Environmental Justice Council Intern

Overview

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 1,000 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?

Responsibilities

Program/Department Overview

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is on a journey to integrate justice and equity into its organizational structure, strategies, and values. In 2020, EDF re-focused its justice and equity efforts, forming an internal Environmental Justice (EJ) Council and hiring a new VP for Environmental Justice and Equity. In 2021, EDF committed to an Equity and Environmental Justice Vision and a set of principles to guide all work. Since then, the Justice and Equity team has been focusing its efforts on assessing the organization’s current work on environmental justice and equity, which has contributed to the organization’s inaugural Environmental and Climate Justice Strategic Plan released in 2022. The team continues to work toward a more systematic and impactful integration of justice and equity into EDF’s core program work by focusing on four main pillars: organizational readiness, partnerships, systemic change, and external capacity building.

A basic principle of ecology is that diversity in an ecosystem fosters strength and resilience. At EDF, we believe that by creating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion among both our staff and our programmatic work, we can help foster greater strengths and resilience at EDF and the communities in which we work.

Overall Function

The intern will support each of the Council’s working groups in their priorities for 2023: Building Knowledge, Deepening Awareness, and Strengthening Accountability. Key deliverables include working with Council members to integrate an EJ 101 training into onboarding materials for new staff, formalizing infrastructure for staff to solicit feedback from EDF’s EJ experts through the Peer-to-Peer Advising process, and supporting the organization’s second annual EJ landscape assessment.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Conduct research and gather information on relevant topics such as EJ history, EJ principles and frameworks, and racial inequities in the environmental sector and how these can inform and be integrated into various avenues of work (onboarding, resource sharing, etc.).
• Support in creating the framework to launch a database compiling/tracking relationships with community-based organizations and local frontline groups.
• Synthesize and provide relevant information for use by the Council and on behalf of them (e.g. answer specific questions identified by the Council, aid decision making, etc.).
• Maintain a shared document and resource management system for the Council.
• Generate communication products for internal use such as memos, fact sheets, presentations, and some Insider pages/posts.
• Manage small projects based on priorities as assigned by the Council co-chairs and Council steering committee.
• Participate in advancing EDF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications

• Must be enrolled in/be a recent graduate of an undergraduate program.
• Have demonstrated interest in environmental justice, climate justice, equity and broader environmental issues.
• Coursework in environmental policy, environmental law, communications, social science, and/or research methods preferred.
• Experience with frontline organizations, justice, or community engagement a plus.
• Experience synthesizing materials and preparing communications materials is preferred.
• Have a critical and intersectional lens to view environmental issues and solutions
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem solving skills.

Location

U.S. Remote.

Term

10 weeks (May – August 2023)

Hours

Full-time (35 hours a week).

Compensation

This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $17/hr .

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application.

Pay Ranges

We offer a strong total rewards package encompassing competitive salary, robust benefits, and professional development opportunities consistent with a modern global organization. We take into account factors such as candidate experience, skills, training, internal team equity and local norms.

The pay range for this role is shown below.

Please note that pay ranges are country specific. As a result, the stated currency is not meant be converted into any other currency.

Minimum Salary

USD $17.00/Hr.

Maximum Salary

USD $17.00/Hr.

EEO Information

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.