About the job

Imagine yourself organizing a town hall meeting on solar power. Or imagine releasing a hard-hitting research report on power plant pollution. Or picture yourself building a community coalition around clean water or fracking. Imagine building the organizational power—the funds, the membership, the activist base and so on—that it takes to keep all of this critical work going for the long haul.

All of this is what you do as an Environment America fellow. Because this is how we build the support it takes to reduce global warming pollution, create more solar and wind power, spare our parks and forests from fracking, keep our beaches, rivers and streams clean, and protect our wildlife and wild places.

Is it easy? No, we’re up against some wily opponents who are incredibly well-funded. Is it rewarding? Absolutely. And given global warming, fracking and all of the tough problems we’re facing right now, can you imagine doing anything more urgent and meaningful?

What you’ll do

Research and write reports: From cataloging and analyzing sources of carbon pollution in the United States, to detailing the success of the Clean Water Act, our reports help us to influence public debate and earn media attention for our cause.

Lobby elected officials: You may discuss strategy with a champion in Congress, or make a convincing case to a legislator who is undecided on a particular vote. You’ll work the “inside game” to complement our outside field operation, where most of our power is derived.

Build powerful coalitions: You’ll reach out to small businesses, farmers, public health officials, unions, and others to demonstrate broad-based support for our policy goals.

Generate traditional media and social media attention: From organizing news conferences to writing opinion pieces, to maintaining a presence on Facebook and Twitter for your campaigns, you’ll work to shine a spotlight on our issues.

Run citizen outreach campaigns: During your two summers as a fellow, you’ll direct citizen-outreach offices, where you’ll hire and manage a staff of 20 canvassers, raise money, build our membership and help win one of our key campaigns.

Identify and cultivate donors: You’ll reach out to foundations and major donors and ask them to fund our work to fight global warming, ban fracking, and protect our most spectacular natural areas.

Beyond your first two years

After two years as an Environment America fellow, you’ll have learned the ropes, gained invaluable hands-on experience and made a real difference for the environment. You’ll have skills and experience that will set you apart from most other recent college graduates. And you’ll be ready to take on even more responsibility at Environment America, as a program director or a state director for one of our affiliates.

Qualifications

We’re seeking candidates committed to fighting for a green future. We look for smarts, leadership experience, top-notch written and verbal skills, and an eagerness to learn. We value experience organizing, including building campus groups.