Intern in Permaculture
CIRENAS (Centro de Investigaciones de Recursos Naturales y Sociales) is seeking interns to help the permaculture program on its new campus on the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. 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 1,800 ha working ranch, CIRENAS demonstrates science-based, regenerative and productive ecological practices for our local community and beyond.
Interns will work with our permaculture team on:
 Earthworks
 Water retention, slope stabilization, human and animal movement through landscape
 Water management and storage
 Potable supply, irrigation supply, place based solutions
 Planting and landscape design
 Cover crops, tree planting, guild establishment, support species
 Waste treatment
 Black water, grey water, run off, solid wastes and reuse/recycling
 Potential entrepreneurial projects
 Business incubation, modeling, trial
Interns will get hands-on experience in all of the areas mentioned above and will also be given reading materials to provide background and philosophical context. The goal is to have interns understand how to make CIRENAS as self-sufficient as possible and to identify ways that our systems can be adopted in the local community to ensure a sustainable future for the region. Although interns will learn about all facets of permaculture work on campus, they will also be given the opportunity to focus on individual elements of their work and will be assigned a personal project.
Interns are expected to work five hours per day with the permaculture team, Monday-Friday. Saturday is a half-day (2.5 hours). The remainder of the day/week is technically free but interns are encouraged to get involved in other aspects of CIRENAS’s work and/or work on personal projects. Interns will be given the opportunity to present information from their personal projects as well as participate in weekly seminar discussions. Outside of work, interns have the opportunity to explore neighboring Santa Teresa, Mal Pais, Caletas or Montezuma, surf, visit local turtle research centers, study Spanish, fish, kayak, and much more.
Lodging
Interns stay in communal spaces that are rooms with bunk beds and shared bathrooms. Meals consist of typical Costa Rican food and are mostly prepared by a local cook. Interns are expected to set up and clean up meals, and keep living spaces clean and clutter free, therefore everyone coming to work at CIRENAS must be committed to community living and doing their share.
Program Information
Interns pay $600 to cover room and board expenses, as well as their own transportation to and from campus (see travel section of website). Interns are expected to stay at least one month to provide continuity and ensure in depth learning. The next “class” of interns will begin on June 15, 2015.
For more information and to request an application, please contact jobs@cirenas.org. CIRENAS requires a brief application, a resume, and two references.
Highlights of Interning at CIRENAS
 Work and live with Costa Ricans and improve your Spanish
 Learn in an experiential setting
 Understand and implement important permaculture concepts that you can transfer to wherever you next live
 Meet a variety of people from around the world who will also pass through as visitors, interns, students or researchers
 Live in an intentional community
 Experience the wonder and beauty of Costa Rica!