Environmental Defense Fund is looking for diverse candidates who are seeking a professional experience in environmental advocacy. The Diversity Fellowship is a full-time, one-year position focused on a project that is integral to one of EDF’s key program areas – Oceans, Ecosystems, Climate or Health. The Fellow will have the opportunity to work closely with our staff on a significant project, develop core professional skills, understand our approach to environmental issues, and develop an understanding of environmental advocacy as a career path.
Environmental Defense Fund was founded in 1967 by a group of scientists concerned about the effects of DDT on humans, wildlife, and the environment. DDT was banned in the U.S. as a result of our tactics—one of the classic achievements of the environmental movement. Other notable victories include developing market-based systems to cut pollution, convincing corporations of the economic benefits of environmental business practices, and helping private landowners restore more than 2 million acres of habitat for endangered species.
Environmental Defense Fund’s accomplishments have been based on the combined efforts of scientists, economists, and attorneys working for practical, economically sustainable solutions to environmental problems. With the support of over 700,000 members, we focus our efforts in four broad program areas: Oceans, Ecosystems, Climate and Health. Offices are located in New York, D.C., North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Arkansas and in San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles, California.
Apply for a 2009 diversity fellowship
To apply, please send the following items to Cheryl Pickard at Environmental Defense Fund, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 600, Washington, DC 20009. Applications can also be emailed to Cheryl Pickard at jobs_AT_edf_DOT_org.
Applications must be postmarked by May 15, 2009, and must include:
* Cover letter (two page maximum) – Tell us why you want to be a Diversity Fellow with Environmental Defense Fund. Include relevant experience as it relates to the project(s) of specific interest to you; fellowship projects are outlined below.
* Curriculum Vitae or Resume
* Official Transcripts
* Writing sample (five page maximum)
* Three letters of recommendation (one letter must be from a professor/university faculty)
Environmental Defense Fund will review the applications and set up interviews with the top candidates in early May. Fellowship applicants will be notified of decisions by the end of June. Fellowships must start by September 1, 2009. Fellows will be responsible for their own travel and relocation expenses to Fellowship sites.
2009 diversity fellowship projects
Please review the following descriptions and indicate in your cover letter the project number and project title for which you are applying. You may apply for more than one project.
* Engaging African-American Fishermen in the South Atlantic (DC – Oceans): As the Oceans Program advances catch shares as the preferred economic and environmental solution to overfishing we recognize that 20% of the fishing population, African-American fishermen in the South Atlantic, is underrepresented and relatively unknown to the regulatory process. The diversity fellow will research and write a report on this unique fishing population, identify and engage with community leaders, and educate state and federal policymakers about the problems and solutions facing African-American fishermen.
* Energy Efficiency in North Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Raleigh, NC – Climate): The North Carolina legislature passed a bill requiring state buildings to increase their energy efficiency. The Climate team is working with historically black colleges and universities to identify, propose and implement renovations and new building designs that will serve as a framework to improve the energy efficiency of many HBCUs. The fellow will work with North Carolina Central University, Johnson C Smith University, and other universities as the program grows to develop a strategy to measure and record energy savings while developing a media campaign, securing funding sources and developing relevant curriculum to engage the student body in energy efficiency and prepare them for the new green economy.
* Restoration of the Mississippi River Deltaic Wetlands Surrounding New Orleans (DC or NY – Land, Water & Wildlife): Our work in Coastal Louisiana is seeking to protect is vital economy and its unique culture by restoring the Mississippi River Delta’s ecosystem. The fellow will develop white papers on job-creation and economic development of wetlands restoration, collaborate with state and federal government officials and NGOs (The Nature Conservancy, National Audubon Society and National Wildlife Federation), and strategize with our policy teams on key legislators to engage.
*Transformative Transportation Policy (LA – Living Cities): The Living Cities Program is seeking to reduce pollution from cargo vessels substantially through changes in U.S. law and policy that provide incentives to create low-carbon technologies. The fellow will create a web-based innovations exchange for transportation that maps the environmental and job benefits, connects innovators with policy makers and communicates the need for change effectively to Congress.
