Bridgewater, Va. – Bridgewater College is offering paid internships, both on and off campus, during the 2020-2021 academic year. Information regarding these particular internships can be obtained through Teshome Molalenge, director of sustainability, whose office is located in the Center for Engaged Learning. 

The paid internships offered range from comprehensive energy audit interns to McKinney garden interns. There are currently 12 different on-campus internships available, where students can aid in the process of helping Bridgewater College become more green. 

 The goal of these internships is to help the college transition to a more sustainable point in terms of waste and energy. There is even an internship that is meant to teach how to accelerate positive changes during challenging times.

“I like the non-profit management and garden internships. I think they’re both very practical and could be applied to a lot of different opportunities. I think they show that the college shares the environmental concerns of other institutions, but that they also can roll those interests into other fields. I think they’ll be very popular with students,” said junior Jared Browne.

Four different internships opportunities are available off-campus. Two internships listed are under consideration and under review. The remaining two internships focus on gardening and zero waste. As a community garden management intern, students will learn all aspects of organic horticulture, some plant pathology and entomology, hands-on gardening and basic garden maintenance according to the OCES internships pdf.

The descriptions for some of the internships show some of the events the college will implement. These include RecycleMania Tournament, World Water Conservation Day, Earth Hour, Earth Day, America Recycles Day, Climate Strike, and Great American Smoke-Out Day.

These events, which some interns will assist in promoting, will allow students to learn about the various ways to help the environment and reduce their waste. The office of sustainability believes that these events will encourage students to be more green. 

STARS assesses and rates the sustainability of colleges and universities.The STARS rating of the college was Bronze back in 2016. Bronze is the second lowest category, with Reporter below it. Above Bronze is Silver, then Gold, and at the very top is Platinum. The college hopes that the various environmental initiatives will induce a higher rating. One of the internship opportunities available is related to STARS, where the intern will learn how higher education institutions are rated for their sustainability efforts.