Casella’s sustainability interns support the company’s efforts to tangibly improve its environmental and social impacts. The company actively strives to create a mutually rewarding and fruitful internship experience, wherein students gain valuable skills, contacts, and experiences and Casella gains useful deliverables with clear business value.
Networking and learning. All interns complete a broad set of onboarding activities designed to provide exposure to multiple departments and components of the solid waste industry. This will take the form of professional interviews, facility tours, skills training, and more. These
experiences can be completed virtually when needed. Each intern is assigned a supervisor and one or more mentors.
Concrete deliverables. Interns will be responsible to prepare, complete, and present one primary deliverable during the course of their internship. This project will be defined in the first two weeks of the program, taking into account the student’s interests and skills and the company’s priorities. Students will also be asked to work on smaller side projects as time
permits.
Example intern projects for 2021
• Environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP): Review the company’s current procurement records and identify opportunities to better align our purchasing with our sustainability values, including recycled content products, diversity of vendors, sustainably certified products, etc. Deliverable: A proposed EPP policy for the company to consider adopting. – 1 intern
• Community Outreach: Support our operating divisions in conducting their community engagement activities, including participating in community events, conducting recycling education, organizing employee volunteer projects, and more. Capture photos, videos, and stories and help craft engagement content. Deliverables may include blog posts, press releases, social media posts, etc. – up to 3 interns
• Greenhouse gas inventories and accounting: Review various methodologies for quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the solid waste industry. Deliverable: A comparative analysis of state-level GHG inventories and federal GHG reporting data for the solid waste industry. – 1 intern
• Podcast Production: Support the production of Casella’s Beyond the Bin podcast. Responsibilities will include logistical support for producing episodes, audio editing, and preparation of digital promotional content. Deliverable: a completed season of 5-7 podcast episodes and related content. – 1 intern
• Other examples: Provide project management support for select sustainability initiatives, conduct research and prepare briefs on environmental policy topics, etc.
Compensation and Logistics. Casella’s sustainability interns are paid at competitive rates. The roles may be full-time or part-time. Hours can be scheduled around other commitments. A company-issued laptop may be issued if required. The location of the internship will be flexible,
with an assumption of remote/virtual participation until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
How to Apply
To apply, interested students should:
• Submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to Devin.Siva@casella.com, with the email subject listed as: Casella Sustainability Internship.
• Apply to the EREF Internship in Excellence program, which provides access to internships with Casella and with others throughout the industry.
https://erefdn.org/eref-internship-excellence-program/
About Casella
Casella is a vertically integrated solid waste resource management company headquartered in Rutland, VT. Founded in 1975, the company has established itself as a leader in providing customer-focused sustainable waste and recycling solutions. Casella’s Resource Solutions approach applies the organization’s knowledge and experience in recycling, collection, organics, energy and landfills to create measurable economic and environmental value for its customers and communities. To learn more, visit https://www.casella.com/about-us/casella-sustainability