Land Repurposing Intern

Put your passion and skills to work for the planet. Climate change is the most urgent issue of our time, and we need people like you to help us build a vital Earth — for everyone.

We’re Environmental Defense Fund, a fast-paced nonprofit with a growing staff of more than 850 people in nearly 30 countries. We deliver game-changing solutions that cut climate pollution and strengthen people’s ability to thrive despite the effects climate change is already having. We work wherever we can have the most impact, from local communities to top companies to governments worldwide, and even in space.

Our culture, values and commitment to diversity make EDF an exciting and meaningful place to work. Every job here makes a difference. Won’t you join us?

Program/Department Overview

Increased water scarcity, compounded by the impacts of a changing climate and a growing population, has made sustainable water management one of the most challenging issues of our time. Adequate freshwater supplies are critical for the health of communities and wildlife, and nothing is more important to agriculture’s ability to grow food. But in arid regions such as the western U.S., freshwater resources are dwindling. Effective water management is critical to sustainably meeting the needs of people, industry, agriculture, and the environment. The overarching objective of the Climate Resilient Water Systems workstream is to rebalance water systems in the West and beyond to make them more resilient by focusing our work on three areas: 1) modernizing groundwater management, 2) improving and expanding healthy water trading programs, and 3) incentivizing the sustainable use of agricultural water. In these areas, we collaborate with farmers, water managers, community members, and other nonprofits to better incorporate the needs of all water users.

Overall Function

The intern will develop a set of case studies, or land repurposing stories, to highlight examples of successful land repurposing projects across California's Central Valley. The intern will interview key project proponents and develop project narratives to describe how the project came to be, important considerations, and project benefits. This effort will contribute to the production of an informational video, or other storytelling device, to showcase opportunities for water resilient land uses in California's agricultural regions.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

Qualifications

Location

Hybrid out of San Francisco, CA office or U.S. Remote

Term

15 weeks (starting in September 2022)

Hours

Part time (15 hours per week)

Compensation

This internship would involve either academic credit or compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $17-20/hr based on academic experience level. Students are encouraged to seek academic credit or funding through their college/university and EDF will ensure that any and all paperwork needed to secure academic credit is completed.

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application, together with a writing sample and unofficial transcript.

The pay range for this role is shown below which takes into account factors such as candidate experience, skills, training, internal team equity and local norms.

Environmental Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.