advisor duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Leading implementation of new management and organizational processes and procedures across the program. Delegating tasks to appropriate team members. Working closely with the Human Resources team to manage and oversee recruitment for future internship sessions. Collecting and analyzing feedback from interns throughout the program to gauge satisfaction and success. Skills Needed: Good communication with people of all walks of life, Leadership skills, Experience coordinating groups of people, A strong desire to facilitate a positive, hands-on internship experience.
Strategic Assistants
Seaside Sustainability’s rapid growth is requiring the organization to look for enthusiastic students who wish to take their passion for the environment to the next level. To promote this, Seaside will provide Strategic Assistant with a professionally guided internship that assists with intern management strategies and supports their aspirations for career development. SAs take the lead on more than 10 Seaside projects working with 3-4 departments simultaneously. Being a SA is truly a win-win situation: the environment benefits, interns benefit, and SA gains invaluable experience. We are actively seeking to recruit college students, graduate students, and those with leadership experience to fulfill the role of a SA. Interns at Seaside Sustainability may be promoted to the position of a SA by exemplifying the characteristics of a model intern. Skills Needed: Project development, Task delegation, Superior organizational and communication skills
Management Fellows
A Fellow exemplifies organization, leadership, and communication skills and has the opportunity to lead a team of 12-15 interns within one of our departments throughout their internship. This position is more demanding and requires someone with the ability to check emails and make phone calls outside of regular working hours. The duties of this position include interviewing applicants, onboarding new interns, meeting with interns 1:1 every other week, reporting to the Advisor, and ensuring the success of both interns and projects. Skills Needed: Project development, task delegation, superior organizational and communication skills.
Department Manager
Similar to a Fellow, a Department Manager also exemplifies organization, leadership, and communication skills but focuses on leading a sub-team within a department. A Department Manager has the opportunity to lead a team of 5-8 interns, ensuring that their sub-team's projects align with the department's goals. This position requires the ability to check emails and make phone calls outside of regular working hours. The duties include interviewing applicants, onboarding new interns, meeting with interns 1:1 every other week, reporting to the Fellow or Advisor, and ensuring the success of both interns and projects. Skills Needed: Project development, task delegation, superior organizational and communication skills.
Make Sure To Follow Seaside on Social Media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seasusinc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seasusinc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/seasusinc
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDqPZWdPIQG37aaSC7NShOg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seaside-sustainability-inc/
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lfTZpbv0ELrkU2po8SRfo
And remember to check out our partner organization National STEM Honor Society www.nstem.org for another great internship opportunity!