Physical Plant Sustainability Internship

Penn State University • Ferguson Township, PA

82d • $16 - $17

About The Position

Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant is seeking several motivated student interns to contribute to ongoing sustainability efforts in Penn State’s operations. If you are interested in engaging people around sustainability, reducing waste on campus and at athletics events, increasing energy efficiency, or tracking sustainability-related data, please apply! The successful candidates will be organized and will work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders. They will be interested in sustainability within the constraints of maintaining operational and financial stability; a team player; organized, dependable, and comfortable speaking to and networking with campus groups; have a GPA above 3.0; a quick learner and be able to work proactively and independently. Excellent oral and written communication skills are required. During the fall and spring semesters, interns may work up to 20 hours a week. During the summer, interns are expected to work 35-40 hours a week. Compensation is $16 per hour for undergraduates and $17 per hour for graduate students. This job may require that you operate a motor vehicle as a part of your job duties. A valid US driver’s license and successful completion of a motor vehicle records check may be required in addition to standard background checks. Some internships in this program may require US Citizenship.

Requirements

• Must be a current Penn State student.
• GPA above 3.0.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Organized, dependable, and comfortable speaking to and networking with campus groups.
• Ability to work proactively and independently.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in sustainability initiatives.
• Familiarity with data analysis tools.
• Interest in community engagement and education.

Responsibilities

• Support campus-wide sustainability education and engagement initiatives through program development, outreach, and strategic projects.
• Assist with the Sustainable Labs Program, Green Paws Program and other employee training, peer engagement opportunities for staff, and the university-wide Sustainability Employee Resource Group.
• Help create educational resources, track impact, research best practices at other institutions, and integrate global sustainability goals into Penn State’s professional development efforts.
• Support sustainability-related data collection, analysis and reporting.
• Track and document carbon emissions, purchasing, water, waste, travel, fleet, procurement, and energy use data.
• Update public-facing Power BI dashboards.
• Identify, collect, analyze and report data for internal and external assessments of sustainability performance.
• Recommend strategies for data collection and analysis processes.
• Identify and track energy savings initiatives with a focus on energy savings generated from the Sustainable Lab Program.
• Coordinate with staff and other interns to prioritize energy efficiency investments and outreach.
• Maintain and report data; recommend strategies for energy efficiency investments.
• Develop outreach and education materials.
• Support waste reduction and recycling efforts for the university community.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve waste reduction, increase waste diversion from the landfill, and reduce recycling contamination.
• Create educational materials for campus stakeholders.
• Engage with the campus community through tabling, events and classroom presentations.
• Conduct building waste station audits.
• Focus on large event sustainability, especially football and other athletics events.
• Select and train Tailgate Ambassadors, plan and coordinate gameday activities, and collect and analyze athletics-related sustainability data.

Benefits

• Compensation of $16 per hour for undergraduates and $17 per hour for graduate students.
• Hands-on experience in sustainability strategy, program implementation, and community engagement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed