Sustainable Stanford Internship Program

Are you ready to make an impact on campus sustainability? The Sustainable Stanford Internship Program provides opportunities for full-time Stanford students to gain hands-on experience implementing programs that influence on-campus sustainability through various units like the Office of Sustainability, Facilities Energy Management, Scope 3 Emissions Program, and Residential & Dining Enterprises. Each intern will commit to an academic year-long program (with the possibility of extension based on desire and performance), working to contribute to, or manage a campus sustainability project and bring about tangible results. In addition to gaining experience in sustainability project design and implementation, interns gain exposure to sustainability careers and a network of campus sustainability professionals. Positions posted until officially filled.

Positions:

Work Hours/ Duration: Average of 6-10 hours a week each quarter. Positions are open for academic year 2024-2025 with some that may start earlier or extend past the academic year.

Compensation: Starting at $19.00/hour

Benefits:

• Flexible work options - Scheduled work hours can vary during the week. 
• Professional development - Acquire new skills, learn about how an organization and workplace function, gain leadership experience through taking ownership of projects, room to pursue projects of interest within job role and office mission (e.g. encouraging sustainable behavior change or using campus as a living lab)
• Community - Join a team of sustainability-minded students and staff who are passionate about integrating and modeling sustainability in all aspects of campus life
• Networking  - Make professional connections with leaders and experts in various fields/industries through collaborative work within the larger division and with partner organizations across campus

Climate Action Intern - Office of Sustainability

Stanford University aims to complete its Climate Action plan by Spring 2025. Over the last year, a network of experts and stakeholders across the university were convened to establish the various sections, goals and strategies. Climate Action Interns will support Stanford's Climate Action network with research and climate action implementation strategies, in addition to helping to manage the community engagement process with the Stanford community - students, faculty and staff.  

Communications Intern - Office of Sustainability

The Office of Sustainability (OOS) serves as a convener to help set, communicate, track, and achieve university goals and targets, as well as drive behavior change through high-impact programs and education. OOS also stewards the Sustainable Stanford and Zero Waste Stanford brands by facilitating connections, amplifying campus partners’ success stories and initiatives, and advancing living lab strategies. 

The Communications intern will support key branding, communication, and outreach efforts to support campus engagement in zero waste. This role will assist with designing, writing, and compiling print and digital content for zero waste programs and initiatives. This role will collaborate closely with other interns and staff to implement marketing and behavior change strategies to support the University’s goal to achieve Zero Waste by 2030. This role will also assist with general campus outreach and engagement initiatives, including helping with tabling at events to grow awareness around Sustainable Stanford.

Data Analyst Intern - Office of Sustainability

The Data Analyst Intern will support Stanford University’s various sustainability reporting. Examples of reporting frameworks may include the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating (STARS) program through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE); Scopes 1 & 2 greenhouse gas reporting to The Climate Registry; and/or the Sustainability and Stanford Year-in-Review. The intern will collect quantitative and qualitative data, cleanse data, identify data outliers, analyze data results in comparison to past and/or peer institution results, help identify analysis process improvements, and document analysis processes.

Energy Efficiency & Data Analysis Intern - Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE)

Student interns will lead energy saving programs throughout student residences and dining halls. Projects include analysis and reporting on utilities data, benchmarking, analyzing data on temperature, air quality, dashboard and/or mobile app development and overall student well-being to ensure our residents are comfortable and happy. Interns will also assist with outreach to residents on energy conservation behaviors such as our Winter Break campaign to “Unplug, Turn Off and Recharge”.

Green Cleaning Intern - Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE)

Student interns will actively perform outreach to students and custodial staff on Stanford’s Cardinal Clean Program, a human and environmentally friendly alternative to toxic cleaning chemicals and laundry detergent. Additional responsibilities can include collecting and analyzing data on the effectiveness of Cardinal Clean outreach and adoption and monitoring the Cardinal Clean machines to ensure ease of use for students. 

Scope 3 Emissions Intern - Business Affairs

As the next frontier of climate change mitigation, scope 3 (indirect) emissions are an important component of Stanford’s goal to be net zero carbon by 2050. Scope 3 emissions include embodied carbon in all of Stanford’s purchases, emissions associated with employee and student travel, and more. The Scope 3 Emissions Program in Business Affairs works to quantify and reduce scope 3 emissions university-wide and establish a path other institutions can follow. Student interns are vital in pushing our work forward!

Smart Campus Intern - Facilities Energy Management (FEM)

Stanford University's Facilities Energy Management (FEM) group within the Sustainability, Utilities, and Infrastructure (SUI) department is seeking a Smart Campus Intern to help pioneer the integration of technology and sustainability, making the campus more efficient and smart. This role involves collaborating with various teams to optimize building performance and energy efficiency through innovative technology solutions, including control systems, data analytics tools, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The Smart Campus Intern will be instrumental in advancing FEM's mission by engaging in hands-on tasks such as developing access and analysis methods for building data, vetting new technologies, and improving protocols for data sharing. The internship offers a unique blend of technical, analytical, and project management experiences in a dynamic environment committed to sustainability and technological advancement.

Social Science/Behavioral Interventions Intern - Office of Sustainability

Encouraging pro-environmental behaviors (e.g., proper waste sorting) across campus can help Stanford achieve its sustainability goals and reduce the university’s environmental impact. As a social science intern, you will focus on understanding the external and internal factors that drive pro-environmental behaviors across campus and will work on designing, implementing, and studying the effects of behavioral interventions across campus that seek to influence individual and group actions. 

Strategy / Living Lab Intern - Office of Sustainability

The Sustainability Strategy & Living Lab Intern supports several key functions within the Office of Sustainability, including stakeholder engagement, support towards the expansion of Stanford’s Campus as a Living Laboratory and its Living Lab Fellowship Program for Sustainability, as well as collaboration with on- and off-campus sustainability groups and partners. Responsibilities include in-person and virtual stakeholder engagement, conducting interviews, capturing and analyzing findings, cross-institutional benchmarking, as well as preparation and delivery of presentation materials.

Water Planning & Stewardship Intern - Water Resources & Civil Infrastructure

The Water Planning and Stewardship team’s work ensures reliable and high-quality water, watershed/environmental protection, and sustainable use of water supplies on campus. The intern hired will assist with current alternative water supply planning projects. Other key projects will include compliance reporting assistance, including data analysis, related to wastewater, domestic water, stormwater, and watershed pollution prevention.  Intern will assist with creation of outreach materials, fact sheets, and web content.  Intern will also perform field inspections of campus irrigated areas, building water use, and campus watershed areas.

This position will start in April 2024 (part-time) and will run full-time through the summer of 2024 with the possibility of extending part-time into the 2024-2025 academic year.

Zero Waste Intern - Office of Sustainability

The Zero Waste Intern will be part of a student and staff team to advance the university's Zero Waste by 2030 goal. This position will help promote waste reduction and proper sorting behaviors by developing outreach and communication materials, supporting behavior change programming, collecting and analyzing data, and assisting with the implementation of zero waste programs.

Zero Waste Intern - Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE)

Join our team dedicated to achieving the university's Zero Waste by 2030 goal. As a Zero Waste Intern, you'll spearhead campus-wide initiatives to reduce waste through research, outreach, and implementation of innovative programs. Responsibilities include developing communication materials, supporting behavior change initiatives, conducting research and data analysis, and evaluating the effectiveness of waste reduction strategies. Make a real impact on campus sustainability while gaining valuable experience in environmental stewardship.