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Program News: Week of April 20th

EVST End of Year Celebration - Wednesday, April 29th! We welcome everyone to join us for appetizers, soccer and great company at the Kroon Hall Courtyard at 4:00.  We look forward to a relaxing event with everyone, celebrating the end of another great semester here at Yale, sending students off to summer adventures with good cheer, and congratulating our soon to be graduates!  Join us - all are welcome!

Making Plans for This Summer and Beyond  Students interested in starting to look through internship and job postings focused in the environment should visit this FES Career Development Office Website.  It provides links to job search engines in a variety of subcategories.  In addition, the Yale College Office of Career Strategy offers a variety of important resources including their Explore Careers links as well as their Gap-Year links which could be of particular use to students pursuing the 5th Year Program at FES.

Events

Monday, April 20th

Solarize U: How You, Yale and the Sun Can Partner for Clean Energy and Cheaper Energy Bills | 12:00 | Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall

Effective Urban Parks Management for the 21st Century | Ray Oladapo-Johnson, Director of Park Operations at The Emerald Necklace Conservancy | 12:00 | Room G-01, Kroon Hall

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in Conversation with Holly Rippon-Butler (EVST '12) and Mark Bomford (YSFP) | 12:15 | Bowers Auditorium, Sage Hall

Puma Tracking in the Andean High Plains - A Photo Narrative | 5:00 | Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall 

Plastics Recycling: A Policy Discussion | 6:00 | Room 319, Kroon Hall | Additional detail here

Tuesday, April 21st

Turnip for Justice. Food Justice | 4:30 | Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School, 170 Derby Ave, New Haven CT| Additional event information here, email camara.cooper@yale.edu with questions

Mechanical Explainations and the Direction of Time | David Albert, Columbia and Tim Maudlin, NYU | 4:00 | Room 208, Whitney Humanities Center

Regenerative Capitalism: How Universal Principles will Shape our New Economy | John Fullerton, President, Capital Institute | 4:30 | Room 2430, Evans Hall | More information here

Wednesday, April 22nd |  EARTH DAY!

Earth Day Native Seed Bomb Construction and Distribution | Wednesday, April 22 | Construction at 10:00, Distribution at 3:00  | Kroon Courtyard

Sustainability, Transparency, and Metrics in Business | Panel including Representatives from Edelman, IPCC, Patagonia and Yale | 11:45 | Evans Hall | More information here

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Scientific Problems: Useful Results both Anticipated and Serendipitous | Thomas Graedel | 12:00 | Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall

Humanitarian Quests and Impossible Dreams of Medicins Sans Fronteires | Renee C. Fox | 3:00 | 3rd Floor Seminar Space, 17 Hillhouse Avenue

Friday, April 24th

Climate Change and the Future of Nuclear Energy | Yale Climate and Energy Institute Conference | Friday, April 24 | 10:00 - 5:00 | Find more information here, and register here

Saturday, April 25th

Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride | 10:30 | Register here

Next Week

New Directions in Environmental Law: Conference Planning Meeting | 12:00 | Room 321, Kroon Hall | Read about this year's conference here

Opportunities

Internship with CIRENAS  CIRENAS - a nonprofit organization on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula -- is seeking interns for their growing campus and permaculture program. CIRENAS is a research and learning center in the Ario watershed that seeks to provide simple and replicable solutions for water management, food security, and healthy ecosystems. Located on a 1,800ha working ranch, CIRENAS demonstrates science-based, regenerative and productive ecological practices for the local community and beyond.  They are seeking applicants for a permaculture internship program that will be a great opportunity for those interested in getting summer experience with field work, place-based education, and the environment.  If you have questions or are interested in the internship program you can directly email jobs@cirenas.org.

Turtle Trax Internships Turtle Trax S.A. manages international and national volunteers on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica’s southern Nicoyan Peninsula. Turtle Trax offers interns and volunteers the opportunity to get involved with sea turtle conservation, hands-on volunteer work, community projects, and locally based tourism. Turtle Trax offers programs to current undergraduate and graduate students, recent graduates, and those interested in getting experience with field work, place-based education, and the environment. For more information, please visit their website.

Summer Youth Coordinator with Friends of Edgewood Park - Apply By May 2!  The Friends of Edgewood Park and the New Haven Land Trust are looking for part-time coordinators to create and implement five week environmental youth work programs for summer of 2015.

Coordinator Work and Program Description:  For each organization, a Coordinator will supervise five to eight New Haven youth ages 14 – 19 who will be carefully selected to participate in New Haven’s Youth@Work Program.  Young people in the New Haven Land Trust program will work 20 hours per week.  Youth in the Edgewood Park program will work 25 hours per week.  The supervisor will plan and oversee the young people’s work, sometimes in their own groups and sometimes alongside community members and volunteers, to help them create and implement environmental projects and learn valuable long-term work skills.

In our Youth@ Work programs the young people will focus on:

  • At Edgewood Park: infrastructure improvements, such as trail maintenance, tree planting and care, and trash clean up.  In the Land Trust Community gardens: infrastructure improvements such as building raised garden beds, planting and harvesting,
  • Environmental education – learning about ecosystems and park/plant stewardship,
  • Work skills development – attendance, punctuality, attitude toward work.

Coordinators:  We are looking for two people who are:

  • Excited to work with youth and diverse community members
  • Have youth leadership skills
  • Are creative, flexible, and autonomous, yet collaborative.  They should be comfortable taking initiative. The work requires collaboration with Youth@Work, and community members; for Edgewood Park: working with the New Haven Parks Dept., and Friends of Edgewood Park; for the Land Trust: collaborating with its leadership team..

We can offer you:

  • $3000.00 for 25 hours/week - Jul 6 – Aug. 7 plus 20 hours pre-program planning) for the New Haven Land Trust or
  • $3500.00 for 30 hours/week - Jul 6 – Aug. 7 plus 20 hours pre-program planning) for Edgewood Park.
  • A base of diverse and passionate community members to help you design and implement the program.
  • Some financial support for implementation of the project (Reimbursement for education materials/tools, etc.).
  • Administrative support.
  • A fascinating summer experience where you gain valuable insight into working with the City of New Haven, community members and youth on environmental education and justice.

If you want to learn more about these two positions, please email: Stephanie FitzGerald, sfitzgerald1@comcast.net for Friends of Edgewood Park or Justin Elicker justin.elicker@newhavenlandtrust.org for the New Haven Land Trust.

How to Apply Please submit the following items by email:

  • Cover Letter
  • Resume

Send these two items to Sarah Morrison at sbmorrison515@gmail.com with “ATTENTION: SUMMER YOUTH COORDINATOR 2015” as the subject.  The deadline for applications is May 2nd.  We will begin the initial review of applications on May 3rd and may solicit further information from some candidates.  Finalists will be invited for an interview the second week of May.

Internship Positions with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy This intern position will support ACEEE-led outreach and communications efforts by the Energy Efficient Code Coalition, local governments supporting sustainability policies and other stakeholders to educate local governments and code officials around technical code issues that improve the energy efficiency of the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The intern's main duties will be to update information supporting an outreach and communications campaign in the run-up to the Final Public Comment Hearings in the fall of 2016. The intern in this position will gain an understanding of how public policy is implemented in the current national model energy code development process.

*Duties and Responsibilities*

  • Development and maintenance of local government outreach and contact information, as well as fundamental local government statistics such as population data, organizational memberships, etc.
  • Prepare periodic reports on local government participation in the model code process and customized reports and data products for coalition members and campaign participants.
  • Research, gather and organize contact information (email and postal mailing addresses) of local government code officials for local, regional and national outreach efforts.
  • Compile and maintain schedules of events, meetings and conferences related to the outreach effort.

*Skills/Qualifications*

  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, preferably working towards an advanced degree in a relevant academic area.
  • Interest in and familiarity with a range of energy efficiency policies and/or local level sustainability policies strongly preferred.
  • Familiarity with energy-efficient technologies preferred, but not required.
  • Familiarity and experience with outreach and information campaigns, policy advocacy and issue campaigns, or political campaigns.
  • Strong Internet and interview-based research ability.
  • Strong writing and oral communication skills required.
  • Self-motivation and ability to manage multiple assignments (as needed), work efficiently, and meet deadlines.

*Timing * This is an internship of flexible duration (3-6 months) starting around June 1, 2015. The project will require a time commitment of 20-40 hours/week depending on the successful applicant's academic schedule and availability.

*To Apply* Please send a resume with cover letter and brief (1-2 pages) writing sample to interns@aceee.org. Please use "Building Code Intern" in the subject header. We do not accept calls about our internships.

Forest and Grassland Business Challenge - $100K in Prizes The National Forest Foundation (NFF) is accepting pre-proposals for the 2015 Barrett Foundation Business Concept Challenge beginning today. This annual challenge provides an opportunity for teams to compete for $100,000 in prize money for innovative, market-based solutions to natural resource challenges.

The Barrett Foundation Business Concept Challenge seeks to match innovative market strategies to the pressing needs of America’s 193-million-acre National Forest System. Managed for multiple public values, these lands often generate controversy as natural resource managers face challenges not contemplated when the first National Forests were established over a century ago.

Sponsor Craig R. Barrett, former Chairman and CEO of Intel and current Chairman of the NFF Board of Directors, described the purpose of this competition as “stimulating new ideas and cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurial natural resource and business leaders.” He added that winning entries will demonstrate a significant commitment and ability to take an idea forward to implementation.

Barrett’s experience at the helm of Intel Corporation influenced his decision to devote substantial resources to encourage the development of market-based solutions that solve forest restoration challenges: “In four decades as a business leader, I’ve seen a lot of innovative ideas, but almost none of them have been directed at the challenges facing our National Forests. As a Board Member of the NFF, I saw an opportunity to channel this intellectual energy towards solving our nation’s critical natural resources challenges.” The competition offers a $75,000 cash award to the winning submission and a $25,000 cash award to the first runner-up.

The NFF recently announced the Challenge’s 2014 winners in Washington, DC. The 2014 winning proposal seeks to grow a commercial agricultural market for biochar, a soil amendment that can be made from low-value woody biomass left over from forest restoration projects. The winning team will use its $75,000 in prize money to invest in growing their business.

Following a pre-proposal review, up to ten finalists will make presentations to a judging panel of distinguished national experts and receive feedback on the feasibility of their projects.

The Challenge is open to teams from for-profit and nonprofit organizations, tribal entities, and students, staff, or faculty at nationally accredited colleges and universities.
Business ideas developed for the Challenge should be original and not substantially financed by others. Consistent with Barrett’s keen interest in generating ideas that can and will be implemented, the judging panel will look for concepts that clearly articulate a specific natural resource challenge and apply market-based strategies to address that challenge in a way that will benefit the National Forests and Grasslands.

“We’re excited to see what new business ideas are generated through this year’s competition,” said Adam Liljeblad, the NFF’s Conservation Awards Director. “This is an exciting competition that is bridging forest restoration and market-based innovation. As previous applicants have demonstrated, there are a lot of great ideas out there that need some support and the Barrett Foundation Business Concept Challenge provides that. We are deeply appreciative of Dr. Barrett’s continued support for this unique program.”

Qualifying pre-proposals must be submitted by 11:59 pm MDT, Monday, June 15, 2015. For information on the Barrett Foundation Business Concept Challenge, visit this site.

Call for 2015 Byron Fellows  The Byron Fellowship is a transformational experience and community of generative leaders co-creating a flourishing world.  Our program empowers the next generation of emerging leaders to engage their unique abilities in leading generative efforts within their own communities.

We are requesting your support identifying 20 exceptional upper class undergraduates, graduate students, or recent graduates - entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and social entrepreneurs who are both making a profound difference in their own communities and keenly attuned to the challenges we share globally.

The 2015 Fellows will convene from August 1st - 6th at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina.  To learn more visit this site, and email sara.smileysmith@yale.edu if you wish to be nominated.

Maine Conservation Corps Positions Available The Maine Conservation Corps (MCC) is seeking applicants for the Field Team and Environmental Steward Programs.  As part of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, the MCC's four-fold mission is to: accomplish conservation projects, create conservation employment, provide conservation education and engage conservation volunteers.

Field Teams with the Maine Conservation Corps are composed of three to six members, serving to construct and improve recreational trails in the mountains, along the beautiful coastline and in communities all over the state of Maine.

Environmental Stewards bring expertise and focused effort toward creating and improving sustainable recreational trails, planning conservation projects as well as developing, training and building a sustainable community volunteer base.

The MCC is accepting applications for Environmental Stewards and Field Team Members until positions are filled.  Start dates for the programs are May 11th and May 18th, respectively.

To learn more about the MCC program, qualifications, benefits and how to apply, go to this site.

Impact Initiatives Challenge - Aug 10-15, 2015 Impact Initiatives Challenge 2015 is a Start-Up Week for the next generation entrepreneurs, pathfinders, innovators and change-makers. The programme combines an incubator, a leadership programme and summer fest in a magnificent mountains’ location, an hour from Geneva. We aim at inspiring, equiping and connecting participants to launch new solutions, projects, ventures and initiatives that will build a better, just and sustainable tomorrow.  For more information, visit this website.

Summer Institute on Sustainability & Energy - Univ of Illinois at Chicago - August 6-18, 2015  Our office would like to invite students to apply to our 5th annual Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy to be held August 6-18 in Chicago.  All applicants accepted into the program receive lodging support for the duration of the 2-week program. Many will receive partial support for travel costs.

We are now accepting applications and will continue to do so until July 1.  We welcome all graduate students and senior-level undergraduates from all academic disciplines to apply. Applicants will need to submit an online application form, resume, and two recommendation letters for consideration. All this information can be found at our website.

Job Opening: Global Scholars Fellow for the Yale Young Global Scholars Program  The Yale Young Global Scholars Program is an academic enrichment and leadership training initiative at Yale for talented high school students from around the world, who apply through a competitive application to study on the Yale campus in the summer. Read more at this site.

The Global Scholars Fellow will:

  • Analyze data (marketing, admissions, and program reviews)
  • Advise the YYGS leadership team on program content throughout the year, to include personal teaching in the summer sessions depending on interest and availability
  • Draft and disseminate program materials on the YYGS website and in social media
  • Review applications of high school students from around the world applying to YYGS, to include participating on the admissions committee and making admissions decisions
  • Recruit and interview undergraduate and graduate students to serve as summer instructors in YYGS, organize their training, and help review their proposed teaching curricula
  • Develop the YYGS alumni network online and organize an inaugural alumni conference for past YYGS participants in fall 2016
  • Coordinate logistics for up to six two-week YYGS sessions on Yale’s campus during the summer, to include liaising with Yale Conferences & Events and YYGS summer staff
  • Assist the YYGS leadership team with the administration of the summer program, to include developing the program schedule and a staff rotation to ensure full coverage of teaching content and supervision of participants
  • Manage communication with prospective applicants and their parents through email, phone, and website; and develop programming for the summer residential life part of YYGS, to include mentorship sessions and other structured activities available on Yale’s campus for participants

Qualifications:

Required education and experience:

  • Bachelors Degree, knowledge of Drupal,  website design, and social media communication
  • Experience working with and/or teaching high school students
  • Experience organizing conferences at Yale
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Knowledge of working with number and basic-level statistics

Preferred education and experience:

  • Recent Yale College Graduate
  • BA in a field relevant to the academic content of YYGS, to include the social sciences, humanities, or science, technology, and medicine (STEM) fields

Apply Now: Visit this site, and search Requisition # 29831BR