COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INTERN
Date: Fall 2014
Hours: 10-20 hours per week, flexible. Occasional evening and weekend hours will be required.
Compensation: Unpaid. Bus passes available.
Reports To: Zero-Waste Education Manager
Background
Eureka Recycling is the only organization in Minnesota that specializes in zero waste. The organization's services, programs, and policy work present solutions to the social, environmental, and health problems caused by wasting. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, based in the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Eureka Recycling's mission is to demonstrate that waste is preventable, not inevitable. Because this mission is realized by any person or group that chooses to prevent waste, Eureka Recycling provides opportunities for everyone to experience firsthand that waste can be prevented.
Perhaps most well-known for its $9 million annual recycling operations, Eureka Recycling has provided curbside and apartment recycling services, education, and advocacy since 2001. Eureka Recycling has a wide range of initiatives designed to prevent the needless wasting of our discards through reuse, recycling, composting, waste reduction, producer responsibility and more. These initiatives provide over 100 jobs for individuals who demonstrate our mission every day in the work that they do.
Eureka Recycling is a nonprofit organization and an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer.
Description
Eureka Recycling’s Community Engagement Department is working to really understand the communities it serves, reaches out to and engages with. Eureka is working on a project to learn more about the unique make up of these communities to help design future engagement strategies. This work will be done through two projects that will involve some hands on: 1) Saint Paul neighborhood research to analyze the distinct make up of each community with some outreach events included in that research 2) Eureka Recycling’s Recycled Paper Co-op and learning more about the organizations that participate in the Co-op to help attract further participation on zero waste initiatives.
Using research from a variety of sources, this intern would create a bio of each community to better understand the people, resources, organizations, and passions of each community. From this research, the Community Engagement team would develop engagement strategies for future outreach in these communities.
Each spring and fall Eureka Recycling organizes a recycled paper cooperative purchasing project, which gives local organizations, individuals, and businesses a chance to close the loop in recycling by purchasing high quality, 100% postconsumer recycled office paper at a reduced cost.
This intern will play a significant role helping to coordinate the small business Recycled Paper Co-op within Eureka Recycling. A successful candidate will help design and implement strategies to engage with our current customers about zero waste and learn why they purchase paper through the co-op. Additionally, the intern will coordinate communications, sales and order tracking for the fall 2014 program as well as planning for the next co-op. This position gains experience in managing a sustainable business that examines the triple bottom line of cost, customer service and environmental benefit as well as community engagement efforts to promote zero waste.
Eureka Recycling is seeking a self-directed, organized individual with strong written and verbal communication skills, who is interested in understanding community assets and partners and how they interact with Eureka and our zero-waste mission.
Responsibilities
1. Research Saint Paul and Minneapolis neighborhoods based on set criteria for developing a biography for each neighborhood.
2. Use existing data available on the internet, as well as develop other forms of gathering data for the research of each community.
3. Develop thoughtful suggestions for topics and areas of outreach and engagement strategies.
4. Assist in coordinating the fall recycled paper cooperative project including determining local suppliers and prices, promoting the program, tracking customers and orders, monitoring inventory, making pickup and delivery arrangements with customers and writing
a summary of the project. Work with program staff to make decisions about the project and offer input for the future of the paper cooperative.
5. Organize and prepare customer data (using MS Excel and Access) for contact management.
6. Attend several outreach events to understand Eureka’s presence in the community and ways we are already engaging.
7. Assist with event preparation and monitoring for at least one zero-waste event, and if necessary, participate in sorting waste or conducting visual audits to help identify ways to reduce waste and increase recycling.
8. Attend staff trainings on recycling issues.
9. Other Community Engagement support work.
Minimum Qualifications
1. Interest in and commitment to Eureka’s zero-waste mission and its programs.
2. Past experience in community research or community outreach.
3. Ability to research and present information in an organized and concise format.
4. Interest in understanding the development and management of socially responsible businesses that respects the environment and the customer while also generating revenue.
5. Experience in organizing projects and demonstrated ability to carry out tasks in a timely and efficient manner.
6. Strong oral and written communication skills.
7. Strong attention to detail.
8. Demonstrated ability to work scheduled hours and arrive on time.
9. Ability to interact respectfully with diverse groups of people in a variety of settings.
10. Experience using assorted office machines (copier, fax).
11. Computer proficiency (MS Word, Excel).
12. Experience engaging with Saint Paul communities a plus.
13. Hmong, Somali, Spanish or Karen language skills a plus.
Working Conditions/Physical Requirements
Working conditions include: normal office environment, occasional warehouse work moving paper boxes and outreach materials. Must be able to lift 40 lbs.
Click here to apply.
