8 • The Southwest Portland Post
Dear EarthTalk: I understand that
there are many internships available
at environmental organizations, some
involving working outdoors, some
year-round with expenses paid. Where
do I find these?
– Jason Baar, Los Angeles, CA
Internships can provide professional
experience and on-the-job training for
individuals looking to enter the envi-
ronmental field. There are numerous
opportunities and the key is to know
where to look.
Many businesses, non-profits and
governmental organizations offer in-
ternships that are environmentally fo-
cused and can range from office work in
many different departments to working
FEATURES
outdoors, some year-round and some
short term.
Compensation also varies signifi-
cantly and can range from unpaid (but
earning college credit) to salaried and/
or all-expenses-paid.
A good place to start is the Student
Conservation Association (SCA), which
places over 2,000 interns a year and
focuses on expense paid year round in-
ternships, many of which are outdoors.
They partner with public and pri-
vate organizations along with federal
agencies and prescreen applicants to
create a national pool of candidates for
organizations to select from to bring in
for interviews.
Internships through SCA can offer
anywhere from $75-$300 per week in
living expenses, plus housing, travel
and medical costs. In addition, an
AmeriCorps education award may be
available to interns at the completion of
their internship.
The Environmental Careers Organi-
zation (ECO) is also a well-known re-
source for finding internships for bach-
elors, masters and doctoral students
and recent graduates. This program
partners with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and through
paid internships has turned out profes-
Multnomah Days 2013
September 2013
Student Conservation Association interns on the job at Mt. Rainier National Park in
Washington. (Photo courtesy of the National Park Service)
sionals in the environmental field for
over 30 years.
ECO selects 500 associates each year
for 12-week to two-year internships.
Sponsoring organizations offer intern-
ships in research and training programs
in addition to office, laboratory and
field work assignments.
Associates earn between $400 and
$800 per week and may also be com-
pensated for relocation costs, housing,
travel, and career development.
A few other places to look are Eco-
Employ and InternMatch. EcoEmploy
is a database of hundreds of non-profits,
governmental agencies and companies
whose work is in the environmental
field.
This comprehensive list, organized by
state, offers a way to find organizations
that may offer jobs or internships.
InternMatch posts internships in
several categories throughout the
country and has a section dedicated to
environmental internships. They range
from summer to year round and paid
to non-paid.
In addition to these resources, envi-
ronmental departments within univer-
sities often post internship opportuni-
ties for students as well as other tips
for finding and researching potential
internships.
Contacts: The Student Conservation
Association, www.thesca.org, The Envi-
ronmental Careers Organization, www.
eco.org; EcoEmploy, www.ecoemploy.
com; InternMatch, www.internmatch.
com.
EarthTalk® is written and edited by
Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a reg-
istered trademark of E - The Environmental
Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send
questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com.
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Jim Tormey (Multnomah Antiques) drives his famous fire engine
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