Environment America Fellowship Program

Most of us want a cleaner, greener, healthier future. Making it happen is the tough part.
 
From the White House to state capitols to city halls, Americans have elected hundreds of new leaders who share our vision of a world where our lives are powered by the wind and the sun, the air is clear and safe to breathe, our rivers and lakes are clean and toxic-free, and the forests, parks and other special places we love are protected and preserved.
 
But having a few good leaders isn’t enough. Not when we face so many powerful industries willing to pay practically any price to block real change.
 
That’s where Environment America comes in.
 
Our mission is to research and advocate the policies and build and mobilize the public support necessary to win positive change for our environment. We have more than 100 professional staff working with the state-based groups in our national federation and in our Washington, D.C., office. We’ve organized 1 million members, activists and political allies to join us, winning changes that mean more solar and wind power, less global warming pollution, and more protections for our parks, waterways, forests and wilderness areas.
 
But we still have much more to do. We need to do more to document the problems, advocate the right policies, educate the public, mobilize more people to take action, build broader and stronger coalitions, and train and develop more organizers, advocates and other leaders to keep building the kind of support that can sweep past even the most powerful opposition. That’s where you come in.
 

The 2010-2012 Fellowship Program: Job Description

Environment America’s Fellowship Program is designed to give you an opportunity to make an immediate impact even as you gain the training and experience you need to become a leader in the environmental movement.
 
Through the Fellowship Program, you will develop basic expertise on critical issues—for example, clean energy—and work to carry out our strategy for winning positive policy change—for example, pushing a new initiative that will bring solar power to thousands of homes and families. One week, you might take part in a coalition meeting, speak at a news conference, lobby lawmakers or their staff, and write an op-ed for publication in the state’s top paper. Another week, you might call a list of civic leaders to seek their endorsements of pending legislation, organize a town hall meeting with a lawmaker, and hold a rally in a key legislator’s home district.
 
In addition to developing policy expertise and lobbying on issues, fellows play an important role in mobilizing and engaging the public on critical issues. You’ll canvass during the year and run citizen outreach canvass offices during each summer of the two-year program. By the end of the program, you will have learned how to raise funds, build a membership, recruit and manage staff and volunteers, work with lawmakers and community leaders, earn media coverage, and run a successful grassroots campaign.
 

Qualifications

We are seeking recent college graduates who are ready to commit their time, talent and energy to grassroots political action on behalf of our environment. We look for academic excellence, problem-solving ability, creativity and top-notch written and verbal skills. We value leadership experience, especially with campus and other activist groups.
 

Training and Experience

Starting in mid-August 2010 in Boston, Environment America Fellows will participate in 10 days of paid initial training. Additional trainings will take place throughout the year, with a mix of lectures, discussions, role-plays and in-the-field practice. Most importantly, you will learn through hands-on experience, and guidance and feedback from our current staff—including some of the nation’s top environmental advocates and organizers. In addition to learning about the issues and how to influence the political debate, you will learn organization-building skills, such as grant-writing, volunteer recruitment and how to manage staff and direct campaigns.

Placement

Fellowship candidates are hired nationwide and placed in Environment America offices across the country. If you are interested in particular locations, you will be asked to identify them during the interview process. In most cases, final placement, including location and position, occurs during the August training in Boston.
 

Salary and Benefits

As a recent graduate, you earn $23,750 in your first year and $24,250 in your second year. You’re eligible to opt into our group health plan, and accrue two weeks paid vacation over the course of your first year and an additional three weeks over your second year. You’re eligible to apply for college loan assistance. In your second year, you’re eligible to participate in our 401(k) plan. Salary and benefits vary in California and New York.
 

Locations

Environment America is currently hiring for positions in: Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and Santa Barbara, CA; Denver, CO; Hartford, CT; Washington, DC; Miami and Tallahassee, FL; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Des Moines, IA; Portland, ME; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Ann Arbor, MI; Minneapolis, MN; St. Louis, MO; Missoula, MT; Las Vegas, NV; Concord, NH; Trenton, NJ; Albuquerque, NM; Albany and New York, NY; Raleigh, NC; Columbus, OH; Portland, OR; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA; Providence, RI; Austin, TX; Richmond, VA; Seattle, WA; Madison, WI.
 

How to Apply

Pick up a brochure at your career placement office and schedule an on-campus interview, or apply online at www.EnvironmentAmerica.org/jobs.
 

Questions

Please contact Maria Schweitzer in our Recruitment Department with any questions. E-mail her at Jobs@EnvironmentAmerica.org or call (202) 683-1250.
 
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