Sustainability Institute Internships

Interns work closely with a supervisor to complete projects and tasks related to their position. They also work with other interns at times and meet as a cohort to support and educate one another, brainstorm, and build community. All projects help advance some aspects of sustainability at UNH – you will be making a vital, direct and lasting impact!

All interns are expected to: 

• Meet with your supervisor once per week at a mutually beneficial time to review tasks and goals, get advice and support, tap into your interests and skill-building, and problem solve/trouble shoot as needed.
• Meet with the intern cohort every other week to workshop different projects, focus on professional skill development, and to build connection and community. 
• Deliver assigned tasks weekly (between 5-8 hours per week is expected, which includes your weekly meeting with your supervisor).
• Deliver a mid-year poster presentation (at a fun, celebratory event in February!) that explains your project, its goals, potential or realized outcomes and impact for UNH and our community. 
• Work closely with campus and community partners to collaborate on sustainability projects.  

Please read the position descriptions carefully and choose up to 2 positions to apply for. See the "How Do I Apply?" dropdown for instructions on how to apply and where to indicate your two preferred positions.

Sustainability Advocates (two positions available) 

This internship is to help lead The Sustainability Advocates program, which is a partnership between the Sustainability Institute and Residence Life. Through peer education, Sustainability Advocates will empower students to become active participants in creating sustainable change on campus, while also identifying gaps and areas for improvement in our sustainability efforts and working towards addressing them. Interns will facilitate weekly meetings to lead advocates in their efforts in residence halls.  

Student Sustainability Network: Community Building (one position available) 

This intern position is responsible for creating and distributing a weekly email newsletter to the student sustainability network as well as planning and running monthly sustainability cafes.  

Trash 2 Treasure (one position available) 

The T2T Program Intern is a vital member of the Zero Waste cohort at UNH, dedicated to reducing waste and promoting sustainability. This position focuses on coordinating the Collections and Outreach components of the T2T program, with the opportunity to assist or participate in the summer sorting and sale initiatives. The intern will work closely with other T2T partners, including the staff lead and the student core team, to ensure the smooth planning and execution of the program's collection and sale periods. This role is essential for achieving T2T's mission of diverting waste from landfills and providing students with affordable back-to-school options.  

Social Media and Communications (one position available) 

Channel your passion for sustainability through your creativity as the Sustainability Institute’s social media intern! Create short-form video and other social media posts to spotlight students, our programs, and other sustainability-related information. We’re looking for an enthusiastic student to help with our social media storytelling. In addition to pitching your ideas, you’ll deliver social media content each week. 

Cat Trax Bike Share (one position available) 

This intern position is responsible for the Cat Trax bike share program on campus and is a collaboration with the town of Durham. Interns monitor the bike fleet, the movatic app, and are responsible for replying to maintenance requests and user feedback. Interns also work to plan events like bike repair clinics, community bike rides, and Cat Trax information sessions.  

Ecosystems: Pollinator Garden (two positions available) 

The Pollinator Garden intern will play a crucial role in advancing pollinator protection and education across campus, significantly raising visibility and awareness about pollinator gardens and their benefits. This role is pivotal in enhancing the campus pollinator landscape through the strategic planning, planting, maintenance, and watering of pollinator gardens.  

Ecosystems: Stormwater Intern (one position available)

The Stormwater Intern will support efforts to protect and enhance campus ecosystems by assessing stormwater systems, conducting outreach, and researching sustainable improvements. Responsibilities include inspecting stormwater infrastructure for compliance, assisting with wet weather sampling, and maintaining organized records of findings. The intern will also develop educational content, such as videos, brochures, and social media materials, to raise awareness about stormwater management. Collaboration with key stakeholders, including UNH Utilities and Facilities, and sustainability teams, is essential to ensure effective environmental protection efforts. This role offers hands-on experience in environmental stewardship and sustainability, contributing to a greener UNH campus.

Climate and Energy: (two positions available) 

The Climate and Energy Interns will support efforts to protect and enhance ecosystems across the UNH campus, working with various Facilities departments, including Campus Stewardship and Energy and Utilities as well as with the broader Energy Task Force (ETF), to support UNH’s decarbonization and climate leadership efforts. This role involves conducting direct assessments of the UNH carbon footprint, supporting outreach initiatives, and researching improvements in campus systems to promote a sustainable environment.    

UNH Marketing: (one position available) 

Work with the main brand team on this project that focuses on developing and promoting sustainable practices for purchasing university-branded staff, faculty and student swag to align with UNH's sustainability values. The objective is to analyze current swag purchasing practices and recommend strategies for integrating sustainable materials, ethical sourcing, and waste reduction. The intern will create a catalog of sustainable swag. Activities will include research, stakeholder interviews, and creating educational resources. 

Zero waste: E-waste (one position available) 

The Zero Waste E-Waste Intern will support efforts to achieve a Zero Waste campus at UNH, This role involves conducting direct assessments in electronic waste (e-waste), supporting numerous outreach initiatives, and researching improvements in campus waste management systems to promote a sustainable environment.  

Basic Needs: Cat’s Cupboard (one position available) 

The Cat's Cupboard Food Pantry Intern will assist in managing and promoting the food pantry’s operations, working to alleviate food insecurity on campus. The intern will support outreach, coordinate food drives, engage with campus partners, and help develop strategies to ensure equitable access to nutritious food for students, all while aligning with the UNH Sustainability Institute's values of promoting social and environmental responsibility.  

Thank you for your interest in being a Sustainability Institute Intern! 

The Academic Year 2025-26 application is OPEN! 
Questions? Contact Kelsey.Farrell@ballballu.com or Kailei.Wedge@ballballu.com  

Because you'll be working on UNH sustainability projects, we ask that you apply for the internship so we can understand your experience, interests and make the best matches. After you apply, we'll reach out to schedule a meeting with you to get to know you better, and then we will make the matches and notify you if you are selected for an internship.  

Application due date: April 1, 2025 by noon. 

Application instructions 

Before applying, please be sure to read all the FAQs above so you understand what is expected of interns and the positions available.  

When completing the online application, please read all instructions carefully! Here's what you can expect:

1. In the first section of the online application form, you’ll complete information about yourself (contact info, major, grad year, etc.) 
   1. Be sure to select “Sustainability Institute Internship” when asked “What program are you applying for?” 
2. In the next section, you will be asked some additional questions, and then asked to download the “Additional Application Materials Document”. This document has questions about your interest, goals and involvement on campus. It will also ask you to please choose up to two (2) positions in which you are interested and rank them in order of preference. Please read the position descriptions carefully so you can choose positions aligned with your interests and skills.
3. After downloading, you will type your answers in the document and save the file as a Word document or a PDF.  
   1. Name your document as follows: First Name_Last Name_Intern 
4. Then, you will upload your saved document back to the online form where asked to do so, and complete the remainder of the online form. Be sure to hit the "Submit" button to complete your application. 
5. We will contact you by email to schedule a conversation.

Apply to the 2025-2026 Sustainability INstitute Internship