I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received e-mails from readers who say something like, “I’ve always loved (company name), but I never considered the fact that I could intern for them until I read your post about them.” The reason for this is simple: most students don’t have the right mindset or approach. If you’re looking for an internship, everything that you do should relate back to the search. If you find something interesting—a product, company, idea, or anything else—you need to make a note of it and revisit it when you’re at your computer. For example, today I came across an article on Cool Hunting about Guerrilla Seed Bombs. They’re basically little nuggets that you can toss, chuck, or drop in dirt to plant seeds and improve green spaces. It’s part of the “guerrilla gardening” movement, and I think it’s a really neat idea—Johnny Appleseed for the new millennium. One of the companies behind these seed bombs is Los Angeles, CA based Commonstudio. They appear to be a two person design firm, and they’ve developed their seed grenades to be dispensed in old gum ball machines and sold under the name Green Aid (get it… grenade). Continue reading about Commonstudio…
You’ve probably heard the term “heirloom,” in reference to fruits or vegetables. For the longest time I had no idea what it meant, but eventually I asked someone and the gist of the definition is “any garden plant that has a history of being passed down within a family, just like pieces of heirloom jewelry or furniture.” More often than not the plants are passed down in the form of seeds. Heirloom breeds of plants are important not only for sentimental reasons, but also because they provide genetic diversity. By maintaining old breeds of plants with their unique resistance to disease and pests, we are able to ensure the security of our food supply. Seed Savers Exchange is a Decorah, IA based non-profit that “saves and shares the heirloom seeds of our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations.” Continue reading about Seed Savers Exchange…
My Dad is an architect, and he often likes to send me suggestions on which companies I should feature next. Sometimes he finds some pretty cool stuff, and a month or so ago he sent me a link to the Winter 2009 online issue of HQ Magazine, which features an article called “Top 20 Places to Work.” Usually such lists focus on a range of reasons for a place’s being great to work at, but HQ is an architectural publication, so this list is all about office space (not the movie). The section of the article on Epic Systems says: “Epic’s campus fits into idyllic pastures and farmland, providing serene, relaxing views from within. Outside are hiking trails, playing fields, a treehouse. Meeting rooms have working fireplaces to further the sense of calmness.” It sounds amazing. Epic systems is a Wisconsin based, privately held, employee owned healthcare software provider. Continue reading about Epic Systems…
Although I got to work at a private fishing club during one summer in college and spent two summers interning at Orvis, I still wish that I could have done something like interning with Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks. Being a lover of the outdoors, I can’t imagine many things better than spending a summer in Big Sky Country. In case you’re not familiar with what Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is, they’re Montana’s state agency charged with managing conservation of many of the state’s natural resources. Obviously, much of what they do is centered around managing fishing and hunting regulations, but they also have a huge responsibility of managing all of state parks (and there’s a whole lot to manage in a state like Montana). Continue reading about Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks…
Two Sundays ago we wrote about internships with Smokey House Center, a farming cooperative and outdoor classroom in rural Vermont. Today we’re going to take a look at another agriculturally focused non-profit, but today’s organization is located in the heart of Oakland. That’s right, City Slicker Farms is all about urban farming. Their mission is to “increase food self-sufficiency in West Oakland by creating organic, sustainable, high-yield urban farms and back-yard gardens.” City Slicker Farms is all about enabling people to directly improve their own lives through agriculture. Not only does urban farming provide delicious, nutritious food at a low cost, but it also makes the urban landscape more livable. Continue reading about City Slicker Farms…
You know that you’ve always wanted to live on a farm in rural Vermont. Here’s your chance. Smokey House Center is an outdoor classroom for middle and high school students where they can do “farming, forestry, and ecological research — learning in the process, science, math, ecology, communications, reading, writing, problem-solving, critical thinking, responsibility and teamwork.” Smokey House offers two applied learning programs – one for disadvantaged high school students and the other for mainstream middle and high school students. Beyond being a non-profit educational organization, Smokey House Center is also a real life working farm in Danby, Vermont. Continue reading about Smokey House Center…
This is our last Summer internship post for a while. We’ll be taking a couple weeks off to rejuvenate and find great Fall internship opportunities. We will publish a post tomorrow that will provide resources for a last minute internships search, so if you’re still hunting, we won’t completely abandon you. For our last Summer internship posting, we’ve chosen a non-profit organization founded by Bette Midler, yes, she of Hocus Pocus fame. We wanted to take the opportunity to make some jokes about a celebrity do-gooder, but we’re actually going to restrain ourselves because we’re really impressed by the New York Restoration Project and the work it does. Continue reading about New York Restoration Project…
This isn’t the first time we’ve featured internships at a botanical garden, but we thought it was time to reach out to those plant science and botany majors again. It must have crossed our mind when we realized that spring is in full force at One Day, One Job Headquarters. Everything has bloomed, and not only is it beautiful here, but it also smells great. Whenever we open a door or window we get a fragrant burst of springtime. Since we hear from a lot of people that we focus too much on internships in New York and California (hey, that’s where a lot of them are), the addition of the Chicago Botanic Garden to our list of companies and organizations that hire interns should be welcome. Continue reading about Chicago Botanic Garden…
The other kids begged their parents to take them to the zoo. Animals were exciting to them. Animals move and eat. They make weird sounds. They smell funny. Plants have none of those appeal factors. Plants don’t move, they grow. They absorb their nutrients. They’re soundless. And they smell good (most of them anyways). To most kids that spells B-O-R-I-N-G, but not to you. You realize that the zoo is an 86-minute comedy movie, while a botanical garden is 142 minutes of Academy Award winning cinematic genius. So, if you were the kid that ignored the cheap thrills of the zoo for the higher art of the botanical garden, then today’s internships will bud your interest. Continue reading about New York Botanical Garden…
