http://www.edf.org

Environmental Defense Fund

Intern

June - August 2019 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I like the work environment at the organization, and also how I could learn an environmental NGO works.

What I wish was different

I wish I could've reached out to more people during the internship for learning and consultation.

Advice

Be willing to learn anything from an internship is always the most important.
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Microfinance and Fisheries Innovation Intern

June - August 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

My experience at EDF was exceptional. The accredited intern program provided the opportunity to meet and learn from leaders in the conservation effort, and provided the tools and skill set to contextualize and analyze core issues which EDF strives to overcome. Every person I interacted with at the organization was engaging, helpful and passionate. I would love to work for this mission oriented organization in the future.

What I wish was different

I was given a significant degree of autonomy to conduct research, ask questions and make myself helpful outside of my project. However, working with supervisors on existing, active projects would make the already excellent experience even better.

Advice

I highly encourage anyone interested in the conservation effort to apply for a position at EDF. I would advise any future interns to stay on top of deadlines and go above and beyond to complete their projects. But also to engage with others in the organization. For example, I was working on alternative finance in fisheries, but grew interest in cap & trade policy though my interactions with others working in that space.
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Software Development Intern

June - August 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

great work/life balance

What I wish was different

Advice

everybody I met at EDF was very willing to share about their career path/experiences, including the president. try to talk to as many people as you can!
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Economic Policy Intern

May - August 2019 • Boulder, CO

What I liked

Really great work environment, good learning, solid wage

What I wish was different

more intern involvement activities

Advice

Make the most out of it
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Water market intern

June - August 2019 • Boulder, CO

What I liked

I liked the area, many opportunities to explore outside. I also enjoyed the relaxed work environment, everyone was very nice fun.

What I wish was different

My expectations for the summer were not very clear and I wish I had more guidelines on what I should be doing each day, communication around the office could have been better additionally.

Advice

Go at it with an open mind, everyone is working on different things so be able to apply yourself in many different areas.
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Research Intern

July - August 2018 • Beijing, China

What I liked

I loved the fostering environment as well as the carbon pricing team that I was part of. I had a mentor who was willing to share her insights and guide me patiently through a lot of the challenges.

What I wish was different

I wish I had the chance to dive into the core of the work. Since I was only an undergraduate student, most of my work was on the administrative level. I did research on the advanced carbon markets in developed regions, but did not get into the core (which was to design and recommend policy for the Chinese government).

Advice

My advice is to explore outside of your responsibility. Although I was assigned to a team when I started the internship, I realized that some co-workers outside of my team were working on the area that I was equally interested. By actively reaching out to them, I got an idea of what the work for other positions was like.
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Legislative Affairs Intern

May - August 2017 • Washington, DC

What I liked

I loved the work environment, the people, and the opportunities that I had. The people at the EDF work hard to ensure that their interns have a good experience, and get to be involved on projects that interest them. They also have interns sit in on meetings so that they are aware of how the organization works. It was a good work/life balance, and I learned a lot!

What I wish was different

I honestly had a great summer, and would not have changed a thing!

Advice

Be persistent in asking for work. There were a few days when they didn't have anything for me to do, but consistently reminding my supervisor that I was happy to take on more projects both left a good impression and gave me opportunities that I may not have otherwise had.
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