The Green Teams internship program is a 10-week summer sustainability internship program for all majors, and is open to undergraduate students studying at a four-year university or community college. The internship typically accepts upper-classmen, and exceptional first-year students.
What would I do as a Green Team intern?
As a Green Team intern you will be placed on a team of five undergraduate students and assigned to either a corporation, non-profit organization, or a municipality to work on sustainability deliverables during the duration of the program. There will be two weeks in the beginning of the program that will be strictly for training. The remaining weeks will consist of project work and weekly site visits/meetings with your company representatives. Since 2022 counseling was incorporated into the Green Teams internship model. For one hour each week your team will meet with a counselor to discuss issues, successes and challenges that your team is working through.
Is this a paid opportunity?
Yes, this is a paid opportunity with housing included. The amount we pay students each year varies depending on funding and inflation, but has typically seen an increase each year.
What companies have participated in the program?
We have had over 47 organizations participate throughout the program since 2016. In 2023, we had the following organizations participate and host a Green Team:
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dsm-firmenich
PSEG
Montclair State University Facilities
Newark Community Food System
NJ Transit
New Jersey Resources
Hackensack Meridian Health
Stryker
What will I gain from participating in this program?
By participating in the Green Teams internship program, you will gain a new perspective on how your major can connect to the field of sustainability, and connect with other sustainability and business professionals. Many of our Green Teams interns credit participating in this program to their academic and career successes.
What does the day to day of a Green team intern look like?
No day is exactly the same. Typically the day begins with either a training or professional development training until mid-morning. You will be working 35 hours a week with a team of 5 students Monday – Thursday each week. There are two mandatory weeks of training at the beginning of the program, and after those two weeks you will begin project work for your assigned hosting organization and meet with them once a week either in-person or virtual. Every Thursday is typically another training day where you will receive various additional training, and meet with Green Team alumni who share their perspectives as an intern, and how they landed in their current roles. As the program progresses, your focus will shift towards project work entirely, and you will be practicing weekly a short presentation about the progress of your team’s work to the entire cohort. At the of the program you will be presenting a TED-style presentation to the public for approximately 12 minutes.