Environment Texas
Description:
Environment Texas, a statewide, citizen-based environmental organization, acts as a strong advocate on a broad range environmental issues, including promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy, protecting our open spaces, cleaning up our air and water, and to advancing global warming solutions. We speak out and take action at the local, state, and national levels to protect our precious natural resources.
Internships with Environment Texas offer students a unique, mentored experience. Our staff gives interns significant responsibilities, which include:
Working side by side with the staff, interns focus on real problems that affect people in their daily lives, such as drinking water contamination and global warming pollution.
As an Environment Texas intern, you help our staff develop a program around one or more of these issues. You help study the problem and then break it down into a manageable project, one in which the outcome can be influenced by the right combination of careful research, a smart political strategy, and demonstrable public support.
This approach requires each intern not only to develop expertise in public policy, but also to become skilled in the political process.
You become expert at:
Creating new policy ideas. The problems are easy to identify, but
practical, feasible solutions are harder to come by. An Environment
Texas intern helps our staff survey the current best thinking on the
issue and think through the best policy options.
Devising an effective strategy. Whether an Environment Texas
proposal becomes public policy is often a matter of how the problem is
framed for public debate, who is seen to be for and against the
proposal, and whether we have made a persuasive case to the public. An
Environment Texas intern helps our staff combine these elements into
an effective public interest campaign.
Conducting investigative research. Facts, figures and examples are
the bedrock of any intelligent public policy debate. An Environment
Texas intern pulls together the research on an issue in order to
illustrate the problem, and demonstrate the viability of the proposed
solution.
Drafting legislation. The devil, as they say, is in the details, and
nowhere more so than in the legislative process. An Environment Texas
intern helps craft legislation and keeps an eye out for unfriendly
amendments.
Lobbying. Whether it is a state representative or a city council
member, each decision-maker must be convinced on the merits, in person
whenever possible. The style of advocacy employed by Environment
America, the umbrella organization of Environment Texas, was best
summed up by Washington Post columnist David Broder many years ago:
"politely persistent."
Media outreach. The spotlight of media attention helps to inform the
public, offer new perspectives on old problems, and put
decision-makers on notice that the public is watching their actions.
An Environment Texas intern works to get our issues and opinions
covered by the media, through news releases, press conferences,
interviews, " op-eds," new Web sites, and more.
Organizing political support. When public interest proposals meet
special interest resistance, public support can provide the push to
overcome political opposition. An Environment Texas intern helps to
broaden the constituency for our proposals, building a coalition that
can help sway decision-makers.
What qualities and abilities does being an Environment Texas intern require A strong commitment to public interest issues. The ability to frame a debate on your own terms. The ability to engage others, whether one-on-one or in a group. The ability to think strategically. A willingness to engage in creative conflict, to persevere, and to lead by example.
Most Environment America interns nationwide are students in law, public policy or environmental studies, but students in any area of study may apply. Previous campaign and/or advocacy experience is a plus.
Please submit a resume, cover letter, and writing sample to: