It’s easy to take electricity for granted. When we plug something in, it usually works. If it doesn’t, the problem probably isn’t with the outlet (though I have had that happen). Our electric system has been around for well over a century, which is why it’s so reliable. However, keeping it up to date still requires a lot of innovation. That’s where Utilidata comes in. They’re a Providence, RI based company that delivers “value to utilities and large energy users by improving operational decisions through the use of new data extraction and digital processing techniques.” We all know that measurement is usually the first step in improvement, and that’s why Utilidata is all about using data to optimize energy efficiencies.
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Gardening is a lot like life. If you work hard, do things right, and get a little lucky, you’ll be handsomely rewarded. That’s why tending to a garden is great for kids. Not only do they learn about the rewards of hard work, but they also get to watch something as it grows from a pile of dirt into something beautiful or delicious. City Blossoms is a Washington, DC based non-profit that is “dedicated to kid-driven, community engaging, creative green spaces.” While they are cultivators of youth; youth are their main cultivators.
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In a few months my typical Saturday mornings will include a trip to the farmers’ market, but right now it’s not happening. They may keep the market going indoors, but it’s just not the same. Farmers’ markets have always been a thing, but they’ve surged in popularity over the past decade–especially in urban centers. As more and more markets pop up, they can all gain by banding together. That’s what Mass Farmers Markets is about. They are a Waltham, MA based non-profit that aims “to partner with farmers, consumers, and communities to foster, enhance and sustain farmers market in Massachusetts in order to improve regional farm viability, consumer nutrition, and community social and economic development.”
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When I think about my personal impact on the environment, I think about driving, flying, heating my home, what I eat, and other similar things. Clothing doesn’t typically come to mind, but the production and transportation of clothing can have significant negative impacts on the environment. Reformation is trying to reduce the impact. They’re a Los Angeles, CA based “environmentally sustainable fashion brand that repurposes vintage and surplus
materials to create a chic, limited edition collection.” The way that they operate is completely different from most other fashion brands, but it’s working.
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I have quite a few friends who are pursuing careers in the energy efficiency space. It’s a great industry because it allows you to make the world a better place while still working at a for-profit. Water use efficiency doesn’t get the same level of attention, but you can argue that it’s equally important. Clean water is a limited resource that is especially scarce in many areas. Conservation is one of the simplest solutions, and that’s what WaterSmart Software is all about. They are based in San Francisco, CA, and they aim “to help water utilities make it easier for their customers to save water and save money.” I always find it weird that utility companies can grow their businesses by convincing consumers to use less of what they sell, but that’s the way things work these days.
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Over the past six months baby blue bikes have been popping up all over Chicago. As a driver, they’re a bit scary because many of the riders seem unsure of themselves on two wheels, but it’s an overall good thing for the city. The bikes are part of the Divvy Bikes bike sharing system. The program seems to be a huge success so far, and I’m hearing the same thing about similar programs in other cities. The company behind Divvy, CitiBike, Bay Area BikeShare, Capital Bikeshare, and quite a few others is Alta Bicycle Share. They are based in Portland, OR and have offices in San Francisco, Columbus, Chicago, Brooklyn, Chattanooga, Boston, Washington, DC, and Melbourne, Australia. They’ve been able to launch programs in such major cities because they ” provide solutions for all aspects of bike share, from location assessment and business modeling to system maintenance and expansion.”
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We moved to a tree lined street recently, and I love it. I can walk out my door on a 90 degree day, and it still doesn’t feel oppressively hot. My car is nice and cool when I get in (though it tends to get covered in bird poop), and if it rains, it has to rain pretty hard to actually get me wet. Soon the leaves will fall off and it will get colder, and then the sun will shine through the branches and keep things a little warmer. Trees make living in a city way better. That’s the premise behind Canopy, a Palo Alto, CA based “environmental nonprofit that engages the community in the growth and care of our urban forest.” While they only focus on Palo Alto and it surrounding communities, they’re making a big difference through the power of trees.
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When I proposed to Amy, I had no doubt that she was going to say yes–even if I did it with a Ring Pop. Still, I thought it was only right to follow tradition and plunk down a bunch of money on a diamond. While some people see such an expenditure as wasteful, others just don’t like what a diamond means. They want a more socially conscious option. The good new for those people is that ethically produced diamonds do exist, and Brilliant Earth is a company that is hoping to make them the norm. Brilliant Earth is based in San Francisco, CA, and they are “the leading supplier of conflict free diamond jewelry.” It all started with two Stanford students, one of whom was about to get engaged. She wanted a ring that represented her values but was still something that she wanted to wear for the rest of her life. She and her fiancé struggled to find what they were looking for, and as a result Brilliant Earth was started to make the process easier for other couples looking for the same thing.
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Transportation is all about turning energy into movement. The problem is that almost every single mode of transportation results in some sort of environmental impact. Even when you’re walking down the street, you’re constantly expelling carbon dioxide. After thinking about it for a while, I’ve come to the conclusion that floating down a river might be the cleanest form of transportation. Unfortunately, that’s not realistic for most of us (even if it is my favorite way to travel). Luckily, we have the International Council on Clean Transportation to help us all move towards cleaner transportation. They are a Washington, DC based non-profit that aims “to improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency of road, marine, and air transportation sectors and fuels, in order to benefit public health and mitigate climate change.”
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I live in a sixteen unit condo/apartment building. The unit that I rent is pretty nice, but the building’s common areas are kind of gross. It seems that the condo association is reluctant to invest in upkeep (and that’s why I’d never buy a unit in this building). Luckily for Bright Power not all associations are like mine. Bright Power is a New York, NY based company that “provides practical energy management and solar energy solutions that save building owners energy, money and time,” and they specialize in multifamily residential buildings just like mine. By focusing on buildings instead of individual homeowners, they’re able to have a bigger impact while at the same time making it more likely that an investment in their solutions will make sense.
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Our country was built on railroads. Rail travel changed the way that nearly every entity did business in the 19th and early 20th centuries, much like the Internet has done during our lifetimes. The similarities don’t end there. The railroad system was subject to multiple boom and bust cycles, and that led to far more rail being laid than could ever be used. Chances are that you have abandoned rails somewhere near you. Rails-to-Trails is an organization that wants to put them to use. They’re a Washington, DC based non-profit that is aiming “to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.” Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has been around for more than 25 years now, and in that time they’ve helped the number of rail-trails grow by more than 700%.
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For as long as charitable organizations have existed, they’ve been feeding people. Yesterday we looked at Food & Friends and how they’re feeding people who are suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other illnesses. Today we’re going to look at an organization that is more focused on the quality of food that we eat. Seattle Tilth aims “to inspire and educate people to safeguard our natural resources while building an equitable and sustainable local food system.” The organization is all about maximizing the health of the community through agriculture that respects the environment.
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I’m the first person to admit that I’m not the best about energy efficiency. I may turn off the lights when I leave the house, but I still drive an SUV and use incandescent bulbs. I need someone to make it easy for me, and luckily more and more utilities are starting to do that. It’s a little odd that a company that sells you something wants you to use less, but that’s what’s happening. One of the best ways for utility companies to help their customers reduce energy consumption is through web-based software. It would be silly for every utility company to create their own custom software, which is why EnergySavvy exists. They’re a Seattle, WA based company that provides utilities with software that enables them “to engage with their customers, keep track of their data and optimize their operations.”
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In a place like New York City, it’s nearly impossible to build something without tearing something else down. That means that a lot of still useful stuff is sent off to the dump while new construction material is shipped in from afar. This is not only wasteful, but it’s also terrible for the environment. Build It Green! NYC is a New York, NY based non-profit that is “working towards reducing the amount of unnecessary construction and demolition (C&D) waste clogging our landfills.” They do this through two stores that make Build It Green! NYC “New York City’s only non-profit retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building materials.”
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Blogging is a great way to grow your personal brand to help you land an internship. WordPress is the best blogging platform and WP Engine is the best WordPress host out there (we use them for ODOJ and ODOI). Right now AppSumo has an unbelievable deal for a year of WP Engine hosting for $99 (usually $348, and worth it).
Yesterday I went shopping at Whole Foods. I bought a bunch of produce that I’m sure was shipped in from all over the world–they aren’t growing strawberries around here this time of year. While I love being able to eat out of season fruits and vegetables, I realize that I’m often paying more to get lower quality food. We’ve certainly seen a movement towards more locally grown food, but even a Michigan cherry has to travel 100s of miles to get to me in Chicago. What if food only had to moved downstairs to get to you at the supermarket? That’s what BrightFarms is a New York, NY based company that is trying to accomplish this. They design, finance, build, and operate “hydroponic greenhouse farms at, or near, supermarkets, eliminating time, distance and cost from the food supply chain.” They take on almost all of the risk and only require the supermarket to guarantee that they’ll buy the output.
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Yesterday I came across Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30 list of America’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs. Apparently I wasn’t cool enough this year, but I’ll leave my hard feelings aside because this list is an amazing source for interesting companies with exciting internships. While the list certainly skews towards tech, my favorite from the list is as old school as you can get. It’s a fungus startup–mushrooms to be exact. Most people stick to store bought mushrooms because eating some mushroom that you found growing in your yard could be deadly (or psychedelic), but store bought mushrooms often leave something to be desired–especially when they get slimy. Back to the Roots is an Oakland, CA based company that allows you to enjoy the freshly picked mushroom experience with a product that you can buy in a supermarket.
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While I love the word isthmus, there’s no doubt in my mind that if I had to pick a favorite geographic feature, it would be rivers (and my favorite river is the Au Sable in Michigan). A lot has to do with my fly fishing addiction, but I’m continuously amazed by the power of moving water. It’s no coincidence that so many of the world’s greatest cities formed along rivers–they really are the lifeblood of civilization. It’s easy to forget this when your water comes out of a faucet and the fish you eat is grown in a pond, but there are still people across the world whose lives are completely intertwined with the rivers they live along. International Rivers is a Berkeley, CA non-profit organization that is “at the heart of the global struggle to protect rivers and the rights of communities that depend on them.” There are all kinds of threats to rivers, but dams are often the biggest ones. Many consider hydroelectric power to green, but they overlook the consequences of stopping the natural flow of a river.
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My life is about as paperless as it gets. I avoid having to use a printer at all costs. Yet, I still think I know something about the paper and printing industry. It’s not because my mom is a graphic designer who dragged me along to pick up printing jobs when I was a kid. It’s because I watch The Office, obviously. Believe it or not, printing costs are still significant for most companies–“corporations spend $500 per employee annually on printing costs.” PrintEco is a Chicago, IL based company that claims they can cut 17% off of most companies’ printing expenses and help the environment at the same time. When you see how they do it, I think you’ll be pretty impressed.
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Earth Day is a contrived holiday. It was designed as a day of teach-ins across the country to educate students about environmental evils. April 22 was chosen as the date because it fit perfectly between spring break and final exams. If you want to maximize on-campus student activity, this is the time of year to do it. It’s worked. Earth Day now has more than 40 years of history behind it, and it continues to be a great way to rally people for environmental causes. Earth Day Network is a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that organizes Earth Day activities across the world while also focusing on environmental causes year round. In the past they’ve “executed successful environmental campaigns on issues ranging from climate change and drinking water to voter registration and saving the whale.”
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I played beach volleyball yesterday. On St. Patrick’s Day! And I was hot! No, I didn’t go on vacation. Chicago is having an amazing stretch of unseasonably warm weather. The best thing about it is that it gets people out doing what they love because they know that it still could snow again. For me it’s volleyball (or fishing if I can escape the city), but for others it may be running, playing with their dog, or riding a bike. Since I saw a ton of bikes yesterday, I thought it would be a good day to take a look at Bike New York. They’re a New York, NY based non-profit organization that aims to “promote and encourage bicycling and bicycle safety through education, public events, and collaboration with community and government organizations.” Biking is good for cities and good for people, so Bike New York isn’t just about biking for biking’s sake.
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Environmental issues and politics make an interesting combination. The environment is typically a long-run issue, and politicians are historically bad at dealing with anything that isn’t in the short-term. If you don’t believe me, look no further than the national debt or the Social Security situation. The reason for this is that most voters don’t get fired up about stuff that is going to happen in 5/10/100 years. Voters get fired up about the present, so that’s what politicians cater to–remember it’s all about reelection. If you want politicians to act with a long-term mindset, you really have to push them, and that’s exactly what the League of Conservation Voters does. They’re a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that “works to turn environmental values into national priorities.” They do this by focusing on two key areas: educating the public about environmental issues and helping elect pro-environment leaders.
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Usually we associate with brands based on our experiences with their products. After a while we know what brands we like and use brand names as a heuristic to make purchasing decisions easier. Occasionally when a brand has an exceptional story, the brand actually becomes the product. That seems to be the case with Holstee, a New York, NY based company that focuses on “lifestyle design with a conscience.” The only reason I had heard about them is that they’re often on Fab.com, yet there are a ton of people who have bought a printed version of the Holstee manifesto to put on their walls (see the manifesto here). The brand has literally become the product. Some may write off Holstee as an online store for “hipsters,” but the “People, Planet, Product” approach has a lot of meaning for a lot of people, and it’s enabled Holstee to grow their business.
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It’s amazing how a good snowfall can quiet a city down. It may not be as serene as a natural landscape, but it reminds you that nature still exists in a setting that has been almost completely altered by man. It’s easy to forget about the environment when you live in a city, but I’m sure that’s not a problem for the people at the Environmental Law Institute. It’s a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that “makes law work for people, places, and the planet.” That’s an important role because environmental health is a public good that can be ruined by the actions of a few. Environmental changes can have all kinds of externalities, so it’s important that our legal system is set up in a way that promotes “a healthy environment, prosperous economies, and vibrant communities.”
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Call me whatever you want, but I still buy incandescent light bulbs. I tried a few CFL bulbs in the past, but they were an utter disappointment–not very bright and a disgusting color of light. I paid more for them because they’re supposed to pay off in the long run, but they can’t save me money if I don’t use them. It’s going to take a more compelling energy efficient light bulb design to get me to switch. And that’s exactly what Switch has come up with. They’re a San Jose, CA based startup that is using LED technology to replicate the beautiful light of an incandescent bulb without wasting so much energy. They’re close to achieving the holy grail of light bulbs (and a big pay day), especially considering that there will essentially be a ban on incandescent bulbs by 2014. Now they just need to convince people to switch.
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When I was in Ann Arbor, MI last weekend, I noticed that there’s a tremendous amount of interest in the environment there. Maybe it’s because two of the friends I was visiting got Master’s degrees from University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, but it was also the LED street lights and the students who I met who were asking about green internships. That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a lot of subscribers to Grist in the Ann Arbor area. Grist is a Seattle, WA based magazine that “has been dishing out environmental news and commentary with a wry twist since 1999.” They’re a non-profit organization, so they’re “funded by foundation grants, user contributions, and advertising.”
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When I think of the energy industry, I think of big machines like oil drills, windmills, and coal elevators. Microbes and genetics just don’t come to mind. Synthetic Genomics is a company that is aiming to change that. Energy is just one of the industries that they are working to disrupt as they develop “breakthrough genomic-driven solutions for major global issues.” Right now Synthetic Genomics, which is based in La Jolla, CA, has put a heavy emphasis on working with the energy and chemical industries because there is so much potential for gain–especially in terms of the environment; however, they’re also working on things like food production, human health, and water availability. It’s all about “turning novel science into life-changing solutions.”
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I used to wake up every day, look out the window, and see the Chicago skyline. In my new place, I wake up and see a whole bunch of trees. Though I know I’ll miss being able to watch the city from a few hundred feet up, it’s a nice change. Who doesn’t love trees? Well, the people at the Sacramento Tree Foundation probably love trees even more than the average person. The Sacramento Tree Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Sacramento, CA that is “working to grow healthy, livable communities in the Sacramento region by empowering people to plant, protect, and learn about trees.” They have a goal of planting 5 million trees in the area by 2025. Though they have a long way to go, they’ve already gotten off to a great start.
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Usually when I get a pitch from PR or Communications agencies, I ignore them. Why? Most of the pitches are terrible. They’re not relevant to me, and they show no respect for my time. Even worse, some of them are downright spammy. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I was going through my backlog of e-mail to see a really good pitch on a company that has internships for environmentally minded students. (Did I mention that more than 160 people applied for an internship with ODOJ? I’m still getting through all of them.) The company is called Greencitizen, and they’re based in San Francisco, CA. They’re business is all about dealing with the “E-Waste Crisis.” They “help consumers and businesses reduce their environmental footprint of their computer and electronics… by keeping electronics running efficiently through online and in-store repair services, along with environmentally responsible electronics recycling.” So they do a lot of the same things as a typical IT services company (computer repair, data security, tech support, etc), but they’ve made a name for themselves by making everything they do green while also putting a huge emphasis on recycling.
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I find it weird when a company tries to convince me to use less of their product and spend less on it. That can’t be good business… or can it? It can be when you’re competing in commoditized markets with entrenched players. It’s a tactic that seems to be working for BlueStar Energy Solutions, a Chicago, IL based (just a block from me) alternative energy supply company. They already serve “customers in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C,” and they’re “considering expanding [their] supply services to New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.” They’re bringing competition to all of these markets, and they’re offering a lot more than traditional utilities–great customer service, lower prices, and a much greener approach. It should be no surprise that BlueStar Energy Solutions’ revenue continues to grow rapidly.
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You wouldn’t think that I’m actually happy when people unsubscribe from this list, but if it means that they landed a job or internship, then I’m as pleased as can be. I always try to find out where former subscribers go intern somewhere so that I can tell you about opportunities at those places (e-mail me at willy@onedayonejob.com if you have a recommendation). One reader e-mailed me and told me that she went to work at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is a non-profit organization that acts “as the organized voice of the American public on nutrition, food safety, health and other issues.” They’re based in Washington, DC, and they’ve been acting in the public interest since 1971. The organization’s main goals are to “educate the public, advocate government policies that are consistent with scientific evidence on health and environmental issues, and counter industry’s powerful influence on public opinion and public policies.” Most of us forget how important of an issue food actually is, but it’s a major public health issue that is only getting worse.
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