Thank you to Rachel Branch, producer of the television show Solutions Rising for including a “BEAT” series for people to learn more about the fracked gas pipelines proposed to bring gas from the fracking fields of Pennsylvania across New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire to a gas hub in Dracut, MA. The show interviews many people providing information about the proposed pipelines as well as the many alternatives to these pipelines.
Every year, to mark the anniversary of the March 18, 1937 Texas School Explosion, Ellie Goldberg, Ph.D. of Healthy Kids salutes inspiring individuals who show extraordinary responsibility and inspirational leadership for school and community safety. They live and work by a standard of excellence and integrity — often in the face of denial, willful blindness, and indifference about hazards and unsafe conditions. Jane Winn of BEAT is one of four people to receive this award in 2016.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren calls for federal government to be ‘good partner’ on pipeline issue, says she’ll fight for Western Mass. residents
Speaking to a crowd of several natural gas pipeline opponents and others, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pledged to fight for the needs of western Massachusetts residents Monday. The senator, who addressed constituents during an afternoon open house event in Springfield, said it’s important for the federal government to listen to the concerns of its citizens over the interests of the rich. No place, she said, is that more clear than it is with the pipeline. As reported by
Mass Clean Energy Report Released!
Baker Budget Proposes Further Environmental Agency Cuts
Op-Ed – Bill McKibben: How to drive a stake through the heart of zombie fossil fuel
When I was a kid, I was creepily fascinated by the wrongheaded idea that your hair and your fingernails keep growing after you die. The lesson seemed to be that momentum was hard to kill. The same thing is at work right now with the fossil fuel industry. Even as global warming makes it clear that coal, natural gas and oil are yesterday’s energy, two centuries of fossil fuel development means new projects keep emerging in zombie-like fashion. In fact, the climactic fight at the end of the fossil fuel era is underway. In statehouse hearing rooms and far off farmers’ fields, local activists are making desperate stands to stop new fossil fuel projects, while the energy companies are making equally desperate attempts to build while they still can. The outcome of these thousands of fights, as much or more than the paper promises made at the U.N. climate conference in Paris in December, will determine whether we emerge from this century with a habitable planet. They are the battle for the future. Los Angeles Times, January 19, 2016.
New Paper: Future cost-competitive electricity systems and their impact on US CO2 emissions
Jobs
2016 Berkshire Land Conservation Summer Internships – BNRC
2016 Berkshire Trail Crew – BNRC
Executive and HR Assistant – CET
Program Operations Manager, Green Business Services – CET
EcoFellow 2016-2017 – CET
Teacher for After-School Program – Greenagers
Jane Winn of BEAT receives 2016 Healthy Kids Heroes award!
Every year, to mark the anniversary of the March 18, 1937 Texas School Explosion, I salute inspiring individuals who show extraordinary responsibility and inspirational leadership for school and community safety. They live and work by a standard of excellence and integrity — often in the face of denial, willful blindness, and indifference about hazards and unsafe conditions.
Remembering the Lessons of the 1937 Texas School Explosion
One lesson of the 1937 tragedy is that a safe quality environment depends on champions with an exceptional sense of responsibility. Another lesson is that we can’t take it for granted that local officials or elected representatives make community safety or health a priority.
These four Heroes are inspiring for a combination of personal qualities and qualifications beyond credentials. Each, in his or her own way, promotes the values that build and continuously strengthen a culture of responsibility for safety and continuous improvement.
Todd Dresser and Rick Reibstein are heroes because both have dedicated their lives and long careers to helping people make good decisions to prevent pollution and reduce environmental hazards in schools, workplaces and communities. As public agency officials, educators, mentors, and consultants, they have been innovative problem solvers in a variety of business, private, government and academic settings. They are experts at building relationships and trust with clients and communities.
Jane Winn is a grassroots leader gifted at building community power to oppose pollution and advance sustainability. (Click on Jane’s name to read the full article about her.)
US Sen. Elizabeth Warren calls for federal government to be ‘good partner’ on pipeline issue, says she’ll fight for Western Mass. residents
By Shannon Young
MassLive
February 1, 2016
Speaking to a crowd of several natural gas pipeline opponents and others, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pledged to fight for the needs of western Massachusetts residents Monday.
The senator, who addressed constituents during an afternoon open house event in Springfield, said it’s important for the federal government to listen to the concerns of its citizens over the interests of the rich. No place, she said, is that more clear than it is with the pipeline.
Her remarks came after several opponents of proposed pipeline projects hoisted signs urging the senator to take action and broke out into a chorus of “This Land is Your Land.”
Warren praised constituents for making their voices known on the issue and encouraged them to remain vocal.
“We stopped them the first time, and we’re going to make sure that next time around they hear all of our voices right out here in western Massachusetts,” she said.
Warren added that it’s important for the federal government to be a “good partner” to the region and to listen to the concerns of the people who could be impacted by the proposal.
In response to calls for the senator to investigate the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Warren said “we need all the parts of government working on our side.”
The Democrat said she’s never been afraid to speak out, pointing to an op-ed she wrote against an earlier pipeline proposal from Kinder Morgan.
“I think it is our responsibility as senators to talk to FERC,” she told reporters. “This is the federal government and the federal government ultimately will make the decision about whether they move forward on this.
The senator added that “you don’t get what you don’t fight for.”
Rosemary Wessel, a Cummington resident and founder of No Fracked Gas in Mass., said her group attended the open house to hear Warren address the 19 different pipeline proposals for the Northeast.
“We would really love Elizabeth Warren to call for an investigation of FERC by the Government Accountability Office,” she said in an interview. “We’d also like to hear her speak out against the rapid expansion of fossil fuels that’s happening across the country.
Wessel said while Warren issued a statement saying that she opposed the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline as proposed, her organization was hoping to hear her discuss the issue during the open house event.
In addition to No Fracked Gas in Mass., Wessel said other pipeline movement activists from other organizations were also in attendance.
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., a Kinder Morgan company, filed a certificate application in November with FERC for its proposed Northeast Energy Direct project in Berkshire and Franklin counties.
Aside from touching on the pipeline issue, Warren briefly discussed her push to make college more affordable and to give a one-time payment to Social Security beneficiaries before meeting with constituents. The event marked Warren’s latest stop in Springfield since taking office.
Mass Clean Energy Report Released!
Baker Budget Proposes Further Environmental Agency Cuts
Environmental League of Massachusetts
This week Governor Baker released his $39.6 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2017. Despite the Governor’s stated commitment to increase support for our environmental agencies, his budget cuts funding by $16 million ($215 million compared to $231 million in FY16 budget). And while the $39.6 billion proposed budget reflects a 3.5% increase over last year’s state budget, spending on environmental agencies drops by 7%.
This budget reflects a significant reduction in staff at the Mass Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) resulting from early retirements. That is added to previous budget cuts resulting in MassDEP and DCR losing 30% of their staff since FY08.
The numbers speak for themselves. The practical effect of these latest staff reductions, to already understaffed agencies, is that the state can no longer adequately maintain protected parkland and is even giving some away (e.g., Daly Field, Brighton). It can no longer adequately supervise the independent cleanup of brownfield sites. It is falling short on meeting our statutory obligations for a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas pollution by 2020.
Massachusetts cannot consider itself a pro-environment state if it continues to spend less than 1% of its overall budget on environmental protection. The Governor committed to increase funding to 1% for the environment during his first term, but only 0.5% of this budget supports our environmental agencies. We must hold the Governor to his word.
Lowlights:
- $7.4M cut to MassDEP’s overall budget (13%)
- Cut $2 million from Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup (almost 15%)
- $7M cut to DCR’s overall budget (8%)
- Slash DCR Stormwater Management by almost 50%
- Cut DCR’s Office of Dam Safety by one-third
Highlights:
- Increase DCR Retained Revenue cap by $3.2 million (enabling DCR to retain 80% of up to $19.2 million of funds it generates).
ELM is hard at work advocating for funding restorations to environmental agencies. Soon, we’ll be asking you to help!
Op-Ed – Bill McKibben: How to drive a stake through the heart of zombie fossil fuel
Los Angeles Times
January 19, 2016
When I was a kid, I was creepily fascinated by the wrongheaded idea that your hair and your fingernails keep growing after you die. The lesson seemed to be that momentum was hard to kill. The same thing is at work right now with the fossil fuel industry. Even as global warming makes it clear that coal, natural gas and oil are yesterday’s energy, two centuries of fossil fuel development means new projects keep emerging in zombie-like fashion.
In fact, the climactic fight at the end of the fossil fuel era is underway. In statehouse hearing rooms and far off farmers’ fields, local activists are making desperate stands to stop new fossil fuel projects, while the energy companies are making equally desperate attempts to build while they still can. The outcome of these thousands of fights, as much or more than the paper promises made at the U.N. climate conference in Paris in December, will determine whether we emerge from this century with a habitable planet. They are the battle for the future.
Here’s how Diane Leopold, president of Virginia-based Dominion Energy put it last year: “It may be the most challenging” period in fossil fuel history because of “high-intensity opposition” to infrastructure projects that is becoming steadily “louder, better-funded and more sophisticated.” Or, in the words of the head of the American Natural Gas Assn.: “Call it the Keystone-ization of every project that’s out there.”
I hesitate to even start listing what’s “out there” because I’m going to miss dozens. In North America, people are fighting the Sandpiper pipeline in the upper Midwest; the Line 9, Energy East, Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipelines in Canada; the Piñon pipeline in Navajo country; the Vermont Gas pipeline down the western side of my own state; the Constitution pipeline; the Spectra pipeline; and on and on.
The protests are endless, and the protesters have to be endlessly resourceful. Everywherethe opposition is forced by statute to make its stand not on climate change arguments but on older grounds. This pipeline will hurt water quality. That coal port will increase local pollution. All the arguments are correct and accurate but a far more important case always lurks in the background: Each of these new infrastructure projects should be stopped because it extends the fossil fuel era a few more disastrous decades.
Here’s the basic math: If you build a pipeline in 2016, the investment will be amortized for 40 years or more. It is designed to last — to carry coal slurry or gas or oil — well into thesecond half of the 21st century. It is, in other words, designed to keep us extracting carbon, the very thing scientists insist we simply can’t keep doing and survive.
The money, however, is only part of it: The whole process is on autopilot. For many decades the economic health of the nation and access to fossil fuels were more or less synonymous. So it’s no wonder that laws and regulations favor business as usual. The advent of the environmental movement in the 1970s and 1980s introduced a few new rules, but it didn’t try to shut down the whole enterprise. Now fossil fuel projects continue to get approved, almost automatically, because there is no legal reason not to do so.
As 2016 began in my own backyard, Vermont — as enlightened a patch of territory as you’re likely to find — the state Public Service Board approved a big new gas pipeline. Under long-standing regulations, the pipeline was found to be in the public interest, even though science has recently made it clear that the methane leaking from the fracked gas the pipeline will carry is a bigger climate problem than the burning of coal. The decision came two weeks after the temperature in the city of Burlington hit 68 on Christmas Eve, breaking the old record by, oh, 17 degrees.
The only way to short-circuit this zombie process is to fight like hell, raising the price, both political and economic, of new fossil fuel infrastructure to the point where politicians begin to balk. That’s what happened with Keystone and it’s happening elsewhere, too. Other Canadian tar sands pipelines have been blocked. Coal ports planned for the West Coast haven’t been built. In May, a coalition across six continents is being organized to engage in mass civil disobedience to “keep it in the ground.”
In a few places you can see more than just the opposition; you can see results. Last fall, in Portland, Ore., the City Council passed a remarkable resolution: The city will use its powers to keep out new fossil fuel infrastructure. The resolution will almost certainly stop a proposed propane export terminal project, but far more important, it opens the door to a better future. If you can’t do fossil fuel energy, after all, you have to do something else — sun, wind, conservation.
This business of driving stakes through the heart of one project after another is exhausting. So many petitions, so many demonstrations, so many meetings. But for now, there’s really no other way to kill a zombie.
Bill McKibben is the founder of 350.org and a professor of environmental studies at Middlebury College. A longer version of this essay appears at TomDispatch.com.
New Paper: Future cost-competitive electricity systems and their impact on US CO2 emissions
By Alexander E. MacDonald, Christopher T. M. Clack, Anneliese Alexander, Adam Dunbar, James Wilczak & Yuanfu Xie
“Our results show that when using future anticipated costs for wind and solar, carbon dioxide emissions from the US electricity sector can be reduced by up to 80% relative to 1990 levels, without an increase in the levelized cost of electricity.”
Abstract: Carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation are a major cause of anthropogenic climate change. The deployment of wind and solar power reduces these emissions, but is subject to the variability of the weather. In the present study, we calculate the cost-optimized configuration of variable electrical power generators using weather data with high spatial (13-km) and temporal (60-min) resolution over the contiguous US. Our results show that when using future anticipated costs for wind and solar, carbon dioxide emissions from the US electricity sector can be reduced by up to 80% relative to 1990 levels, without an increase in the levelized cost of electricity. The reductions are possible with current technologies and without electrical storage. Wind and solar power increase their share of electricity production as the system grows to encompass large-scale weather patterns. This reduction in carbon emissions is achieved by moving away from a regionally divided electricity sector to a national system enabled by high-voltage direct-current transmission.
http://www.nature.com/
MassDEP and The Recycling Partnership Join Forces to Improve Quality of Recycled Materials
Press Release
January 22, 2016
The Recycling Partnership is excited to announce a new project in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to drive more, better material into residential recycling programs across Massachusetts. Supported by grant funds and building off of past work throughout the U.S., The Partnership will work with MassDEP to craft a customized contamination reduction toolkit, then test and refine it with pilot cities and local material recovery facilities (MRFs). The end result will be a field-tested, data-supported program ready for launch across the entire state, along with training and funding to support its success.
“Improved quality and increased tonnage are constant goals in our industry, and this program is designed to achieve both,” said Cody Marshall, Technical Assistance Lead of The Recycling Partnership. “We know that it will take an approach that integrates strong social marketing principles and proven operational tactics, and that is the foundation of this program.”
Over the course of 2016, The Partnership and MassDEP will work closely with Massachusetts communities and MRFs to diagnose the root causes of contamination, then build out and vet tools to eliminate the issues at their core. A key outcome will be a unified, adaptable messaging platform that provides communities with a common language for communicating with residents about recycling.
“Our communities are facing a challenging obstacle to recycling in the form of contamination, and we believe that this new approach will move our entire recycling system well past that barrier,” said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. “Beyond that, the universal nature of this program should unite our state’s recycling efforts in powerful new ways, increasing customer awareness and enabling more participation in local programs.”
The final toolkit will include a self-assessment component, which will allow local programs to easily identify the most effective methods for overcoming their specific barriers, then help them prioritize and implement those approaches. Like any good program, it will end with a reassessment to light new pathways to continuous improvement.
“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is taking an aggressive stance to boosting recycling performance, and we are proud to be teaming up with such a forward-looking partner,” noted Karen Bandhauer, Project Director of The Recycling Partnership. “At the end of this journey we will have a tactical, practical, proven set of approaches ripe for implementation across the country, and I for one can hardly wait to take this to the next level!”
About The Recycling Partnership – The Recycling Partnership (recyclingpartnership.org) is a dynamic industry collaboration focused on systematically and measurably improving curbside recycling in the United States. Working with community and industry partners nationwide, our strength lies in our best-in-class operational and technical support, proven community outreach approaches, and highly-leveraged seed grants to communities.
For more information:
Jason Hale
The Recycling Partnership
jhale@recyclingpartnership.org
(252) 455-4788
Jobs
2016 Berkshire Land Conservation Summer Internships –
Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC)
Berkshire Natural Resources Council (www.bnrc.net), a private, non-profit land trust based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is offering its 2016 Rice Fellowship to individuals exploring a career in the environmental field.
The internship dates are May 16 to September 2, with flexibility on both ends.
The 40-hour/week fellowship provides a stipend and lodging in a rustic cabin on Onota Lake in Pittsfield. There is a mix of approximately 90/10 field/office work. Fellows will gain valuable experience in resource management at a successful environmental organization while performing meaningful work in the Berkshires. BNRC is a small organization (staff of seven) unburdened by administrative formality. Rice Fellows enjoy an unusual level of independence compared with many internships; a large amount of self-motivation is required.
Responsibilities
- Public outreach (e.g., leading hikes and coordinating events)
- Land management
- Trail maintenance and construction
- Conservation restriction stewardship
- Invasive plant control
- Boundary work
- Other land management tasks as required
Requirements
- Ability to work unsupervised
- Comfort with being alone in the woods
- Ability to carry a 30 pound pack for 10 miles over rough terrain
- Willingness to work outside in all weather conditions
- Solid communication skills
- Personal transportation required
Fellows will gain:
- Trail-building skills
- Leadership skills
- Understanding of conservation restrictions
- Orienteering and boundary maintenance skills
- Understanding of ecological restoration theory and practice
- Basic understanding of land management techniques and challenges for land conservation
Interviews will begin on February 16, 2016. Please feel free to contact with questions or for more information. Applicants should email cover letter, résumé, and contact information for three references to:
Michael Leavitt, mleavitt@bnrc.net, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, 20 Bank Row, Pittsfield, MA 01201. (413) 499-0596
2016 Berkshire Trail Crew –
Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC)
Berkshire Natural Resources Council (www.bnrc.net), a private, non-profit land trust based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is hiring 2 trail crew members for the 2016 season.
The season runs from May 31 to September 2 with some flexibility on both ends.
BNRC maintains more than 50 miles of trail, with more to be built in 2016. Trail crew members will work with the Trails and Outreach Coordinator to maintain existing trails and construct new ones. The crew will work with and alongside youth and professional trail crews. Some backcountry camping may be required. Members must have a high level of self-motivation, as the crew will often work without supervision. An hourly wage and free housing in a rustic cabin on Onota Lake in Pittsfield is provided. A head trail crew position is available for the right applicant.
Responsibilities
- Trail maintenance and construction
- Work with youth and professional trail crews
- Public outreach (e.g., leading hikes, communicating with hikers, etc.)
- Other stewardship/management tasks as needed
Requirements
- Experience with hand tools required
- Trail crew experience preferred
- Ability to work unsupervised
- Comfort with being alone in the woods
- Ability to carry a 50-pound pack for 5 miles over rough terrain
- Willingness to work outside in all weather conditions
- Experience working with youth preferred
- Personal transportation required
Head Trail Crew Position Requirements
- Trail Crew experience required
- Leadership experience preferred
Interviews will begin on February 16, 2015. Please feel free to contact with questions or for more information. Applicants should email cover letter, résumé, and contact information for three references to:
Michael Leavitt, mleavitt@bnrc.net, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, 20 Bank Row, Pittsfield, MA 01201. (413) 499-0596
Executive and HR Assistant – Center for EcoTechnology (CET)
For more than 35 years, the Center for EcoTechnology has helped people and businesses in Massachusetts save energy and reduce waste. If you have a passion for helping to transforming the way we live and work for a better community, economy and environment, then CET is the place for you. The Executive Assistant provides timely, helpful, creative and accurate support to the Office of the President and the Human Resources department to further this mission.
- The Executive Assistant handles day-to-day logistics such as scheduling, email correspondence, agendas, Board minutes and travel preparations.
- The Executive Assistant tracks programs and maintains data for the human resources department and assists with recruiting and onboarding initiatives.
- The Executive Assistant creates a wide range of written materials including blog posts, newsletters, Board resolutions, confidential correspondence, and speeches.
- The Executive Assistant plans and coordinates events held at CET including arranging for speakers, securing catering, and controlling the budget.
- The Executive Assistant analyzes budget and mission impact data and compiles complex information into database and spreadsheet files.
We are looking for someone with a strong commitment to the non-profit community mission of CET. To be successful in this job, you must be outgoing, friendly, and helpful, approaching others with warmth and tact. We need someone who reacts calmly under pressure and treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position.
The Executive Assistant is effectively the “right-hand-person” to our President and a key support to the Human Resources department. The ability to manage multiple projects, summarize complex information, strategize the delivery and follow-up of that information, and think proactively are critical to success in this role. Any fundraising/endowment experience (although not required) would be a great plus.
In 2013, we helped 26,000 people save $33 million and reduce the impact on the environment equal to taking 29,000 cars off the road and 12,000 homes off the grid for a year! We provide practical solutions that save energy, materials and money and have a positive impact on our environment and community. In the past 6 months, we have added more than 30 people to our dedicated team and are still looking for more.
This is a full-time hourly position with benefits located in our Northampton office. To qualify, you must have minimum 2 years’ experience working in an administrative office environment with similar responsibilities. You should have strong skills in Microsoft Office Suite including Excel and PowerPoint as well as database software. You must have excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment. Strong communication skills needed. You should be able to succeed at the above while having fun and being fun to work with.
Send cover letter and resume via email to: hr.cs.ea16@cetonline.org. You may include military service assignments and any verified work performed on a volunteer basis. CET is an equal opportunity employer.
Program Operations Manager, Green Business Services
Center for EcoTechnology (CET)
Are you a successful manager of people and programs? Do you excel at leading a team to fulfill the changing needs of multiple clients in a fast-paced environment? Have you been working in the environmental field or are you looking for a more meaningful way to use your skills?
CET is seeking a key member of our management team to oversee our work for government, utility and other clients to help their business customers reduce costs and improve environmental performance. This hands-on position will be responsible for managing the work of administrative support and field staff, establishing effective systems for program delivery, providing account management services to high value customers, and monitoring and reporting on progress towards project goals and budgets.
- Manages a variety of program deliverables such as customer service, inside sales, events, websites and other programmatic services.
- Manages clients, identifying opportunities and developing partnerships to further the relationships.
- Develops employees through motivation, counseling, skills development and technical knowledge development.
- Acts as a resource in resolving customer issues brought to the department by using process knowledge and strong communication skills.
- Communicates program outcomes and status in a clear, effective and timely manner to necessary parties in the business unit and to clients.
- Produces material for newsletters, websites, and other outreach and education practices to fulfill program objectives.
Knowledge/Skills/Experience Requirements:
We are looking for someone with a strong commitment to the non-profit community mission of CET. To qualify, you must have a Bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences or related field or equivalent experience. You should have a minimum 3 years managing a team of people responsible for multifaceted programs or projects with numerous deliverable and deadlines. Experience in the field of commercial waste or recycling and familiarity with waste management programs desirable.
For nearly 40 years, the non-profit Center for EcoTechnology has helped people and businesses save energy and reduce waste. We provide practical solutions that save energy, materials and money and have a positive impact on our environment and community. CET is proud to be:
- Passionate: We are passionate about our environmental mission. We work hard and care about our customers, coworkers and community.
- Professional: We are experienced, objective and base our work on science. We work with integrity and are friendly and approachable to all.
- Practical: We offer innovative, practical and cost-effective solutions. We do as we say and get results.
For a chance to join our team, please submit your resume and cover letter to Human Resources at hr.gbs.pom16@cetonline.org. CET is an equal opportunity employer.
EcoFellow 2016-2017
Center for EcoTechnology (CET)
The Center for EcoTechnology helps people and businesses in Massachusetts save energy and reduce waste. We make green make sense. For 40 years, we’ve offered proven advice and resources to save you money, make you more comfortable at home, and help your business perform better. Working with partners throughout the region, we’re helping transform the way we live and work for a better community, economy, and environment – now and for the future. We provide practical solutions that save energy, materials and money and have a positive impact on our environment and community. We serve residents, business and communities in the areas of energy efficiency and waste reduction and through our retail store, EcoBuilding Bargains.
The Center for EcoTechnology is seeking five qualified college graduate candidates for a 10-month paid fellowship position to work with our staff to carry out a range of activities related to climate action initiatives and educational programming in western Massachusetts. Activities will support the CET’s initiatives to assist residents, students, institutions and businesses across the region in ongoing programs in energy efficiency, home energy services, renewable energy, and waste reduction through recycling, reuse and home composting. The Fellowship offers a full orientation and week-long training by CET professionals in subjects related to above programs, as well as professional development exploring a variety of environmental topics throughout the fellowship. Fellows will be based in CET’s Northampton office, with travel expected between CET locations and into local communities.
EcoFellowship Qualifications:
- We are looking for creative and energetic college graduates (bachelor degree required) with an interest in energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies, climate change, recycling and resource conservation. Previous experience through volunteering, internships and/or professional work is required.
- Commitment to the entire Fellowship program, from August 8, 2016 to June 30, 2017, is required.
- Fellows work a flexible schedule (40 hrs/week) that requires some evening and weekend hours as needed.
- Computer skills required, experience in creative uses of social media and/or graphic design preferred.
- Driver’s license and reliable, insured transportation is required.
- Ability to lift and move 50# will be required as necessary for certain placements.
- Background checks and drug testing will be required for all positions.
- CET is an equal opportunity employer and encourages all to apply.
EcoFellowship Salary and Benefits:
- Salary: Pays $10/hr for 40 hrs/week, with an additional $2,000 bonus at the completion of the program. Hourly rate increases to $11/hr Jan 1, 2017.
- Benefits: Health Insurance; paid sick, holiday and vacation; supplies and mileage reimbursement
- Professional Development: Week-long training; monthly professional trainings throughout experience
Hiring Process:
Application Process: Rolling applications are accepted until March 13
Interview Process:
- Initial interviews are ongoing until March 18, either in-person or by phone
- 2nd interviews will be scheduled for late March/early April, in-person required
Hiring Process: Position placements will be offered by mid-April
EcoFellowship Placement: August 8, 2016 to June 30, 2017
Send Resume and Cover Letter to:hr.out.ef16@cetonline.org
Greenagers: Teacher for After-School Program
Greenagers is now hiring for a part-time (approx. 15hrs/wk beginning in late Feb.) teaching position for the after-school program, “Crafting the Landscape”. This program focuses on teaching environmental literacy and stewardship to middle school students through hands-on projects and excursions as well as with the video game MineCraft.edu
The program runs Monday through Thursday afternoons from 3:00 -5:00 pm in Great Barrington and Sheffield during the school year. Summer programs run 4 days/wk, 6hrs/day for 5 weeks.
Requirements: A four-year degree in environmental or related studies and/or relevant field and teaching experience required. Experience with or willingness to learn MineCraft also required. Candidates must be able to work well in a team teaching environment with a broad range of academic and emotional abilities. Applicant must have reliable transportation, clean driving record and submit to a CORI background test.
This program is a collaboration between Greenagers and the Berkshire Coop Market.
How to apply: Cover letter and resume may be sent to Will Conklin: director@greenagers.org.