Tuesday March 19, 2024  

Outdoor Action Sustainability Internship Program

Start date: Summer 2008
Hours/week:  40 hours a week for 8 weeks
Pay: $9.70 – 13.20 per hour, depending on experience

The Outdoor Action Program, with support from the High Meadows fund, will be offering 1-2 summer internship positions.  This is a fully-funded eight-week program to research all aspects of the Outdoor Action Program to determine what is necessary to make the program a model for sustainable outdoor education programs. The following areas will be the prime research targets.

Food

  • Revising the menu for the trips to be based on local and/or sustainable products and collecting data on where the food comes from to provide this as part of an education curriculum on the trip.

Transportation

  • Bus Transportation – use of alternative fuel buses
  • Vehicle Rental – use of hybrid or alternative fuel cars
  • Researching biodiesel vehicles and generating our own biodiesel fuel from Dining Services waste cooking oil.

Equipment

  • Identifying and purchasing alternative water purification methods that do not use toxic chemicals.
  • Purchasing alternative fuel cooking stoves (potentially bio-diesel) and generating the fuel from Dining Services waste cooking oil.
  • Develop a green purchasing plan for equipment (backpacks, sleeping bags, etc.) including using our purchasing power and influence to encourage manufacturers to develop environmentally sustainable products.

Education

  • Expanding the training of Outdoor Action Leaders in Leave No Trace practices and developing an integrated curriculum
  • Bringing faculty members out to trips to talk about sustainability

Recycling

  • Reducing packaging through bulk food purchasing
  • Enhancing recycling of trip waste through the use of biodegradable plastics

Other Programs

  • Sponsoring outdoor trips during the academic year that focus on issues of climate change and sustainability (e.g. Earthwatch)
  • Annual Speakers Series – that brings prominent figures in outdoor leadership and sustainability to campus
  • Developing educational programs and resources around human-powered commuting alternatives for University staff.

The student research will form the basis for implementing changes to the operation of this fall’s Frosh Trip Program including the development of a new curriculum on sustainability for OA Leaders to teach to incoming freshmen.

Application Deadline – Rolling Applications starting April 8

Download the Word Application and send it to oa@.