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ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
November 5, 2007
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In this issue:
** UPCOMING ES PROGRAM EVENTS: Off campus study night - Tuesday,
ES lunchtime lecture Wednesday- Professor Philip Nyhus
** ES PROGRAM NEWS: Mellon Funds Available
** BEYOND COLBY:
World Watch Magazine Available for download
** JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS: Waterville Main Street, Environment Maine
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** UPCOMING ES PROGRAM EVENTS:
Tuesday, November 6th
7:00 in Olin 1
Study Abroad Information Night
An informational talk led by Professor Dave Firmage about studying
abroad as an ES major, what type of programs to look for and how to obtain
credit. Also, four senior ES majors who went abroad last year will share their
experiences participating in four very different environmental programs: DIS
Copenhagen, SIT Matagascar, GAIAS Galapagos, and SFS Mexico.
Wednesday, November 7th
12:00 in the Fairchild Room in Dana, Join us at 11:30 for lunch
with Professor Nyhus
Tigers, Travels, and Tales from Sabbatical
Philip Nyhus, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
** ES PROGRAM NEWS: Mellon Funds available
Mellon Funds available for Jan Plan
The Environmental Studies Program is very lucky to have received
money from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that can be used to provide stipends
to students who want to undertake environmentally-related internships in the
summer and over Jan Plan. If you are interested in applying for a Jan plan
Mellon internship and you meet the following criteria, please consider
applying:
Criteria for Environmental Internship Stipend
* Preference
for ES majors, ES minors/concentrations
*
Current seniors eligible for January only
*
Internship should be related to environmental science or policy coursework
*
Preference for students interning in humanitarian, not-for-profit, and
governmental organizations
*
Applicants must be in good academic standing and be able to demonstrate
financial need
Applications should include the following:
*
A written proposal describing the organization sponsoring the internship, the
internship responsibilities, and the relationship of the internship to
environmental science or policy coursework and to your future career goals;
* A
letter of recommendation from a Colby faculty member;
* A
current resume;
* A
budget proposal listing projected income (including wages, stipends, family
contribution, gifts and other) and projected expenses (including
transportation, housing, utilities, food, and other); and
* A letter or other communication
from the sponsoring organization confirming the internship.
* Submit
full application materials (electronic and hardcopy please) to Beth Kopp, box
5356 (Beth.Kopp)
*
DEADLINE NOVEMBER 23
** BEYOND COLBY:
World Watch Magazine Available for download
HOW THE "CLIMATE" HAS CHANGED, TWENTY YEARS LATER: A
WORLD WATCH MAGAZINE RETROSPECTIVE
In 1988, World Watch writers thought that solving the world's
environmental problems meant taking climate change seriously, creating a
sustainable farming system, switching to renewable energy, and voting for
politicians who understand what's at stake. Twenty years later, they still do.
To mark the 20th volume of World Watch, nine current and former staff of the
magazine revisit issues they addressed in 1988 to explore what has changed and,
more importantly, what has stayed the same.
The 20th Anniversary Issue
RESTORING THE UN: TAKE 2 by Hilary French
A critical opportunity approaches.
YOUR FIRST RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE by William Chandler
Efficiency should come before anything else.
SLOW-MOTION REVOLUTION by Alan Thein Durning
A sustainable society won't be built in a day.
THE HEAT WAS ON by Christopher Flavin
Even 20 years ago we knew how to respond to climate warming.
BREEDING A SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE by Marcy Lowe
Sustainable produced food is better in every way.
CHINA'S UNQUENCHABLE THIRST by Sandra Postel
The globe's looming water crisis is previewed in China.
CAR CRASH: A LOOK IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR by Michael Renner
The allure of the automobile continues.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTIONS by Cynthia Pollock Shea
Individual actions really do matter.
SALIENCE, OR VOTING AS IF THE ENVIRONMENT MATTERS by John E. Young
Voters must elect politicians who get it.
Access the PDF of the current issue here: World Watch
November/December 2007
The SCA/Mazda Multimedia contest is searching for action-oriented,
practical solutions to engage young people in addressing an environmental
challenge. They accept entries in all formats including papers, power-point
presentations, film, and music. The Worldwatch Institute believes that young
people are the change-makers of tomorrow and we are pleased to be able to share
this opportunity with you.
** JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS:
WORK ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES WITH A LOCAL NON-PROFIT
Waterville Main Street, a local non-profit NGO, is looking for
qualified applicants to carry out a grant from the Maine State Planning
Office. The intern can expect to
help design and implement a program to recognize and reward businesses that
successfully complete waste and electricity audits and implement the audits'
recommendations. The student will
have the option to structure the recognition scheme for businesses, including
the possible use of cash incentives.
Training will be provided to the student to ensure they properly
complete the waste audit, a central component of the internship.
The ideal candidate is well organized, has strong communication
skills, and is interested in working on environmental, economic, and/or
community issues.
The paid position at $10/hour will require approximately 4-5 hours
per week during the spring semester.
For more information or to apply for this position, please contact Steve
Erario at sjerario@colby.edu or at x7293.
Environmental Fellowship
Background
We all want clean air, clean water and open spaces. But it takes
independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our
environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental
progress. That's the idea behind Environment Maine. We focus on protecting
Maine's air, water and open spaces. We speak out and take action at the local,
state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our
lives.
Environment Maine is hiring people for our Fellowship Program.
We?re part of a nationwide network of similar state-based environmental groups
that are also hiring. If you?re interested in a position in another state, you
can apply through Environment Maine.
Fellowship Program: 2008 ? 2010 Job Description
We?re hiring recent college graduates to help win campaigns with
Environment Maine or one of our partner groups. By working together, our
network?s efforts to pass renewable energy standards in the states has already
resulted in decreasing global warming pollution ? the equivalent of taking 1.5
million cars off the road. We have protected pristine wilderness areas across
the country, including 4 million acres of forests in Arizona and convinced the
state to designate three key areas protected in Michigan. We have protected
countless waterways, including designating 45 waterways for Clean Water Act
protections in New Jersey and passing an ocean protection bill in California.
And, we?ve passed renewable energy standards in Congress.
Environment Maine Fellows will get a chance to work with some of
the top environmental advocates and organizers in the country, and will have an
immediate impact on a critical environmental issue. The Fellowship Program
gives recent college graduates the training and experience to assume leadership
roles in the environmental movement for the long term.
The Fellowship Program positions include, but are not limited to:
Issue Associate: As an issue associate, you?ll master your issue
area and build the kind of powerful support it takes to make your voice heard
and change public policy. Responsibilities include: researching and writing
reports, developing and coordinating campaigns, preparing legislative
testimony, building statewide and national coalitions, organizing media events,
raising funds, and meeting with elected officials.
Field Associate: As a field associate, you?ll build and
demonstrate support for proposals at the state or federal level to ensure that
decision-makers hear from and pay attention to the public. You must quickly
master the basics of a variety of issues, and then reach out to individuals,
media outlets and organizations to build visibility and gain their support.
Issue associates and field associates may work on any of the
following issues: global warming, energy policy, clean air and water,
preserving our open spaces, and more. Each associate takes on the critical role
of building the organization by canvassing at various times during the year and
running a citizen outreach office during the summer.
Qualifications
We are looking for recent college graduates who care about the
environment and are driven to preserve it for the future. We look for strong
leadership skills, academic excellence, problem solving ability, and top-notch
written and verbal skills. We value experience with campus and activist groups.
Training and Experience
A key part of the Environment Maine mission is to train leaders
who are capable of organizing and winning results for the environment.
Immediately following an intensive training, fellows are trusted with
significant responsibilities in their jobs. The training lasts 10 days, is
fully paid, and starts in mid-August in Boston. Four additional trainings take
place during the rest of the year. Training topics include skills and political
strategy; and topics are covered in a mix of lectures, classroom briefings and
discussions, role-plays and in-the-field training. Throughout the year, you gain
valuable skills and experience in both making your voice heard on the issues
and in building an organization through grant-writing, canvassing, recruiting
and managing staff, and directing campaigns.
Placement
Fellowship candidates are considered for positions with
Environment Maine and our network of state environment group offices across the
country. If you are interested only in particular locations, you will be asked
to identify those locations during the interview process. If you are offered a
fellowship position, you are guaranteed placement in one of your desired
locations. In most cases, final placement, ncluding location and position,
occurs during the August training in Boston.
Salary & benefits
As a recent graduate, you will earn $23,750 in your first year and
$24,250 in your second year. Salary for experienced candidates is commensurate
with relevant professional experience and/or advanced degrees. You will be
eligible to opt in to our group health plan, and will accrue two weeks paid
vacation over the course of your first year, three weeks in your second year
and will be eligible to apply for college loan assistance. In your second year,
you will also be eligible to participate in our 401(k) plan.
Locations
Our network of environmental groups is currently hiring for
positions in: Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA;
Santa Barbara, CA; Denver, CO; Hartford, CT; Washington, DC; Tallahassee, FL;
Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Portland, ME; Boston, MA; Ann Arbor, MI; Trenton, NJ;
Baltimore, MD; Concord, NH; Albuquerque, NM; Raleigh, NC; Columbus, OH;
Portland, OR; Providence, RI; Austin, TX; Seattle, WA; Philadelphia, PA;
Madison, WI
How to apply
Fill out our online application form. Please contact Recruitment
Director Maria Schweitzer with any questions: Jobs@EnvironmentMaine.org.
................................................................................................................................................................
Beth Kopp
Coordinator, Environmental Studies Program
Colby College
5356 Mayflower Hill Drive
Waterville, Maine 04901
Office: 208 Diamond Building
207.859.5356